1. U.S. News and World Report added a questionnaire about technology to their rating process, including a question about whether “administrators personally post news and information” on the World Wide Web.
2. Our Public Relations Office won two awards for its social media programs, including an award for its program encouraging people to follow the new president on Twitter.
3. A faculty member asked me why in the world President Lieberman spends time on Twitter.
4. President Lieberman, tweeting from the American Council on Education annual meeting, was “re-tweeted” and mentioned on Twitter by ACE – allowing about 5,500 followers of ACE to see her name and mention of La Verne.

U.S. News and World Report now polls universities about several aspects of their use of technology, including asking if the university has any “administrators who personally post news and information” on the World Wide Web. This is different than asking if there are offices that maintain social media programs – of which there are many at La Verne. It is specifically asking about administrators personally posting news and information.

“If you want to build a presence in the social media platform, then you need to be present.”
Scott Stratten
President, UnMarketing.

At La Verne, the President, V.P. for Advancement, PR Director, Asst. PR Director for Media Relations, a Librarian, and a coach all tweet regularly from their personal accounts – “personally posting news and information.” Another question by U.S. News and World Report asks about whether the university has anyone who manages an “online forum” for exchange of ideas. Advancement maintains two blogs which qualify. These activities will reflect positively in the ratings on which our ranking is based.

Regarding the social media awards, the PR Office received a Gold and a Bronze in the CASE District VII Awards of Excellence program, for two social media initiatives – “PEEPS: The New President on Twitter” and Amanda Hanson’s blog, “It’s Amandatory,” which informed donors, alumni and the campus community of progress during the renovation of Morgan Auditorium and served as an avenue for donor recognition and stewardship.

Our president’s personal activity on Twitter demonstrates she is tech-savvy and is adept at using this simple avenue for expressing her desire for affiliation and connection with students, prospective students, faculty, staff, alumni and others. More and more college presidents are on Twitter. Here is a link to a blog post on “College Presidents Who Lead 140 Characters at a Time.”

As the author, Patrick Powers, says, “The most effective Twitter streams in higher education are those that engage the audience, serve a purpose and provide a voice in the conversation. It’s an incredible bonus when that voice carries with it the weight of an institution.” He goes on to say, “It’s not easy balancing institutional control with transparency.  But when that balance can be struck, the result is interesting, insightful and incredibly powerful. A president who embraces Twitter can personalize an institution in few other services can.”

140 characters, it does not take a lot of time, just thinking about it a couple times a day. Others mention her on Twitter, and many tweet short messages to her, to which she often replies. Devoting a few moments a day to this social media activity allows her to make a connection that often feels personal with 500 “followers” and leads to her occasionally being mentioned by national organizations that have more than 5,000 followers – as she has been several times in tweets from the American Council on Education, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and Association of American Colleges and Universities. This seems an excellent return on her relatively small investment of time.

It is to her credit, and consistent with the advice of social media experts regarding how to have the most impact and be most effective in the use of social media, that President Lieberman posts her own tweets – as do most of the presidents cited in the article above. For example, no one else could have composed the tweets President Lieberman recently sent while attending the annual ACE meeting. She commented on the speakers and what they said in real time. President Lieberman tweets about her daily activities, offers philosophical advice and inspirational thoughts, responds to questions, extends congratulations, and shares points of pride about the university, always with a distinctive personal touch.

“Twitter is not a technology. It’s a conversation, and it’s happening with or without you.”
Charlene Li
New York Times Best Selling Author
Founder, Altimeter Group

President Lieberman has nearly 500 followers including students, staff, faculty, administrators, trustees, Alumni Governing Board members, other university presidents, a couple of national education organizations and their presidents. La Verne has Twitter communication with a senior editor of the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin and columnist David Allen. PR Director Charles Bentley and Assistant PR Director for Media Relations Alisha Rosas have actually placed local articles and two mentions on national Web pages via contacts through Twitter – all of which is enhanced because of the president’s presence on Twitter.

