Institutional Characteristics and Environmental Factors that Influence Private Giving to Public Colleges and Universities- A Longitudinal Analysis

In recent years increasing market competitiveness and rising educationalcosts have underscored the importance of external revenues in highereducation finance in the United States. Even as the higher education costscontinue to exceed the rate of inflation public funding from both state andfederal sources is steadily declining. As traditional funding sources becomeless reliable American colleges and universities seek to pursue alternativerevenues such as private donations.Using panel data of public colleges and universities from 1994-2003 thisstudy investigated how institutional characteristics and environmental factorsinfluence overall private giving and its varying sources to public colleges anduniversities. It addressed two major research questions: Which institutionalstate policy and governance and socioeconomic factors are most closelyassociated with the generation of private giving to public postsecondaryinstitutions? How do these factors differently influence privategiving from four sources- alumni/ae non-alumni/ae individuals corporationsand foundations? This book is addressed to higher educationresearchers policymakers university administrators and institutional developmentofficers. The general conceptual framework suggested by this bookwill help higher education researchers better understand the dynamics ofprivate giving in collges and universities. Findings of this study also havesome practical implications to higher education policymakers and practitioners.