For more than a century, America’s public universities have provided a vast array of benefits for our society. These focus on educating citizens, fueling economic growth, leading new discoveries in the arts and sciences, and enhancing quality of life for millions of people here in the United States and around the world. In these and so many other ways, public universities have played a central role in shaping our lives and our future.

Today, the University of Iowa and other public universities face extraordinary pressures and challenges as we seek to continue and build upon these historic contributions. In an environment of steadily decreasing public resources, private support for higher education is more critical than ever.

As dean of the UI College of Public Health, I witnessed — and our students experienced — the transformative power of philanthropy. Private giving supported student scholarships that helped ensure the successful launch of a new undergraduate program in public health. Private giving also enabled our faculty to develop a curriculum to meet 21st-century challenges and deliver it using the latest methods and technologies.

As the UI interim executive vice president and provost, I see similar successes playing out across our university in every college, department, research facility, and classroom. The benefits of quality public higher education are incredibly broad-based. No other investment does more to enhance the civic and economic life of our society.

At this critical juncture in our nation’s history — with pressing needs across so many sectors demanding creative solutions — support for public universities could not be more important. Private philanthropy, coupled with stable public investment, will help ensure that the innovation, research, and community engagement we need and expect from institutions like the University of Iowa will continue to benefit future generations.

— Sue Curry, UI Interim Executive Vice President and Provost