U.S. President Barack Obama, California Governor Jerry Brown, and even Pope Benedict XVI are on Twitter. One of my favorites is still Governor Brown’s dog, Sutter Brown, who is really funny and always stays in character. Twitter can be light and fun, but also has a serious purpose. In the case of President Lieberman, Twitter allows her followers to connect and enhance their affiliation with the university president as a person as well as with the university as a whole. In the social media world, people feel a sense of being appreciated and noticed when they can exchange tweets with the notable and the famous.

Whether you consider Twitter to be just a passing fad or a revolutionary form of communication, it is important that we, as an institution, take advantage of something that increases our visibility. If brevity is indeed the soul of wit, Twitter is the ideal format to convey information, ideas and ideals. Less can be more to those who truly appreciate the value of a well-turned phrase.

University of La Verne graduate Sarah Ludwick, MS ‘94 and her husband Art Ludwick (a graduate of Stanford), for whom the Ludwick Conference Center is named, are among the university’s leading donors.

Questions, comments, and suggestions about fund raising are always interesting to me. They range from questions like the one President Emeritus Steve Morgan says he was once asked in a faculty meeting, “Have you ever thought of asking alumni for money?” to the suggestion we “fund raise” instead of raising tuition, and “look for real donations as opposed to relying on alumni and faculty…”

Is the University of La Verne committed to raising money to support endowment, academic programs, labs, student scholarships, and facilities? Absolutely.

Does fund raising reduce the amount students would otherwise have to pay to attend La Verne? Of course.

Do we ask alumni, faculty, and staff to contribute? Certainly. We encourage everyone who cares about our university to participate.

Does the fact we ask alumni, faculty, staff and even students to contribute mean we are not asking others? Or that we are failing to contact people with “real money”? Absolutely not! (Though I always thought all money was real.)

Who else do we ask for contributions besides alumni, faculty, and staff? Trustees, foundations, corporations, churches, parents of students, and individuals in the community.

Fund raising solicitation of members of the campus community is of course more visible to the campus community than efforts with other donors. These activities with faculty, staff, and students represent only a very small portion of the total dollars raised or total number of donors, but they are important for building the base of support for the future.

Further, regarding staff giving, there are actually several current and former faculty and staff whose lifetime giving exceeds $100,000. The largest faculty/staff cash gift to the Campus Center Project was from a former faculty member, in excess of $300,000. One current faculty member has made a provision for La Verne, in a living trust, in excess of $400,000. We should all be deeply grateful for this level of loyalty to the institution and generosity.

Beth Landis ’45 and Richard G. Landis ’42, alumni who met while students at La Verne, have established the university’s largest scholarship endowment fund, at over $2 million, which has supported hundreds of Landis Leadership Scholarships over many years. They have supported every major initiative at the university for many years, and the Landis Academic Center is named in their honor.

Each year, the Giving USA Foundation publishes its excellent analysis of charitable giving to nonprofits by corporations, foundations, individuals and estates. For years now, the percent of dollars raised from individuals plus the percent of dollars raised from estates (which were, of course, accumulated by individuals) has hovered between 82 and 83 percent. Full article at http://change4yourdollar.com/fundraising/put-individual-donors-first-this-fiscal-year/

A widely-held perception is that corporations and foundations are the biggest sources to tap for grants and donations. The reality is that four out of five or 80 percent of philanthropic dollars are contributed by individuals and bequests. That rises to 87 percent if you include family foundation giving. Full article at http://www.nps.gov/partnerships/fundraising_individuals_statistics.htm

Individuals who hold college degrees are all alumni of some college or university. It is curious that some assume that La Verne alumni “have no money”. Do they think that other universities’ alumni may have money but ours do not? The University of La Verne has 55,000 living alumni. They include prominent, successful individuals in every possible field. Consistent with national data from other universities, 71% of all our donors are alumni and most of our largest donors are alumni. Therefore a large part of the fund raising program is targeted to alumni, a number of whom have given hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of dollars to the university.

