Restructuring and Reform in Higher Education: Fundraising and the Urban Advantage

Abstract

Lacking the usual advantages of donor loyalty and institutional prestige, urban universities can make a case for support on the basis of their regional and statewide impact, as well as the quality, cost effectiveness and value of their academic programs and research. The authors discuss why people give to an urban university, and describe how Portland State University has changed during the past seven years and how these changes have aided fundraising efforts. Rapid change also raises a number of yet unanswered questions for discussion.