Netscape co-founder Jim Clark and Yahoo! co-founder David Filo, two of the world's biggest names in computer technology, announced donations of $30 million each to Tulane University today. The donations, which total $60 million, represent the largest single or combined gift in the university's history.

"Wonderful things happen when a great idea is given the capital support it needs," said Clark, who attended Tulane as an undergraduate and has guided three companies to more than $1 billion in market capitalization. "These gifts will help Tulane continue to attract the world's most academically qualified students. Hopefully, these students will go on to highly successful careers and make similar investments in the next generation."

"I attended Tulane's engineering school on a scholarship so this is my way of showing my gratitude for the wonderful education I received," said Filo, a native of Louisiana. "I hope this will inspire others to support the School of Engineering and the university as a whole. Tulane is a great university with the potential to be second to none among the nation's most important educational and research institutions."

The Clark and Filo gifts will be dedicated to Tulane's endowment, income from which will enable the university to support undergraduate students of extraordinary academic merit. The gift also sets the stage for the spring 2005 launch of the university's capital campaign to increase Tulane's endowment, support the university's facility expansion program and underwrite Tulane's key strategic initiatives.

"This is a landmark moment for Tulane University," Cathy Pierson, chair of the Board of Tulane, said. "These gifts, which Jim and David made without fanfare or expectation of acclaim, reflect an extraordinary commitment to our goals and vision and will impact our institution for years to come."

Tulane University President Scott Cowen said Clark and Filo's gifts endorse Tulane's achievements and plans to enhance its reputation and stature as one of the most distinctive and distinguished universities in the nation.

"David and Jim are known worldwide for their acumen in recognizing potential for success. Their gift indicates that, like us, they view Tulane as an outstanding university on the cusp of becoming one of the nation's premier institutions," Cowen said. "We are most grateful for their generosity and confidence."

In addition to co-founding Netscape, one of the world's most popular internet browsers, Clark is the founder of Silicon Graphics, Inc., producers of 3D computer graphics systems, the virtual health care network Healtheon/WebMD and myCFO, Inc., an online financial-management service. His latest venture is the online digital photo printing service Shutterfly.com. Clark attended Tulane but received a bachelor's and master's degree in physics from the University of New Orleans. He received a Ph.D. in computer science in 1974 from the University of Utah. He is also a member of the Board of Tulane.

Filo co-founded Yahoo! in April 1994. He directs the technical operations behind Yahoo!'s global network of web properties and helped build Yahoo! into the world's most highly trafficked web site and one of the internet's most recognized brands. Filo holds a bachelor's degree in computer engineering from Tulane University, a master's degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University and is currently on a leave of absence from Stanford's electrical engineering Ph.D. program.

The Clark and Filo gifts are the latest in a string of successes that Tulane has enjoyed in recent years as it implements a ten-year university-wide strategic plan developed in 1998. Successes include:

• Undergraduate student applications more than doubling from 7,780 in 1998 to 17,548 in 2004;
• SAT scores of incoming students rising from 1278 in 1998 to a current level of 1335, which is 309 points above the national average;
• Acceptance rate lowered from 79 percent in 1998 to 44 percent in FY2004 with a projected rate of 35 percent in FY2008;
• Dramatic improvements in the undergraduate experience with the addition of new and revised majors and minors, renewed emphasis on co-curricular and extracurricular activities and an extensive facility improvement program;
• Research and development awards more than doubling from $68 million in 1998 to more than $130 million currently and total private giving more than doubling from $35 million to more than $70 million;
• An improved National Institutes of Health funding ranking of 78 as compared to 96 in 1998.
• Beginning or completing construction of major facilities including a $25 million expansion of the A.B. Freeman School of Business, a $37 million renovation and expansion of the University Center and a $17 million construction of a 267-bed residence hall with another planned for 2006;
• Being named one of nine "Hot Schools" in the nation by Kaplan/Newsweek's college guide;
• All time highs in student interest and student quality in virtually all of our schools and colleges.