The University of Wisconsin System Trust Funds endowment is down about 19% since the beginning of the year because of the downturn in the economy, but officials expect they will still be able to meet funding commitments for the year.
The trust funds are fueled nearly completely by gifts and bequests left in donors’ wills. Most of the money is restricted, meaning donors have left specific directions as to how their money should be spent. Some of the money goes to fund scholarships in specific academic departments or research in particular areas, such as cancer.