The majority of major donors start out by making a small gift as a student or young graduate. A study of all the million-dollar donors in UCLA’s last $3 billion campaign revealed that more than 50% of UCLA alumni who gave over $1 million during that 10-year campaign started their giving, on the average, 18 years earlier with a first gift of under $100. University of La Verne Trustee Paul Moseley’s first gift was for the senior class giving campaign at La Verne and President Emeritus Steve Morgan’s first gift to La Verne was also during his senior year at La Verne in 1968.

A few facts about giving to the University of La Verne:

• Last year the total of private gifts and grants was over $4.8 million.
• The total number of donors last year was 2,656.
• Of all gifts to La Verne over the last five years 63% of total dollars came from individuals (alumni, trustees, parents, friends, staff, students); 37% of total dollars came from foundations and corporations)
• Private grant support totals about $1 million per year.
• This year our professional fund raising staff will conduct approximately one thousand personal visits with donors and prospective donors to raise the majority of dollars that will be given to the university.
• In addition to the personal relationships and personal solicitation of the top donors and prospects, we will send 210,000 direct mail solicitation pieces; make approximately 750,000 telemarketing calls soliciting support; and send about 115,000 e-solicitations.
• We will send an additional 439,000 non-solicitation pieces of mail and 264,000 non-solicitation blast email messages to alumni this year, to keep them engaged and connected – an important part of setting the stage for successful fund raising.
• These are the efforts that have been yielding $5 million per year in gifts, and if we had the staff and funds to do more, the total amount raised would be even greater.

Why do we ask everybody to give? Because asking is what prompts donors to make their gifts. Research has shown that when donors are asked why they made a gift, the overwhelming response is “I was asked.”

Why do we devote any effort at all to asking students and staff to give? Because every gift is important. The total of hundreds or thousands of $5 or $10 or $100 gifts adds up to a very large sum. In the case of students, learning about giving and making their first gift, even if it is only $5, is an important lesson and an important start on what will in some cases be a lifetime of philanthropy. One of today’s student donors to the Spotted Pig Campaign might be a future Sarah Ludwick, Dick Landis, Beth Landis, or Luis Faura.

Luis Faura ‘89 is a graduate of the College of Business and Public Management, Chairman of the university’s Board of Trustees, and a generous donor. 46% of the Trustees are alumni and all are important donors.

Further, grant makers and some individual donors want to see that alumni and staff are supporting the institution. They will typically ask not what is the total dollar amount alumni give, but what is the percentage of your alumni who give to La Verne? If our own alumni do not demonstrate their commitment to La Verne, why should anyone else give? The percentage of alumni giving to the institution is also one of the criteria for external rankings such as U.S. News and World Report.

If you enjoy using the Campus Center, to eat at Barbara’s Place, or for recreation, TV, the Learning Enhancement Center, labs, classrooms, or your office space, you might appreciate knowing that approximately two-thirds of the names on the donor wall in the Campus Center, which recognizes gifts of $10,000 or more to that $26 million project, are alumni.

Students entering the university starting next year will benefit from nearly $400,000 that has already been pledged to help launch the La Verne Experience – a distinctive new educational approach that will begin for new students in Fall 2012. Approximately half of the $400,000 pledged is from alumni and staff.

If you are a student asked to give to the Spotted Pig campaign; if you are a faculty member, staff member, or graduate; or if you are a parent, trustee, or friend in the community, I hope that when you are asked to give, you will seriously consider how you can help students today and in the future, through your own gift. If you do not choose to make a gift now, or every time you are asked, that is your choice.

If we know your name and how to contact you, you will be asked. But it is not true that the only time you will ever hear from us is when we want money.

Kristen Campbell, 2010-11 editor of the Campus Times, heard the presidential announcement on Twitter.

