Calling All Corporations

Until the early '50s, corporations hardly ever gave money to colleges and universities; now many companies feel deeply obliged to help higher education as a source of competent employees and economic growth. The idea last year moved companies to fatten cam pus coffers by $200 million. At this rate, reports the pleased Council for Financial Aid to Education, the corporate ante in 1970 may pass $500 million.

But most of the load is still being carried by the pioneers of corporate aid, such as Ford, U.S. Steel, General Motors. And even $200 million was a relative drop in the bucket. Last year U.S.

higher education cost $7.8 billion; voluntary support supplied more than $1 billion, of which the corporate share was 16%, compared with 24% from foundations, 23% from nonalumni individuals, 22% from alumni. With enrollment surging toward 7,000,000, the nation's campuses still need help from hundreds of companies that have not yet felt the duty.

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