Opening Doors - University of Rhode Island

University of Rhode Island Foundation
Message from
the foundation
president
Glen R. Kerkian
Dear friends,
Forging ahead in our efforts to support the
University of Rhode Island, we continue to,
once again, be both amazed and impressed
by our donors. Opening doors and providing
opportunities to students that may not have
otherwise been available continues to be
our priority at the URI Foundation and our
large and very supportive donor community
of alumni and friends has once again
demonstrated its loyalty and commitment.
Your support has allowed us to set an
impressive and historic record as well. The
fiscal year ending June 30, 2009 went into the
record books as the single largest year for
funds raised in the University’s history. This
made even more remarkable given the state
of the nation’s economy and the fact that
private gifts to education in general were down nationally over five percent last year.
Further, the University’s Making a Difference capital campaign exceeded all expectations
by achieving its $100 million goal this past October 16 --a full fifteen months before the
official end of the campaign. We won’t rest on either of those accomplishments. Our
goal is to make the current fiscal year even better than the last and to concentrate our
efforts on the goals of the current fundraising campaign right up until December 31,
2010, raising even more charitable gifts to support this fine university and opening even
more doors of opportunity.
Though this report will reflect the downturn in the market last year that resulted in a
drop in value of the University’s endowment, we are heartened by improvements that
have taken place already in the first half of the current fiscal year and look forward to
reporting those improvements next year.
There is a palpable new energy on campus with the arrival of our new president, David
Dooley, and his vision for a more collaborative university. We look forward to your
continued and steadfast support as we progress into what is sure to be a new era of
opportunity and growth.
Sincerely,
Glen R. Kerkian
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