The editor of the Campus Times first learns the identity of the next president of La Verne on Twitter. Two thousand alumni are friends or fans of Leo La Verne or University of La Verne Alumni on Facebook. Administrators skim headlines from national education organizations on Twitter. Several alumni groups connect on LinkedIn. Students, faculty, administrators, and trustees share parts of their lives on Facebook, and “inconsequential bursts of information” as well as more serious thoughts on Twitter. Nearly everyone has viewed, posted, or shared videos on YouTube.

In late June, 84-year-old Pope Benedict XVI, who already had a presence on YouTube, MySpace and Facebook, sent his first tweet via Twitter, and attracted 15,000 followers within the first hour. According to the LA Times (August 7), 750 million people use Facebook and an estimated 400 million use Twitter, sending 200 million tweets per day. In fact, people can become so overwhelmed by all of this social media that the LA Times ran an article on their Business page on August 7 with advice on “How to Unplug from Facebook, Twitter, and Google+” http://lat.ms/pp7upK

Is all of this activity in social media essential or a distraction for higher education? And how is higher education using social media nationally? Higher education has typically been both a leader and a reflection of major social trends, and this is true of social media.

In August the Council for Advancement and Support of Education reported that in the most recent study of the use of social media in higher education, “100 percent of surveyed colleges and universities reported using social media – and thinking about the strategy behind it.” 450 colleges and universities in all 50 states were included in the survey by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s Center for Marketing Research. In another study done earlier this year, CASE reported that many higher education institutions struggle with staffing and with evaluating the effectiveness of their efforts.

La Verne is well within these national trends, using all of these types of social media. At La Verne, Admissions, Registrar, Library, Financial Aid, Public Relations, and several other campus offices communicate with students via Twitter accounts. Various groups from campus offices to athletics teams, to student clubs and organizations connect on Facebook – through over eighty different Facebook accounts. La Verne Campus Times and LeoFM are active users of social media. President Devorah Lieberman is active on Twitter and this summer engaged followers in dialogue about her 3,000 mile drive across the country to move to La Verne, posting photos of her experiences along the way.  Many individuals and groups are active on LinkedIn. The university currently has over fifty videos on our YouTube “channel” and the Communications Department looks forward to being able to offer video on demand over the internet, covering lectures and other programs at the university.

Even the 84-year-old Pope Benedict XVI is on Twitter!

Keeping up with the development of social media, and developing appropriate programs in Alumni Relations and Public Relations, have been an important priority for Advancement at La Verne for several years. As the CASE study summarizes, “the top goals for using social media are to engage alumni, create and sustain brand image, engage current students and increase awareness.”

Nearly 100 million adults in the US are on Facebook. Half of all active Facebook users access the site daily. An estimated 13% of online adults use Twitter (Pew Research Publications May 2011 http://bit.ly/k94U6n). Half of all social media users access the sites on mobile devices. Here is an interesting review of Facebook demographics http://bit.ly/hJhHBy

While celebrities and athletes on Twitter attract hundreds of thousands or even millions of followers seemingly eager for every detail of their daily lives, politicians, national leaders, and national organizations in every field, are using Twitter to communicate important news and messages. These include President Obama, California Senators Feinstein and Boxer, Congresswoman Grace Napolitano, and Governor Brown. More lighthearted and my personal favorite, even the governor’s dog, Sutter Brown, is on Twitter with a fun sense of humor, sometimes tweeting to Barack Obama’s dog, Bo. In a more serious vein, the Pope’s Twitter account will be used for news and information from the Vatican.

Slightly over half (53%) of Facebook users are in the 18-34 age range. While some individuals, usually over 40, tell me they just don’t have time for social media, this means of communication is increasingly a part of daily life for many Americans of all ages, for many of the students we serve, and for younger alumni. For the university to communicate fully and effectively with students, prospective students, alumni and others, our avenues of communication must include social media. As a Vatican spokesperson in communications stated about the Pope’s use of social media, “What we found is that Facebook doesn’t just share information, it creates community. . . . People begin talking to each other and sharing ideas.”

