In Higher Education: Calif. Fund Defends Keeping Records Private

Forcing the fund-raising arms of California universities to open their records could discourage giving at a time when academic institutions are reeling from state spending cuts, the head of one such organization tells The Modesto Bee.

“Especially with big gifts, what we need to be able to preserve is the ability to protect the donor’s anonymity,” said Matt Swanson, president of the California State University, Stanislaus Foundation.

The Stanislaus foundation’s refusal to disclose how much it is paying former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to speak at an event next month has renewed calls by California lawmakers to make universities’ fund-raising auxiliaries subject to open-records regulations, as are the colleges themselves.

In other higher-education news, Clark University, in Worcester, Mass., has received the largest donation in its history, $14.2-million, from a late insurance executive, The Associated Press says.

The gift from the former Hanover Insurance Company head John Adam will help the 123-year-old school strengthen graduate education programs, promote college readiness among minorities, and increase research on urban education.