Abstract
In studies on the history of higher education in Japan, the studies on management of private higher education institutions focused on tuition and not donations. Although donations, unlike tuition income, were a temporary source of funds, they were an important source with impact on management of private higher education institutions. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to clarify and consider the effects of donations on the finances as well as the factors which enabled the successful gaining of donations, by reviewing the case of Keio University, which was the most successful university in prewar Japan in fund-raising. Using historical financial records and the lists of donors, this paper examines the institutional management of Keio from the viewpoint of the three fund-raising campaigns which were undertaken in the mid-Meiji to the Taisho Period, with attention to the campaign planning process. Keio implemented three major fund-raising campaigns during the period from the mid-Meiji to the Taisho Period. The first was intended for the establishment of a foundation, the second for the construction of the library, and the third for the creation of the medical department and the university hospital. All the campaigns ended with good results, especially, with the one for the library, they succeeded at building the library only with the donation money without counting on any other financial resources. The financial data also indicated significant contributions of donations; the donations contributed largely to the asset formation of Keio. There are mainly three factors in the success of fund-raising campaigns. The first factor was that the campaigns were carried out in a booming economy. The second was that the donations were raised widely, centering on Tokyo and local big cities and that large donations could be collected from very wealthy people, mainly the alumni of Keio. The third was that Keio established an excellent recruiting organization and carried out practical activities by making elaborate preparations so that more donations could be raised. Specifically, Keio conducted effective public relations activities and fund-raising activities focusing on very wealthy people and the general public, and made an announcement about fund-raising activities at Harvard University as an ideal model to explain the importance of donations to faculty members and students. It can be said that these findings clarify the importance of donations in the management of Keio. And, it may be said that these facts also indicate the aspects and reality of the "management body" of Keio to strive toward development and perpetuity despite the fact that they did not receive any support and were constrained under a severe management environment.
