A Message from
President Richard C. Levin
In September 2006, I invited you to participate in Yale Tomorrow, a five-year, $3 billion campaign in support of a bright future. The goal: to set the foundation for a Yale of permanently greater breadth and strength, able to contribute not only to the nation but also to the world. I am delighted to say that ever since, alumni, parents, and friends have responded with generosity and enthusiasm, so that in June 2008, with an eye toward building two new residential colleges, we were able to raise the Campaign goal to $3.5 billion. In January 2009, giving surpassed $2.5 billion, and your gifts continue. I am deeply grateful.
Many of our supporters are now wondering how the current economic crisis will affect our conduct of the Campaign and our ambitions for Yale. The short answer is that I am optimistic. The University is prepared to weather the storm, and the Campaign continues to support our most important objectives for Yale College, the Arts, the Sciences, and the World.
Advancing from a Position of Strength
It is important to remember that Yale entered this turbulent period on a very sound footing. The campus is largely renovated, the faculty is strong, and the student body has never been more talented or diverse. In response to new budgetary pressures, Yale has taken judicious steps to reduce its expenditures, cutting budgets by 7.5 percent and slowing or delaying capital projects, but these reductions have not compromised our ability to maintain the highest level of excellence in teaching and scholarship. We are well equipped to continue the work of the University, thanks to the support of donors who remain our essential partners.
A Focus on Student and Faculty Excellence
As the nation works toward a recovery, institutions like Yale can make a vital contribution through need-blind admissions. In 2008, Yale announced the most generous financial-aid policies in its history, dramatically reducing the cost of a Yale College education for students with need. These policies offer substantial support to low- and middle-income students and are especially important to families experiencing economic hardship. And when the new residential colleges open, permitting the student body to grow by 15 percent, donor support of scholarships will be even more essential.
The University also aims to sustain the momentum it has gained in recent years by continuing to recruit new faculty, both to advance emerging areas of research and to supply the teaching needs of an expanded Yale College. Current plans call for as many as thirty-three new faculty positions, the largest increase in a generation. The Campaign seeks donor support of these efforts through the endowment of faculty positions.
Sustaining a Campus-wide Campaign
This Web site provides a detailed look at the Campaign, its funding priorities, and giving opportunities. Equally important, it supplies a record of the Campaign to date and of the generous individuals who have contributed to our continuing success.
I hope that you will be inspired by our plans to make education in Yale College and our graduate and professional schools even better, to build new capacities for excellence in the sciences and the arts, and to establish ourselves as a truly global university.
Thank you for your support.
Richard C. Levin ’74 Ph.D.
President, Yale University
April 2009
