The University of Vermont Foundation received total commitments of $44.5 million for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2013, just shy of last year's record-setting total of $45.06 million. The past fiscal year also set a new record of $37 million in total receipts from more than 20,000 donors.

Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer Richard Bundy said the results are “solid indicators that UVM is headed in the right direction in terms of its fundraising capacity.” Total commitments include new outright gifts as well as indicators of future giving, like new pledges and new bequest provisions. Cash receipts are a measure of funds received during the year, including new gifts, realized bequests, and payment against previous years’ pledges.

“The successes we’ve seen in these first two years of the Foundation’s existence bode very well for UVM’s financial future,” Bundy said. “We are incredibly grateful to the more than 20,000 donors this year whose vote of confidence in UVM will have a lasting impact on our ability to provide access and affordability for our students and to serve as a talent magnet for outstanding faculty, which UVM President Tom Sullivan identified early in his presidency as top priorities for our fundraising efforts.”

Donors responded positively to these core fundraising messages from President Sullivan over the course of the last fiscal year. Private donors contributed more than $7.6 million in new scholarship support that will directly benefit students in fields as far-ranging as nursing, plant biology, Romance languages and linguistics, medicine, and interdisciplinary education. International students and students in the university-wide Honors College also will benefit from significant new endowed scholarship support.

Significantly, donors also increased the number of endowed faculty positions at UVM by seven, from 55 to 62, an increase of nearly 13 percent. Donor support established new chairs and professorships in business administration, engineering and mathematical sciences, German and Russian studies, and medicine. Endowed faculty positions give the University important resources to attract and retain outstanding scholars to UVM, where their teaching, research, and outreach to the community enhance the overall strength of the institution and contribute to an outstanding student experience.

“It is very gratifying that my first year as president has been such a good year for UVM fundraising,” said UVM President Thomas Sullivan. “We are tremendously appreciative to all of our donors for their generous support. These gifts are an expression of thanks for all that UVM has achieved, confidence in the direction we’re headed, and a measure of our future potential as an economic engine for Vermont and beyond.”