It is easy just to have fun communicating and posting messages in various social media. What should set its use in higher education apart, should be “specific goals and plans, having institutional buy-in and support, ability to manage activities with a department, and having internal expertise” – the factors identified by the CASE study as keys to successful programs in colleges and universities.

The Trustees have acknowledged that La Verne has historically underinvested in Advancement, and at their meeting April 15th, they approved a university budget that includes $750,000 to be added to the expenditure budget for Advancement. This is a significant sum, but as Development Committee Chair Ivan Misner said in his presentation, it only “brings us up to below average” for our type of institution in terms of expenditures for Advancement as a percentage of total institutional expenditures.

This is far too big a topic adequately to address in a single blog post. Here I will present an outline of a few thoughts on about the benefits of investing in Advancement. The university needs to step up its fund raising to a new level in order to prepare for the next campaign, and I look forward to speaking to faculty and others more extensively and in various forums about how this can be done.

Basically, the current investment in the 2011-12 budget starts to make up for years of underinvestment. The principles underlying this investment are that before people will give to La Verne, we need to inform our alumni and donors of what is happening at La Verne, engage their interest, and give them opportunities to be involved – all of which costs money and requires staff. People who are informed, interested, and involved are the people who give!

Resources – both staff and program operating support – will be put into three areas: 

• Communication - With new resources, we will send alumni and donors two issues of the VOICE magazine instead of one per year – the standard at nearly all schools is four issues but failure to fund communications to alumni has reduced publication to one issue per year at La Verne. The budget includes a media relations/writer to support a “Success Stories” initiative and generate more stories on faculty excellence and student achievements, for media, publication and the Web site. We will further develop the Advancement, PR and Alumni Web pages including the very successful VOICE online, and expand both electronic and print communication with alumni, as well as social media outreach.          

Why do we need to do all these things? In order to raise money, we need to communicate with constituents. If they never hear from us, if they are not aware of news about La Verne, and aware of good things happening at La Verne, why would they want to give? Yet printing and mailing – still the best way to reach the most people even in this digital age – are very expensive. It costs $60,000 to print and mail our VOICE magazine to 60,000 people. Barely more than the cost of two postage stamps per person, but it adds up to a lot of money. Budget constraints have drastically reduced our mailing of what used to be a quarterly magazine to once a year, and other mailings to almost none – a level of communication that is inadequate to support fund raising.         

• Alumni & constituent information and research – An alumni records position and prospect research position are proposed, together with funding to put in place a systematic process for updating information about our alumni, conduct an ongoing alumni survey to acquire more and updated bio/demographic data on alumni, fund quarterly electronic screening of our data base to acquire email addresses for more of our alumni, and establish a prospect research program.         

What is the point of all this? We need more email addresses for our alumni so we can contact them by email – the most cost effective way to communicate. Currently we have about 22,000 email addresses for 55,000 alumni. We need good data about alumni, and a research program to work with that data, in order to determine who will be the best prospects for financial support.         

• Alumni & donor engagement & events – We will provide administrative support for the alumni social media program, and for campus and regional alumni events, alumni events for each of the academic colleges, and donor cultivation events. We will fund online library and career benefits for alumni and add support for alumni and donor events organized around existing campus academic, cultural and athletic events; campus and regional alumni gatherings, and alumni events in targeted regional locations where we have the greatest concentration of alumni.

Why does a university need all these activities? Alumni want some benefits from their alma mater such as the ability to access online library services and career services. Alumni who receive these services feel closer to their alma mater, and grateful for these benefits, which strengthens their sense of loyalty and connection with La Verne – and makes them more likely to want to give back.  Extensive evidence from hundreds of universities demonstrates that those with the strongest programs for alumni involvement, and the highest participation in alumni events and programs, generally have the highest levels of giving. A stronger program of exclusive, high level donor cultivation events involving the president and board members will also support major gift and board development.

