Because the theme of this issue is sustainability, it seems appropriate to talk about the annual fund and its critical role in sustaining the College of Design. The direct mail pieces you receive and the phone conversations you have with student callers are all part of a program that brings in gifts throughout the year, every year.

Last year, nearly 700 alumni and 470 friends made contributions to the college, with $102,432 coming to the annual fund. These gifts make a tremendous difference. They establish scholarships, support exhibitions and speakers, fund research, and provide a bit of discretionary money for Dean Fisher to direct special projects.

In this era of declining public funding, gifts from alumni and friends help bridge the gap between revenue and costs. When added together, every gift, no matter the size, helps meet some of the college's most critical needs.

If you have not yet responded to or received a request to contribute to the annual fund, please contact Peter Rozga, stewardship and annual giving manager, at 612-624-7808 or rozga001@umn.edu. You may also make a gift online by visiting the University of Minnesota Foundation's Web site. You have the option to direct your gift to the college or one of its departments.

I'd like to close by issuing a challenge to all our alumni. The 700 College of Design alumni who contributed last year represent 6.1 percent of our CDes alumni population. The University's overall average alumni contribution rate is 11 percent. College of Design alumni are not below average! Please show your pride and enthusiasm for the college by adding your philanthropic support this year.

Thank you.
Jan Sickbert
Director of Development

Recent noteworthy gifts

We wish to acknowledge the following individuals for their recent gifts and generous commitments:

Anonymous Donor
A generous friend has established an estate gift of $2.1 million. This future gift is for the dean's use in the College of Design.

Catherine Cerny, Phd DHA '87
A bequest intention to endow a fund for the acquisition, exhibition, and preservation of ethnic textiles and costumes in the Goldstein Museum of Design.

Leonard and Virginia Currie, BArch '36
A bequest from the Virginia Currie estate created an endowed fund to support study abroad opportunities for School of Architecture students.

Victor C. Gilbertson, BArch '35
A bequest from the Victor Gilbertson estate will be used to establish an endowed scholarship fund for School of Architecture undergraduates.

Peggy H. Matthews, BS Human Ecology '45
A fellowship created by Peggy Matthews will benefit graduate students in the Department of Design, Housing, and Apparel, with preference given to students with an emphasis in apparel.

Marilyn Revell DeLong, associate dean for research and outreach and professor, College of Design
Established by Marilyn Revell Delong, the fund provides graduate fellowships for students currently admitted or enrolled in the College of Design in a PhD degree program related to apparel design, historic dress, or aesthetics.

SALA Architects, Inc.
The Minnesota firm SALA Architects has given $25,000, on the occasion of their 25th anniversary, to establish an endowment to benefit architecture students. The SALA prize will be awarded to BS in architecture students in their final year of design studio. BS in architecture students typically enter the University in the College of Liberal Arts, apply to enter the College of Design as sophomores, and then through portfolio review are admitted to the BS in architecture program. In their junior and senior years, they take a full course of studio classes. These students typically go on to master of architecture programs.