UHV sees 231 percent increase in donations, breaks record
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| Phil Castille |
The University of Houston-Victoria broke its own fundraising record by raising $1.8 million in the 2013 fiscal year, from Sept. 1, 2012 to Aug. 31.
The 2012-2013 donations were 231 percent higher than the previous year. The funds raised include financial support from businesses, foundations and individuals such as university faculty, staff, alumni and community supporters. The total does not include federal and state funds.
“Our strong external funding in the past year is a direct reflection of the trust our benefactors have placed in UHV,” university President Phil Castille said. “It shows that UHV is a good investment on behalf of our rapidly growing student body for the betterment of our wider community.”
The record level of support included a 34 percent increase in new donors from the previous year. Some of these new donors are from the Greater Houston area, where UHV offers many academic programs at UH Sugar Land, the UH System at Cinco Ranch, Houston Community College Northwest in Katy and the Lone Star College University Center at Montgomery in The Woodlands.
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| Greg Rutzen |
“Reaching this new milestone has been a university wide effort,” said Greg Rutzen, associate vice president and chief advancement officer for the UHV Office of University Advancement. “I would like to thank the school deans for their instrumental efforts in attracting support in Victoria and Greater Houston.”
The funds will be used for academic programs, professorships, athletics and scholarships. Castille said funding for scholarships is imperative to attract more students.
“With record-breaking enrollment numbers, UHV is always looking for ways to meet the Crossroads region’s growing higher education needs,” he said. “External giving provides merit-based scholarship opportunities to attract more top-ranking high school students to our Victoria campus. These scholarships augment the need-based grants and scholarships we offer and enhance UHV’s appeal as a destination university.”
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| Charles Alcorn III |
Charles Alcorn III, director of corporate and foundation relations for UHV University Advancement, said contributions from university faculty, staff and an alumni network of more than 14,000 demonstrates to foundations and businesses that UHV draws support from within.
“Every gift makes a positive difference across our campus,” he said. “It is a big help for the future, as we have so much more work to do to support our new programs, buildings and students.”
UHV’s largest individual gift ever was $1 million from Albert Alkek in 1988 during the 1987 to 1989 Margin of Excellence Campaign. The campaign raised $2.5 million in three years.
For more information about contribution opportunities, contact the UHV Office of University Advancement at 361-570-4812 or Rutzen at rutzeng@uhv.edu.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 80 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.
