"Given the current uncertainty of the economy and world events, we are extremely gratified to have arrived at this impressive total in such a timely manner," said Campaign Director Douglas G. Stewart. "Our donors have been remarkably generous, and our campaign volunteers have been amazingly energetic and dedicated. We want to take this opportunity to extend our thanks for everything they've done."

In reaching the milestone in mid-October, UCSF became the nation's first academic institution without an undergraduate program to attain more than $1 billion in a fundraising campaign. Despite this impressive achievement, Stewart stressed that many challenges must still be met for the campaign to succeed in raising $1.4 billion by July 2005.

"We recognize UCSF's role as a world leader in health care, education and biomedical research, and we know that the University's ability to recruit and retain the best faculty and to respond nimbly to scientific opportunities requires vast resources," said Stewart. "That's why our objectives for this campaign are so ambitious, and why it is so critical that we redouble our efforts even as we celebrate our success."