Correspondence: Shelley Strickland, National Forum on Higher Education for the Public Good University of Michigan 2339 School of Education Building 610 E. University Avenue Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1259, USA. Phone: +1 734 615 8882; Fax: +1 734 615 9777; Email: srstric@umich.edu

¹is a doctoral student in higher education at the University of Michigan and a research associate in the National Forum on Higher Education for the Public Good. She has more than a decade of experience in university advancement.

Received 14 June 2007; Revised 14 June 2007.

Abstract

Hearkening back to the historic relationship between philanthropy and higher education is useful for two reasons. First, it allows us to examine history in a more complete context. Second, it allows us to draw contemporary parallels. Rather than building institutions, today's transformational donors appear interested in how institutions build communities. While further research is needed, connections between the motives of today's donors and the outlets for their giving seem to indicate an opportunity for affecting change in the academy's internal operations (including those of development), and in making a transformative impact on the institution's role in society.