From the Times of India: “The Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay has received one of its largest private donations in its history. At an alumni gathering in New York, Romesh Wadhwani, founder of the Symphony Group, gifted his alma mater a purse of $5 million to set up a research centre in the area of bio-sciences. ‘The lab will work in the area of research in bio-sciences and bio-engineering,’ D Panda, head of the bio-sciences school, said the purse would give the school a chance to invest in high-end research equipment for its young scholars.”

From the New York Sun: "Mount Sinai Medical Center has quietly raised $320 million and will soon move into the public phase of a $1 billion capital campaign. According to hospital leaders, the campaign is a signal that the Upper East Side hospital - which five years ago was hemorrhaging millions of dollars each year - has not only rebounded from its financial troubles, but is pressing forward with the next phase of its strategic plan. 'We've always had a major focus on research, so I think what we're trying to do now on the research side is enhance our emphasis on disease-oriented research,' the medical center's president and CEO, Dr. Kenneth Davis, said in a recent interview in his office. Last year, the hospital raised a record of $147 million in philanthropy, and hospital leaders said that, given the economic climate, they are focusing on a long-term fund-raising plan."

From the New York Times: “John Marks Templeton, the pioneer global investor who founded the Templeton Mutual Funds and for the past three decades devoted his fortune to his Foundation's work on the ‘Big Questions’ of science, religion, and human purpose, passed away on July 8, 2008, at Doctors Hospital in Nassau, Bahamas, of pneumonia. As a pioneer in both financial investments and philanthropy, John Templeton spent a lifetime encouraging open-mindedness. If he hadn't sought new paths, he once said, ‘he would have been unable to attain so many goals.’ The motto that Templeton created for his Foundation, ‘How little we know, how eager to learn,’ exemplified his philosophy in the financial markets and his groundbreaking methods of philanthropy.”

From the New York Times: “In years to come, when the oil-and-gas billionaire David H. Koch attends a gala performance of New York City Ballet or City Opera at Lincoln Center, the building he enters in black tie will bear his name. Mr. Koch, recently called the wealthiest resident of New York City, has agreed to contribute $100 million toward the renovation of the New York State Theater, which is home to the two companies. ‘I’ve been going to the New York State Theater for 40 years,’ Koch says. ‘I can assure you, I would not make a gift of this magnitude unless I was absolutely convinced that the quality of the work was world class. His gift will be the largest private capital donation in Lincoln Center’s history and a triumph in a period of growing economic uncertainty.”

From the Birmingham News: “The two largest public universities in Alabama have raised more than $1 billion between them to support each institution's academic progression and facilities upkeep. Auburn University this week announced that the ‘It Begins at Auburn’ campaign has ended after raising a school record $608,862,727. The campaign's original goal was $500 million, which was surpassed by June 2007. ‘This is the largest campaign in the university's history and the largest in the state's history,’ Auburn University President Jay Gogue said in a press release. Nearly two-thirds of the 75,664 donors were alumni, with the remaining donations coming from corporations and foundations.”

Former GG+A Senior Vice President and Managing Director G. David Gearhart has been unanimously elected to become the fifth chancellor of the University of Arkansas. Gearhart is famous for his role in helping the University raise more than $1 billion during its previous campaign. Learn more about David and his appointment in the University of Arkansas’ Press Release.

From the University of Washington News: “The University of Washington Foundation announced that more than $2.68 billion has been donated in student, faculty, program and facility support during Campaign UW: Creating Futures. ‘This is a historic moment for the UW, made possible only by the generosity of so many private donors and the time commitments of our dedicated volunteers,’ said William H. Gates, chair of the campaign. ‘We were able to reach and exceed the campaign goal because of the enthusiasm so many alumni and friends have for the UW and its mission.' The eight-year campaign is the largest in the university's history and is one of the most successful capital campaigns ever attempted by a public university."

From the Charlotte Observer: “Harris Pastides was named University of South Carolina's 28th president after a unanimous vote by the university's Board of Trustees. Moments after being named the new president, Harris Pastides said he was ready to begin working to boost academics, promote research activities and launch an ambitious fundraising campaign. ‘I promise to accelerate our momentum as a world- class University, yet remain a faithful index to the best hopes and dreams of all South Carolinians,’ Pastides said.”

From the New York Times: “Michael J. Hogan arrived at the University of Connecticut last September as its 14th president knowing he was inheriting a school vastly improved from a decade ago. Once a ‘safety school’ with deteriorating facilities, the university now boasts rising test scores among entering freshmen and spruced-up academic facilities. Dr. Hogan knows that if he is to make the school among the nation’s best universities, he must improve several areas, but most important is its financial health. ‘We’re the only public university among the top 25 that does not have a $1 billion endowment fund,’ Dr. Hogan said. ‘We need to work our way into that club.’ To that end, the university will soon announce a $450 million fund-raising drive."

From Forbes: “The chairman of the Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents and his wife announced a $15 million gift Thursday to support the new Ocean Hall at the National Museum of Natural History. Roger and Vicki Sant will become the largest donors in the museum's 100-year history with a total contribution of $26.25 million for the major initiative on the world's oceans. The exhibit will be named the Sant Ocean Hall in their honor.”

From the Kingston Whig-Standard: “Members of the Kingston General Hospital Auxiliary yesterday pledged $2.5 million to the ambitious redevelopment plan for that facility. The money is on top of $2.5 million the auxiliary pledged in 2003 towards the expansion of the hospital's operating rooms and is part of $52 million raised by the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation's Together We Can fundraising drive that will benefit the city's three teaching hospitals”