<p>PD
Designating monies to a library, senior gift, or new hockey rink, or whatever is not new. At least one get a plaque with acknowledgment of your gift if one wants it:) I guess with an economy like this, some alumni/parents might rather support the school plant, academics or !survival! rather than continuing their schools’ ability to stay at 60% FA(hypothetical). Or what “they plan to spend x dollars on and a and y dollars etc.” becomes a tougher sell in today’s economy.
In my grandfather’s day (St. Mark’s) 1911, one might give a gift for a specific cause. Whether it be for a student to return another year who through economic changes couldn’t without his family’s gift, or to a stellar football player going to his Alma mater college to play, who needed senior BS year assistance.
Of course, when things right themselves economically it will be possible to return to the 60% number. That is to say, once the alumni/parents feel comfortable economically again, they will go back to generic gifts to these schools. In fact, maybe donors have been trained the past 30+ years to give the generic gift and it will persevere through these times.</p>