What results can we expect? If we have better data about our alumni, including information about their interests and current contact information (address, phone, email), and if we communicate about La Verne’s news and successes, connect with alumni through email and social media, offer benefits to alumni as well as opportunities to participate in events, the number of donors and participation in giving will rise. La Verne’s cost per dollar raised ($0.40 on average over the last five years) and return on investment (average return 247% over the last 5 years) place us within the top half of comparable universities nationally. Over time, as advancement investment keeps pace with university budget growth and total giving increases, the university will attract more major gift donors and new members to the board of trustees. All of these things are important to preparing for our next campaign.

Please contact me if you have any questions or comments, or if you would like me to speak to a particular department or group to answer additional questions: vpadvancement@laverne.edu

Warren Bennis lectured during the Ann & Steve Morgan Auditorium Dedication Week.

The audience erupted in laughter when leadership expert Warren Bennis said in a public lecture at La Verne that he used to think fund raising was an unnatural act. Then he spoke with admiration about how he eventually learned to appreciate the fund raising skill of former USC President Steven Sample, and what he did to build the financial strength of the university.

Funny that I never saw fund raising as an unnatural act. I have been a professional fund raiser for many years. Reflecting back, it was in high school that I did my first fund raising but I didn’t think of myself as a “fund raiser” at the time. It was during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Racial segregation was being challenged throughout the country, and especially in the south. I had grown up in California and was horrified that there were still laws in California at that time, protecting racial discrimination in housing.

I supported equal rights, and with many of my generation I wanted to help make a difference in eliminating the most egregious restrictions on basic civil rights in the south. I began raising money from my friends at my high school to send a monthly check to support a civil rights worker with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in Mississippi. I gave my own money out of my allowance, collected contributions from other students, wrote a monthly check for the young man we were supporting, and distributed copies of letters that he sent back about his work, to let my friends know how they were making a difference. It never occurred to me that anyone would consider what I was doing distasteful, because I believed in the cause.

It was years after I took a job as a paid professional fund raiser, that I realized I had already done “fund raising” years before. More times than I can count, especially in academia, people have asked “How can you ask people for money?” in such a way that I know they share Warren Bennis’ sentiment when he said “I used to think fund raising was an unnatural act.”

Actually, from another point of view, one could make the case that fund raising naturally arises out of people’s desire to help others or support a worthy purpose. People have been “fund raising” – asking others for voluntary contributions to a worthy cause – for at least two thousand years.

Pliny the Younger and His Mother at Misenum, A.D. 79, a painting in the early neoclassical style by the Swiss painter Angelica Kauffmann, (1741-1807).

I recently came across a notable example from around 100 AD, when the Roman writer Pliny the Younger made what may be the first known appeal for matching funds – through what professional fund raisers today would call a “direct mail” appeal. Pliny wrote extensively about the events of his time and became famous for his letters. He was also a philanthropist, contributing to various community and political causes.

In one of his letters, Pliny extended an offer to the city of Como, “I am ready to give for the benefit of the municipality, one third of any sum it would please you to assemble . . .” He was offering what we now call a “matching gift” – encouraging others to put forth contributions by providing the incentive that he would match their gifts with additional funds. Frank C. Dickerson analyzes the full text of Pliny’s letter as well as a couple of seventeenth-century examples of major gift fund raising, in this article Pliny the Younger and the first appeal for matching funds, c. 100 AD.

For as long as humans have used money, there have undoubtedly been some who asked others for money for something they believed in. Historically, it is relatively more recent that fund raising has become a profession supported by research, professional societies, conferences, and publications sharing best practices.

