FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) - Donations to the University of
Arkansas' Razorback Foundation have dropped 3 percent in the past
four years, while giving to other Southeastern Conference schools
has increased or even doubled.Between 2003 and 2007, donations to the school's fundraising arm
for its athletic department dropped from 11.9 million dollars to
11.5 million dollars. That's according to a report in today's
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. In contrast, giving to Louisiana State
University's foundation more than doubled to 35 million dollars,
Florida's increased 52 percent to 37.4 million dollars and
Mississippi's rose 13 percent to 13.2 million dollars.
Foundation officials say giving is lower in Arkansas because
there's a smaller population of potential donors.
The Razorback Foundation's 11.5 million dollars in revenue last
year ranked 10th in the Southeastern Conference, ahead of only
Mississippi State at 6.8 million dollars and Vanderbilt at 5.3
million dollars.
The Razorback Foundation's expenses usually include about 3.5
million dollars each year for scholarships. But in fiscal 2006,
expenses also included more than $575,000 in legal costs to defend
a lawsuit filed by former men's basketball coach Nolan Richardson.
And the expenses went up last month when Arkansas hired Bobby
Petrino as its football coach. Petrino's annual salary is 2.85
million dollars - the fourth-highest salary in the Southeastern
Conference.
