Missoula
business drive aims
at $345,000 to meet UM needs
Leaders of this year's Excellence Fund's Missoula Business Drive have set
their sights on raising $345,000 for academic programs at The University of Montana
through the annual peer-to-peer solicitation of the city's business and professional
community. The drive officially began with a kickoff celebration before the Sept. 16
football game between the Montana Grizzlies and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. More than 100
community volunteers will contact colleagues asking for their support over the next six
weeks.
"For the past 22 years, the Missoula community has been generous to the University
and always said 'Count Me In' when asked for an Excellence Fund gift," said Phil
Barney, chair of this year's drive.
To reach the goal, Excellence Fund volunteers and UM Foundation staff identified the
community's growth industries to expand the list of prospective donors. "
The economy in Missoula is strong -- thanks in part to the University's $211 million
annual spending in local businesses -- and there are some industries where there has been
substantial growth," said Kathy Schaub, director of annual giving at the UM
Foundation.
Schaub and associates studied business lists and have added almost 150 prospects that
will be visited by volunteers.
She noted that while the local community has provided $3.5 million since the business
drive started in 1978, there are many businesses that benefit directly from University
student and employee purchases that haven't been asked to support the fund-raiser in the
past. That's something that drive volunteers intend to change, Schaub said.
The Excellence Fund's Missoula Business Drive is a major source of undesignated gifts
for UM programs. With the money provided annually, President George Dennison has allocated
funding for scholarships, including one specifically restricted to a graduate of each
Missoula high school; outreach efforts such as public lectures, concerts and exhibitions;
faculty, staff and student travel to professional conferences; extended library and
computer lab hours; and on-campus events such as the National Conference on Undergraduate
Research, which drew 1,500 students from 200 U.S. colleges and universities to the UM
campus in April.
The Missoula Business Drive was founded by five local businessmen in 1978 to provide
private funding for unanticipated academic opportunities and to cement the relationship
between the University and its hometown.
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