I believe people have an innate desire to help others, and regardless of the era or the approach, one way to do this is to contribute to causes or organizations that are set up to help. It is natural that some will take the initiative to ask others for money, as Pliny did, when they see a need. And it is entirely natural that as society became more complex, ways of raising money became more organized, and the role of the professional, paid fund raiser evolved.

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As a sophomore, Mary’s parents brought her all the way from Inglewood to take part in the dedication of Founders Auditorium in February 1927.  “I don’t know why we went, but I decided right then and there that I wanted to go to this college.”  She told me it was a memorable event, especially because after the dedication, the family couldn’t drive home. “It rained so hard out that we had to stay with some friends in La Verne, the Rensbergers.”  Two years later she returned to the campus she fell in love with and roomed with a friend at the Rensbergers home to defray the cost of living on campus.

Mary met her late husband, Sidney, at the University of La Verne.  They were assigned seats next to each other in chapel – Hollinger (Mary’s maiden name) and Hunter.  They took one look at each other and never looked back.  The year they graduated they were married by Dr. William Hoover, professor, dean & president of the University of La Verne.

Mary Hunter Bowman, oldest alumnus and President Steve Morgan, Alumnus of the Year

Mary has been a loyal and consistent donor of the University of La Verne, and her support of the auditorium renovation is no exception.  Mary pledged her support for the auditorium and memorialized her legacy with a plaque bearing her family name on a balcony seat.  She proudly admitted, “We couldn’t give much, but we gave what we could.”

Mary is overjoyed that the auditorium is being renamed for Ann & Steve Morgan. “It’s exciting because of all they have done for the university.”  Mary smiled brightly as she showed me a picture on her refrigerator of her with the president from Homecoming Dinner 2010 where they were honored as oldest alumnus and alumnus of the year, respectively.

It has been many years since Mary Hunter Bowman has attended an event in the auditorium, and she is looking forward to attending the Auditorium Dedication on April 2^nd.

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Ann & Steve Morgan in the plush new auditorium seats outside Founders Hall

If you haven’t realized it by now, Founders Auditorium has been renamed the Ann & Steve Morgan Auditorium. You may be asking, “How did that come about?”  Well, I’ll tell you what I heard from some insiders.

You see, Ann & Steve Morgan have been dedicated supporters of the University of La Verne for almost 26 years.  President Morgan’s faithful leadership of the university has helped it attain the success it enjoys today.  As plans developed for the renovation of Founders Auditorium, some of the trustees suggested “Maybe it should be renamed for Ann & Steve Morgan…”

Being the humble person he is, President Morgan was adamant that the auditorium should be named for a donor. This disappointed some people, but got the creative juices flowing for a group of committed donors.  They were determined to honor the first couple.

At the February 4, 2010, Board of Trustees meeting, an announcement was made that truly surprised the Morgans.  The board unanimously accepted the request by a group of donors who collectively pledged $750,000 to rename the renovated hall as the Ann & Steve Morgan Auditorium.

President Morgan addressed a standing-room-only audience in the newly renovated auditorium preceding the Cornel West lecture on February 11, 2011

Ann & Steve Morgan were speechless and deeply touched.  Benjamin Harris, veteran La Verne Trustee and current chair of the Board’s Development Committee, spoke for the group when he told the Board “our objective is to make this beautifully restored historical setting an enduring tribute to the remarkable leadership, foresight, dedication and enthusiasm that Steve and Ann have contributed to La Verne.”

Since the auditorium’s reopening on February 11, 2011, Ann & Steve Morgan have attended every event in the beautifully restored performance space.  Be sure to mark your calendar for the Ann & Steve Morgan Auditorium Dedication Week March 28 – April 2.  This week features events hosted by each college and the student body, all in tribute to the first couple and their commitment to the University of La Verne.

Ann & Steve Morgan Auditorium Calendar of Events

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Leo with student donors at the Spotted PiG Round-Up party in Fall 2010.

