Excellence Fund
Community volunteers seek
donations for Business Drive
It's not too late to step up and say "Count Me In" for this year's Excellence
Fund Business Drive. Coordinated by the UM Foundation and a corps of business and
community volunteers, the drive officially ends Tuesday, Nov. 2, with a victory
celebration.
This year's goal is $325,000 to help UM students and faculty members. As of
mid-October, business drive volunteers had raised $227,500. Of that amount, more than
$97,000 came from UM employees.
President George Dennison has outlined priorities for the 1999 Excellence Fund that
include student scholarships, with six earmarked for Missoula high school graduates;
faculty development, such as travel funds for professional conferences; and outreach
activities, since UM has much to share with the greater local community and region.
Another priority is the National Conference on Undergraduate Research, which will bring
about 1,800 of the nation's most talented college students and their faculty mentors to
Missoula in April 2000 to showcase their research, scholarship and creative activity.
"Bringing this many students and their teachers to the community is quite a coup
for Missoula and the University," said Bob Burke, this year's campaign chair.
"We're very pleased to be able to provide support to the Excellence Fund to make this
important project possible."
Meanwhile, UM's economic impact on Missoula hit an all-time high last year, giving an
estimated $200 million boost to local businesses and service providers.
New figures from UM's Bureau of Business and Economic Research show that the University
and its employees, students and visitors spent $5 million more in 1998 than in the
previous year. The new total does not include several ongoing construction projects at UM
last year.
For years the Excellence Fund has used the theme "Count Me In" to encourage
community and campus support for UM.
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