The Reporter: February 1997, Vol.8, No.1
Special Report
In Support of Excellence

Fiscal year 1996 was unprecedented for Columbia Health Sciences in total major gifts from supporters, notably on the part of individual contributors. The individuals who give are an impressive and diverse group with one thing in common: a strong bond with Columbia University and Presbyterian Hospital.

A donor sometimes is a graduate of P&S who wants to help current and future students succeed. Other times, a donor receives medical care from one of CPMC's dedicated practitioners and chooses to show gratitude by honoring that physician with a pledge to Columbia. In other cases, an individual has been touched in a dramatic way by a disease or condition that needs to be researched and eradicated. Whatever the motivation, these friends of Columbia and CPMC choose to involve themselves in making a difference. And in most cases, the relationship doesn't end once the gift is made; rather, a long-lasting relationship begins and is nurtured over the years through Columbia's gratefulness as well as the donor's genuine interest in the institution's success.

The following profiles describe some of the Health Sciences' major donors, whom Dr. Herbert Pardes, vice president and dean, often refers to as "Columbia's first families."