Dear Cornerstone Society Members:The 2008-2010 biannual report recognizes, with gratitude, the generosity and foresight of University of Virginia alumni, parents, faculty and friends who comprise the Cornerstone Society. Your gifts will help the University uphold high standards of honor and academic rigor; offer an outstanding student experience, including nationally ranked athletics programs and exposure to fine arts and performing arts; and provide opportunities for public service. Estate and planned gifts have become increasingly vital to the University which is why an effort to raise $400 million in bequests was launched in July 2007 as part of the current campaign effort. To date, the University has received commitments of more than $236 million, or 59 percent of our goal, and more than $100 million through realized bequests. Three hundred sixty-five individuals have become Cornerstone Society members and participated in the bequest campaign over the past two fiscal years, the most recent of which ended June 30, 2010. As you explore this website, you will be inspired by the far-reaching impact of your peers’ thoughtful planned gifts. How the creation of a professorship enabled one doctor to continue his work on health disparities in prostate cancer. How a scholarship established by an alumnus of the School of Engineering and Applied Science will allow an engineering student to graduate debt free. How a fellowship affords a graduate student an opportunity to realize her dream of teaching high school physics and encouraging young women to continue studying this science in college. And how a Law School alumnus and visionary art collector transformed two Virginia art museums. As you know, the Office of Gift Planning works with the University’s benefactors on many types of planned gifts. As support for higher education from the Commonwealth of Virginia continues to decline, these gifts are proving to be invaluable. For the 2009-10 fiscal year, less than 7 percent of the University’s operating budget comes from state funds, down from 8.2 percent in the previous fiscal year and from 9.0 percent in 2007-08. On behalf of the University’s Gift Planning Council, I thank you, as a Cornerstone Society member, for your support, which is crucial to the continued success of the University of Virginia. Sincerely, |