HEATHER FAULAND/Arizona Daily Wildcat President Peter Likins announced that Campaign Arizona had reached its $1 billion fundraising goal 21 months early in his State of the University address that he gave at the Student Union Memorial Center South Ballroom yesterday afternoon.

Likins announces Campaign Arizona achieves target 21 months early

Campaign Arizona has reached its $1 billion goal 21 months early, President Peter Likins announced in his State of the University address yesterday.

Though the university has reached its goal, the fundraising campaign will continue until its original end date.

Campaign Arizona is an eight-year fundraising effort that began when Likins became president in 1997. The challenge was for the UA to raise $1 billion by 2005.

Likins said that some of the money yet to be raised could possibly be used to increase faculty salaries.

"Our work is far from over," Likins said. "We look rich, but our salaries are lagging badly."

Salaries at the UA have fallen below other universities. The UA needs more than $50 million to bring the average salary to the 50th percentile nationally.

At the Arizona Board of Regents meeting in September, Likins

submitted a request to the Legislature for $15 million for faculty salaries.

"I'm sure faculty in some areas are more under-compensated than faculty in other areas," Likins said. "We've not been entirely even-handed and uniform in the way we respond to the salary disparity."

He noted that the university has cut costs in many areas, chosen not to fill some positions after people retire, and made people work harder for less recognition, all of which are problems that need to be solved.

Of the $1 billion raised, two-thirds of it is in the form of money or gifts that the university has already received. Likins referred to this as "now money."

Some of this money was received in the form of tangible gifts for specific uses, and 72 percent of it was cash. Almost all of it is committed to specific areas selected by the donors, Likins said, but some of these funds will go into an endowment.

Only 1 percent of the money already received does not have to be used for a specific purpose identified by the donor.

"Benefactors send money for the purposes of the university," Likins said. "Sometimes it serves them to give that money to the foundation. Sometimes they give the money directly to the university."

Likins said this does not matter much in the long run.

"I never pay attention to which choice (the donors) make," Likins said. "I just want the numbers. I just want the money to flow."

The remaining one-third of the $1 billion will come to the university later in the forms of endowments or other time-sensitive gifts.

Likins expressed his gratitude to the many donors.

"I would not be here if someone had not given gifts to my alma mater for me to receive my education," he said.

It can be hard to request money from donors, Likins said, but he said he is aware of the need for money because he started in the university system as a professor.

During his State of the University address, Likins also reviewed the past year, listing other events that have been important to the university.

The regents relaxed their constraints on admissions requirements, allowing the universities more discretion because they are no longer required to admit the top 50 percent of Arizona high school graduates. Starting in 2006, only the top 25 percent of high school graduates will be guaranteed admission.

The UA is also focusing on diversity and the academic preparedness of incoming students. They are also working to increase graduation rates.

Likins wants to increase the UA's tuition to the top of the bottom one-third of public universities, which would place the UA around 35th. Last year the UA had the lowest tuition in the country until the record-setting $1,000 tuition hike, which bumped the UA up from 50th to 42nd.

Likins said that the higher the tuition, the more money becomes available for financial aid.

- Ty Young contributed to this report