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Ruth Ann Gillis McGuinnis
Mary Ellen Connellan
The past year has been one of reevaluation, renewal, and reformation. The University
of Chicago Cancer Research Foundation (UCCRF) has been busy preparing itself
for the electrifying times that lie ahead. This is a climactic moment in the history of
cancer research. New knowledge and technologies offer the promise of enormous progress.
Therefore, it is time to intensify our efforts, seize the opportunities, and reach for new
heights above and beyond anything accomplished in years past. We will remain the Cancer
Research Center’s faithful, enthusiastic and effective partner.
In her first year as Director of the University of Chicago Cancer Research Center, Dr.
Michelle Le Beau has implemented a comprehensive strategy to encourage greater
collaboration among researchers, attract new talent to the University of Chicago, and
provide its members with new assets to support their vital work transforming cancer
prevention, diagnosis and care. At the UCCRF, we are ready to participate actively in the
implementation of this agenda for action.
That is why we are especially pleased at the Foundation record fundraising in Fiscal Year
2004-2005 when we contributed $1,900,011 to the UCCRC. This amount exceeds last
year’s total by more than $135,000. We are all grateful to our dedicated members and other
generous donors who have made this extraordinary success possible.
A Message from the President and the Director
The Cancer Research Center has put these contributions to good use. We see the impacts of
the Foundation’s giving at work throughout the University. Our donations – large and small
– have enabled the purchase of state-of-the-art equipment, enhanced laboratory facilities,
funded recruitment of top faculty and fellowships for young scientists, and generated
innovative research by many of our most distinguished researchers. These scientists rely on
this essential support because it provides them with the freedom necessary to pursue their
most visionary investigations and explore new frontiers in cancer research.
At the same time, we recognize that we must redouble our efforts and maximize every
opportunity to increase our contributions in support of the UCCRC’s ambitious campaign
to strengthen its operations. Staffing and equipping laboratories in the Center for Biomedical
Discovery now under construction, for example, is an important and immediate challenge.
This annual report makes a strong case for increased participation, because it demonstrates
the power of our participation and the worthiness of the programs we support. We hope it
will also make you proud of your role in this success and inspire you to become even more
involved in the Cancer Research Center’s brilliant future.
We thank each and every one of you for your wisdom, your commitment and your
generosity.
Sincerely,
Ruth Ann Gillis McGuinnis
President,
The University of Chicago
Cancer Research Foundation
Mary Ellen Connellan
Director,
The University of Chicago
Cancer Research Foundation