Alumni and Friends Making an Impact

In the 1950s, University leaders had the tremendous foresight and commitment to begin buying the houses that would become what we know as the student neighborhood today. That investment ensured that the word “community” would forever be used by alumni and students as one of the first that comes to mind when describing how it feels to learn and grow at UD.

In a very similar way, donors throughout UD’s history have been shaping our Catholic, Marianist university by establishing and investing in endowed funds at UD. 

During the past year our endowment, made up of both donor- and board-restricted funds, rose to $803 million. That’s a $33 million increase this year, and the value of our endowment, in addition to our long-term investment pool, now stands at $1.1 billion.

Jen Foster, associate vice president of University Advancement, explained that these funds are critical in terms of both support and planning, as they currently provide between about $24 to over $40 million a year for UD’s budget. The board of trustees typically allocates between 3.5-5.5% of endowed funds each year for current specified uses.

“And those specified uses are the key to connecting the past, present and future of the University of Dayton,” Foster explained. “Many of our endowed funds (made up of thousands of individual funds) are distributed according to the wishes of the original donor.”

These donors are ensuring that the University will use the funds for their intended purpose forever. And, although the University can only use a percentage of the income from the endowment each year, that doesn’t mean gifts to the endowment don’t have an impact now.

“Look at the Flyer Promise Scholars Program, which was established in 2017 to make a UD education more accessible to underserved students,” said Foster. “It is an endowed fund that has already made an incredible impact on our University. And, because its purpose is established in the endowment, it will continue that amazing work in perpetuity.”