UH ahead in raising money this year

By Beverly Creamer
Advertiser Education Writer

The University of Hawai'i is far ahead of last year in both fund raising and in revenues coming from federal grants and contracts.

The UH Foundation raised $16.9 million so far in this fiscal year — $3.9 million or about one-third ahead of the same period last year — according to a foundation report given to the UH Board of Regents this week.

By comparison, last year's fund raising had reached $12.9 million at this point in the fiscal year.

The foundation's goal for the year is $25 million.

At the same time, the dollar amount of federal contracts has gone up.

David McClain, interim vice president for research for the UH system, told regents that $216 million in research work had come into the system in the year to date.

On that basis, he predicts a total of around $300 million to come in this fiscal year. That would compare to about $250 million in the current year.

McClain said that in the last month alone the total amount of grants and contracts was $20.7 million.

The contracts range from studies by the UH's Cancer Research Center evaluating the well-being of prostate cancer survivors, to sonar mapping in the Marianas, to tests of dolphin and whale hearing.

Reach Beverly Creamer at bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8013.