Nationally, there are indicators that the outlook for private gifts to higher education looks more promising in 2011 than in 2010. Yet commentaries and predictions are still somewhat mixed, and there are also signs of a possible generational shift, at least among mega-donors, away from higher education to other causes. 

In January, our professional association, Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), issued a report with the headline “U.S. Education Fundraisers Anticipate Rebound in 2011 Giving.” The Feb. 10 issue of The Chronicle of Philanthropy ran a front-page article under the headline “After a Frugal Year, 2011 May See a Jump in Top Donors’ Giving.” In contrast, the next day’s issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education carried a front-page article, “College Giving Has Yet to Recover From Recession.” 

Writers who put a positive spin on reports about giving are looking at the fact there was a very slight increase (.5%) in the total dollar amount of giving to higher education institutions overall in fiscal 2010, in contrast to the dramatic 11.9% drop in fiscal 2009 year – the sharpest drop in the 50-year history of the Voluntary Support of Education survey. Further, they are looking at fund raisers’ projections that giving will continue to increase in 2011.  

The downward trend has at least turned around. However, adjusted for inflation, total giving to higher education declined slightly in fiscal 2010 over the prior year, and remained at about the same level as in fiscal 2006. This is what the writers who put the more negative spin are looking at when they say giving “has yet to recover.”  

The renovation of Ann & Steve Morgan Auditorium is just one example of generosity by donors for fiscal year 2011.

The CASE Fund Raising Index (CFI) is based on a survey of professional fund raisers for their estimates and projections of fund raising results for their schools. The most recent CFI, based on a survey conducted in January 2011, predicts further growth of 5.6% for the rest of 2011. Using the word “rebound” to describe this, when the drop in 2009 was 11.9%, may convey an overly rosy impression. But again, the numbers are going the right direction.  

La Verne’s fund raising results have generally followed the same trend as national results, with a decline last year – exaggerated at La Verne due to its being the first year after the end of a campaign – but significant growth this year. On another important measure, La Verne’s results are much better than the national average. The rate of alumni giving nationally has been declining, but it has been increasing at La Verne – a very good sign and a result of our alumni responding to new programs and an emphasis on the importance of alumni giving.  

Finally, in looking at national trends, an interesting new phenomenon is beginning to emerge. An analysis in The Chronicle of Philanthropy (Feb. 10, 2011), notes that as usual, half of the very largest charitable gifts of $5 million or more in 2010, went to colleges and universities – but that none of these gifts were made by the newest generation of donors, those under 50. At least for the top fifty donors nationally, the younger individuals in this group were more likely to favor purposes other than the traditional top causes of education and hospitals. The younger donors were more likely to support human rights, social entrepreneurship, and efforts to improve public schools. 

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Mary & David at an event in Spring 1958

If the walls of this auditorium could speak! There are so many stories that I could write a book about the true love found in this auditorium. I came across the Palmers, David & Mary, for whom the Auditorium has a special place in their hearts. Having met my husband in the auditorium, I was thrilled that David told me his story about his true love:

Graduation, June 1959

“I first noticed Mary in a History of Art class in September, 1957. It was my third year at La Verne and Mary had transferred in as a junior. I was shy so I had a mutual friend arrange that she would go on a ‘blind date’ with me to the Homecoming Play in the auditorium. It was a great experience that led to a friendship.

The lovebirds graduated in June 1959. Mary earned her Bachelor’s degree in Social Science, while David earned his degree in Business Administration.

Married more than fifty years, the Palmers have generously donated to the auditorium renovation as a special tribute to their alma mater. “That first date in the auditorium was the beginning of a life of mutual love, mutual respect and a great friendship!”

Bring your sweetheart to the Reed Gratz Band concert February 14 at 7:30 p.m. – the first concert in the auditorium!

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Photos by Steve Biondo, Rusty Evans, Jeanine Hill, and Amanda Hanson

Audience View

Stage View

The Shutters

The Ceiling

The Balcony

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