University donations hit record low

No Surprise here.

Charitable contributions to the nation's universities dropped 11.9 percent to $27.85 billion, according to a survey released today by the Council for Aid to Education. The decline is the steepest in the survey's history and was expected considering the current economic climate.

"Historical patterns indicate that as the economy recovers, contributions will rise again," said Ann E. Kaplan, director of the survey. "However, 2009 was a difficult year for colleges and universities and, indeed, also for the individuals and institutions that care about them."

UCLA was ranked ninth among the top 20 fundraising universities, receiving $351.69 million in 2009. Stanford University topped the list, raising $640.11 million.

More from NPR:

The money given to colleges and universities for their endowments and physical assets, like buildings, took the biggest hit, declining nearly 25 percent.

The fallout from this is fairly self-evident. Many schools will be forced to defer projects to renovate facilities or erect new ones.

Pay freezes and in some cases wage and benefits cuts will continue to affect many faculty, administrative and support personnel.