Emory Report

October 4, 1999

Volume 52, No. 7

Gifts to Emory total $233.9 million for fiscal year 1999, second-best in University history Divinity students Regina Anderson-Cloud and Bert Cloud are a married couple who seek to become parish ministers. First-year medical student Charles Perkins hopes to find new ways to combat cancer. These Emory students are well on the way to realizing their goals thanks to scholarships that so often represent the real story behind a successful fund raising year. Gifts that provided these scholarships were among the $233.9 million in contributions Emory had received when the 1999 fiscal year came to a close Aug. 31. It was Emory's second-best year for fund raising ever. First-year Candler students Regina and Bert received two of six full-tuition scholarships named in honor of Margaret Adger Pitts, daughter of W.I.H. and Lula Pitts. The scholarships also carry a $3,000 annual stipend. The scholarships were made possible by Emory's half of a $166 million trust established by W.I.H. and Lula Pitts of Waverly Hall, Ga. "This scholarship has been a blessing to us," said Cloud, who was a school psychologist in Virginia for nine years. "We are preparing for parish ministry. I want to serve in a church and help people form and bridge the relationship between God and themselves and between each other." "We hope to be able to set an example of a positive clergy couple," said Anderson-Cloud, who was an advocate for gerontology issues before coming to Candler and who plans to remain involved with issues of social justice as they relate to older adults. Another student benefiting from the generosity of donors is first-year medical student Charles Perkins, who received one of eight half-tuition Harris Scholarships. The scholarships were created by a $17.4 million bequest from Reunette W. Harris that will also be used to support a new professorship at the Emory Eye Center as well as medical research. "This scholarship frees up a great burden for me, since I already have debts from my undergraduate years," said Perkins. The Stone Mountain native, who recently earned a Ph.D. in genetics from the graduate school after attending the University of Georgia, also received a need-based grant to cover the remainder of his $25,000 annual tuition. Perkins plans to combine his medical knowledge with his interest in gene therapy to examine new therapeutic strategies to combat leukemia and other cancers. "I've been looking at how leukemia cells die, and now I want to explore how new targeted drug therapies interact with leukemia cells and cause them to die," he said. "A medical degree will allow me to take this next step in my research." "This tremendous year shows how great the Emory story is and how loyal and committed our friends are," said Bill Fox, senior vice president for Institutional Advancement. "This is a reflection of the history of the institution's relationships with alumni and friends. They make such fund raising totals possible." Fox emphasized the work of President Bill Chace, trustees, faculty, deans, senior university officers, the staff of Institutional Advancement, and "countless others" in contributing to the success. This year, Emory received donations totaling $14 million from individuals, $94.5 million from foundations and corporations, and $114.9 million from trusts and bequests. The $233.9 million total also includes $10.5 million in donative gift awards processed by the Office of Sponsored Programs. "This puts Emory among the top ranks of universities nationally in terms of gifts," said Fox. "The total is exceeded only by 1997, the year we received a $295 million gift." The Annual Fund passed $3 million for l998-99 and received gifts from l8,969 donors-both record highs. There was a 12 percent increase in the number of donors. "We're excited that all but one school saw increases in the number of donors over last year," said C.J. Drymon, executive director of the annual fund. "Our theme, 'The Power of One,' and our focus on participation and increased use of volunteers, really helped make a difference." Several highlights of the year included two bequests and one foundation gift. "Two of our biggest gifts were from bequests," said Fox, referring to the Pitts and Harris gifts. Emory is also the beneficiary of a $50 million gift from the Woodruff Foundation to support the Woodruff Health Sciences Center Fund. Fox noted that since the end of the last fund raising campaign in the fall of 1995, Emory has received gifts and pledges approaching $1 billion-without even being in a campaign mode. "Emory is a university on the move, one seeking excellence not just for its own sake but for the good of the world," said Fox. "These gifts strengthen Emory in profound ways." -Jan Gleason Return to October 4, 1999 contents page