The largest obstacle University officials have had to overcome during the past 15 years has been finding ways to sustain the University's educational quality despite having to compensate for huge handicaps created by state mandates. To compensate for the cuts, the University boosted tuition by double-digit percentages for four straight years from 1989 to 1992. In fact, the University's reliance on private donations has become so important that school officials no longer name buildings to honor past professors, presidents or Board of Visitors members. The University now solicits construction contributions and names buildings after heavy donors. The increased fundraising efforts have transformed many University officials' duties.
Deans now spend a greater portion of their time in fund-raising than in the past.
Fund-raising is a major concern and a major task. It takes up at least 40 percent of what I do. University officials spend more of their time than ever raising money and less dealing with other facets of their jobs. Deans from all the University schools have had to attend fundraisers and are required to leave Grounds more often than in the past to raise money once provided by the state. In last year's U.S. News and World Report, the University ranked 19th in a comparison of the best national universities, making it the top public university in the country.