University's plea to American alumni

Edinburgh University is seeking donations

One of Scotland's leading universities is seeking financial donations from its graduates in North America.

Edinburgh University is asking former students to dig deep to help fund prestigious projects.

Development director Joanna Storrar said that the university's alumni had already donated about £40m towards a new £52m research institute for medical cell biology, which is due to open in 2004.

The establishment is now targeting its 6,000 alumni in America and Canada.

In order to carry on doing what Edinburgh does, we have to diversify our funding sources

Joanna Storrar
Development director

Ms Storrar said the North American campaign was needed to supplement the funding received from the Scottish Executive.

"The amount per student which universities get from government has fallen in the last 20 years and the number of students has increased," she said.

"In order to carry on doing what Edinburgh does, we have to diversify our funding sources. This is a sensible approach to doing that."

Ms Storrar will spend one week each month setting up meetings with potential donors in North America over the next three years.

Permanent operation

Events planned include an alumni Tartan Day party in New York.

The university, which currently receives £9m a year from donations, eventually aims to set up a permanent fundraising operation in North America.

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Executive said that higher education institutions received an average of 56% of their income from the government.

"Quite rightly it is a decision for each institution as to how it might further diversify its sources of income or increase the amounts secured through current sources," she said.