Chancellor looks for donors to help with project funding

By Marcelle Richards
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

To cope with limited state funds and possible cuts, Chancellor
Albert Carnesale is baiting wealthy donors to help pay for his list
of unfinished projects.

He announced Wednesday that Campaign UCLA ““ one of the
largest money-raking campaigns of its kind in the country ““
will extend to 2005 with a new goal of $2.4 billion since the prior
amount of $1.6 billion was secured two years ahead of schedule.

Donors are rising in importance because public funds are not
increasing in proportion to university growth, Carnesale said in a
statement.

The state provides 21 percent of UCLA’s operational
budget, which pays for the campus’ upkeep. Administrators
have already warned schools and departments to prepare for 8
percent campus-wide cuts next year.

The tight economic situation comes at a time when an aging
campus is in need of heavy maintenance.

Since many buildings on campus were built during the early to
mid-1900s, construction has been intense over the past several
years and will continue as buildings start to deteriorate.

The replacement hospital project ““ the UC’s largest
capital investment ever ““ cashes in at $1.3 billion under the
hand of Luxor architect I.M. Pei.

The new facility will retire the current hospital that was
damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

The federal government will cover $432 million, and the state
$44 million. Donors will compensate for a majority of the remaining
funds.

Additionally, Kaufman Hall will be home to a new theater for the
world arts and cultures department. Several South Campus projects,
such as the physics and astronomy building and a new Court of
Sciences building for research, will depend on private cash as
well.

Part of the problem in paying for expenses is the inability to
use earmarked money, which accounts for 80 percent of donations but
can only be used for specific programs, according to Dennis Slon,
associate vice chancellor of development.

Increasing discretionary funds will let the university allocate
money where needed, he said in a statement.

Money not spent on construction will go toward the recruitment
and retention of graduate students and faculty, who often compete
with institutions for the most competitive financial packages.