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PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
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Date: July 15, 1999
Annual Giving Campaign Sets Many Records
PRINCETON, N.J. -- This year's Annual Giving campaign raised $32,675,084, a record amount.
The campaign also achieved a 61 percent rate of participation among all alumni, the highest level in 30 years. The Class of 1974, which had its 25th reunion this year, was designated "Hero of Heroes," raising $5,019,740, the highest amount ever by any Princeton class.
"We are deeply grateful not only for the generous sums raised during the campaign but also for the high level of participation," Princeton University President Harold Shapiro said. "It is very gratifying to see such support from our alumni. These unrestricted funds will add significantly to our flexibility as we strive to meet our educational priorities."
Annual Giving is the yearly appeal Princeton makes to all alumni, parents and friends for unrestricted funds, which can be used immediately to meet the University's most important needs and opportunities -- including faculty recruitment and retention, financial aid, library and computer resources. Annual Giving funds allow Princeton to solve problems as they arise, and to seize unexpected opportunities.
In this year's drive, every class had more than 50 percent participation. The Class of 1939 (60th Reunion) had the highest level among active classes, with 94.7 percent of its members giving to the campaign (topped only by the classes of 1917 and 1922, which registered 100%). It was the eighth consecutive year that the Class of 1939 had more than 90 percent participation.
Four classes also set major reunion dollar records: the Class of 1934 (65th reunion), with $444,500; the Class of 1939 (60th reunion) with $1,510,545; the Class of 1949 (50th reunion), with $2,750,000; and the Class of 1979 (20th reunion), with $1,505,479. In addition, five other reunions exceeded $1 million: the Class of 1944 (55th reunion), with $1,000,000; the Class of 1954 (45th reunion), with $2,000,000; the Class of 1959 (40th reunion), with $1,807,559; the Class of 1964 (35th reunion) with $1,973,219 and the Class of 1969 (30th reunion) with $1,835,233. In addition, another record was set by the Class of 1963, which raised $501,015, the most ever raised by a non-major reunion class.
For the fourth consecutive year, new records were set by Graduate School alumni for both dollars and level of participation, and a new record set for memorial gifts at $689,166. The Parents Fund also set a new record for participation with 59.6 percent, while contributing nearly $1.55 million.
For the eighth consecutive year, the leading section in the country for participation was lower New England (Connecticut and Rhode Island) with 69.9 percent.
More information about class and regional totals is available at http://www.princeton.edu/~ag/agtotals.html.