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$3,052,600,815.

That is the amount of money the UCLA community accumulated during what officials are calling the most successful fundraising campaign in higher education history.

Officially completed in December 2005 after the university had continually raised the bar on donations and gift-giving, final figures from Campaign UCLA, which started in 1995, will be released today.

The numbers tell a story of a coordinated effort in which whole schools were endowed, such as the David Geffen School of Medicine with a gift of $200 million. In addition, over 30,000 scholarships were given to undergraduate and graduate students.

The information once again highlights the success university officials and faculty witnessed in their quest to attract a wide range of donations – to the ultimate tune of $3 billion.

“I used to say, when I came to UCLA, one of the most difficult things about trying to lead is that everyone in California thinks they own the place. Which, of course, they do. Everyone in California feels like they have a stake in it ... and they want to be part of the UCLA family,” Chancellor Albert Carnesale said.

In an age of budget cuts and increasing independence from the state, Campaign UCLA was a university-wide effort to facilitate the short- and long-term needs and vision of the UCLA community.

Projections for the 2005-2006 fiscal year put UCLA at a $3.6 billion operating budget. Funding from the state makes up about 15 percent of that revenue, said Steve Olsen, vice chancellor of finance and budget.

Olsen said the campaign reflected the university’s growing need for private donations.

The largest chunk of money raised – $804 million – was funneled into a general “priority” fund, overseen by deans, department chairs and program directors.

From the beginning, the fundraising staff made it a priority to get donors to support specific institutions. With this in mind, funds were sought in accordance to the needs of deans and chairs campus-wide, said Michael Eicher, vice chancellor of external affairs.

“We knew very early on that we weren’t going to raise unrestricted funds. ... We went to the deans, the chancellor, and asked them, ‘What are your needs? What is your vision? What role do you think private gift support will play in achieving that vision?’” Eicher said.

The answers to such questions led to a wide variety of gifts, each of which stands as a testament to the willingness of donors to give big.

Terry Semel, chief executive officer of Yahoo!, and his wife, Jane Semel, endowed the Neuropsychiatric Institute with a $25 million gift, which allowed the institute to continue cutting-edge research on the human brain, as well as neurological and psychiatric disorders.

With a $23 million gift, a new home for the School of Arts and Architecture was endowed by Eli and Edythe Broad, both philanthropists and art collectors.

“Look at the range of these significant and important gifts. Their importance is not only measured by their size. ... An endowment is a gift that will provide income forever, literally forever,” Carnesale said.

For students, the money raised meant indirect benefits in the retention and attraction of top faculty, enhanced facilities and research grants. A total of $226 million went directly to supporting students and their needs, Eicher said.

The amount of money raised puts a spotlight on the lessons learned from the campaign, as well as providing a blueprint for how fundraising efforts will be handled in the future.

“The biggest single factor to our success is the incredible partnership between academic faculty, volunteers and the staff. ... I think the future of fundraising is very bright,” Eicher said.