Fall 2003 Dear friend, One of the greatest joys of being at the University of Dayton is watching students take advantage of the opportunities we present to them. When Courtney Gay was in eighth grade, she became friends with Erin -- a younger girl who had been diagnosed with Leukemia. The summer after they met, Erin passed away. Erin's death stirred in Courtney a desire to help other children, so she began volunteering at Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati and continued for five years in the Hematology/Oncology ward. It was there that Courtney decided on her vocation -- to become a doctor and help children. Today, Courtney is a sophomore pre-medicine major at the University of Dayton. She was accepted into UD's dual admissions program, which automatically reserves a place for her at the University Of Cincinnati College of Medicine. If it weren't for a scholarship Courtney received to attend UD, she might not have realized her dream. Courtney is just one example of students taking advantage of the opportunities the University of Dayton offers. Opportunities to grow. Opportunities to learn, think and prepare for the future. Opportunities to stretch the mind, the spirit and the heart -- to fulfill dreams once thought unattainable. When we closed the $150 million Call to Lead Campaign, our goal was to move toward annual giving of $18 to $20 million. We were confident that level of support would allow the University to increase academic excellence and opportunities for students. Annual giving of $18 to $20 million would allow UD to attract top students, like Courtney. I'm pleased to report that giving for FY03 was nearly $20.5 million. Funding from the Call to Lead Campaign and annual gifts is being used for many key initiatives to increase academic excellence and rigor. In addition to investing in scholarships, for merit, need and diversity, we're also investing in endowed chairs, facilities and technology. We're recruiting a nationally recognized scholar to fill the Wright Brothers Institute Endowed Chair in Nanomaterials. Nanotechnology -- what researchers describe as the science of constructing new materials with dimensions about the size of five to 10 atoms -- has enormous potential. The U.S. government has authorized more than $2 billion since 2000 for nanotechnology research, with applications ranging from better computer chips to lighter aircraft that require less fuel. The endowed chair is a joint position between UD's College of Arts and Sciences and School of Engineering, and is one of ## endowed chairs created during the past # years. We continue to invest in technology. The Princeton Review recently announced the Top 25 Most Connected Campuses, and UD stands out as one of the best technology savvy universities in the country. According to The Princeton Review panel, UD got high marks for its wireless network, its requirement for all students to be computer proficient, and the ease of accessibility from remote locations to student e-mail, registration and other administrative areas. We're building for the future. We have accelerated plans for a new residence hall and are renovating older facilities. UD is building 21st century residential facilities that mix living and learning. A $20 million three-wing four-story brick residence hall will house nearly 400 students and include classrooms, conference rooms, campus ministry offices, a bookstore, post office, credit union, food emporium and free-standing chapel. It’s slated to open in August 2004. At the same time, UD is constructing the first phase of ArtStreet, an innovative $9 million housing and arts education complex and building five new single-family homes. The first phase of ArtStreet, to be completed by fall 2005, will include six two-story townhouses and five loft apartments, sitting above performance spaces and artist studios. Proposed plans include a cafe, space for the campus radio station and a recording studio. In all, UD plans to replace or renovate residential space for 1,000 students between now and 2010. We’re committed to maintaining the front-porch feel of the neighborhood that students love. Students have just begun to use a new $22 million science center, that includes new laboratories, classrooms, offices and gathering spaces, and gives science a higher profile on campus. The new center will prepare students to work in teams and use state-of-the-art technology. All of these projects will increase academic excellence at the University of Dayton. They will propel the University into the forefront of the higher education and result in the national attention our programs deserve. Our projects to increase academic excellence would not have been possible without the significant support we receive from its alumni and friends. The Sept. 2003 issue of "America’s Best Colleges" from U.S. News and World Report reported that, among the top 10 Catholic national universities, only the University of Notre Dame and Georgetown University boast higher participation than UD's 27 percent average alumni giving rate. You have my personal thanks for your past support. You have Courtney's thanks, too -- along with thousands of other students like her. I will continue to find great joy in watching our students take advantage of the opportunities we present to them. There are many exciting opportunities in front of the University of Dayton. I look forward to working together to take advantage of them. Sincerely, F Daniel J. Curran, Ph.D.