Corporate & Foundation Relations (CFR) works to generate financial support for University priorities by promoting mutually beneficial relationships with corporations, foundations and other philanthropic organizations.

To create effective partnerships with key companies and foundations, central CFR staff work alongside schools, centers and research units across the Grounds, several of which have separate CFR development staff. The CFR office oversees and coordinates activities with University-level corporations and foundations and identifies sources of corporate or foundation support. CFR provides research assistance and resources as well as strategic guidance. We also provide support for proposal writing and assistance with stewardship reports.

The CFR staff works closely with the University's Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) and has helped to develop a recent Policy on Gifts and Grants. The primary CFR staff contact for corporate support is Nick Duke. The primary CFR staff contact for foundation support is Keith Roots.

Please visit the CFR office Corporate Connections Web site. This Web site offers a comprehensive gateway to numerous University sites of primary interest to business and industry.

The Theresa A. Thomas Memorial Foundation has brought the Schools of Nursing and Medicine to the forefront in addressing the need for primary care nurses and physicians, providing scholarships and fellowships that encourage promising nursing and medical students to enter this field. The foundation also has funded the Theresa A. Thomas Intensive Care Simulation Laboratory and the Charles L. Reed Physical Assessment Laboratory, which provide hands-on learning experiences for nursing students.

In addition, the foundation created the Theresa A. Thomas Professorship in Primary Care Nursing, and it contributed generously to the Malvina Yuille Boyd Professorship in Oncology Nursing and to professorships named in honor of Jeanette Lancaster, dean of the Nursing School, and the family of Thomas A. Saunders III (Darden '67), co-chair of the University's campaign. The Saunders Professorship was funded in response to the Saunders Family Challenge, which encouraged donors to create new chairs in nursing, architecture, and education.

Rising to the Challenge: George David (Darden '67)
"Our goal is to have the best-educated work force on the planet," said UTC Chairman and CEO George David (Darden '67), who serves as president of the Darden School Foundation Board of Trustees. With a generous gift to the Darden campaign, United Technologies helped to meet the Batten Family Leadership Challenge, which created new professorships, scholarships, a fellows program, a Darden office in Northern Virginia, and a business incubator to allow students and faculty to test their entrepreneurial ideas. United Technologies Corporation has been ranked by Fortune magazine as the most admired aerospace company. In his 1994 commencement address at Darden, Mr. David challenged the graduating class to "improve the conditions of life for all people everywhere." Thanks to UTC's support, Darden graduates will have the skills to meet that challenge.