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The Campaign for UC San Diego was our 10-year university-wide comprehensive fundraising effort to enhance student support, ensure student success, transform our campus, connect our community, and redefine medicine and health care on a global scale. Explore how UC San Diego, together with our philanthropic partners, have made an impact like non other.
UC San Diego raises
$3.05 Billion
as the Campaign for UC San Diego concludes
UC San Diego becomes the nation’s youngest university to reach
$3B
in a fundraising campaign
RIMAC Arena is named LionTree Arena in honor of scholarship gift
Local philanthropists Leo and Emma Zuckerman support revitalization of emergency department at UC San Diego Health
New downtown hub
Park & Market
opens to the public
Goeddel Family Technology Sandbox, named in honor of a $7.5 million gift from David Goeddel '72 and his wife Alena, will support innovation, research, and training in the School of Biological Sciences.
Kavli Foundation donates
$5M
to UC San Diego brain and cognition research
UC San Diego alumnus Edward Lee ’85 leads with care as a u.care ambassador
UC San Diego Biology Lab receives
$1.4M
grant to fight malaria spread
Thanks to donor support, University of California Health and UC San Diego Health have launched the
only Human Milk Banking Association of North America accredited milk bank in Southern California.
1,800
Chancellor's Associates Scholarships awarded since the program launched in 2013.
Transformative gift establishes the Epstein Family Alzheimer's Research Collaboration at UC San Diego and USC to fuel collaborative research to discover effective therapies for Alzheimer's disease.
Jacobs Medical Center at UC San Diego Health celebrates
5 years
since opening the world-class facility in 2016, thanks to a visionary gift from Joan and Irwin Jacobs
A landmark gift from philanthropist T. Denny Sanford created the T. Denny Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion to conduct research into the neurological basis of compassion.
The Simons Foundation commits $20 million to support the Simons Observatory, located in Chile's Atacama Desert
17,200
feet above sea level, which will help scientists explore the origins of the universe.
Wertheim Family Foundation pledges
$25M
lead gift to establish UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science.
Andrew J. Viterbi's historic gift to the Department of Ophthalmology will name the Viterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology and the Viterbi Family Vision Research Center, as well as establish
6
endowed chairs to attract and sustain exceptional physician-scientists.
Named in honor of a gift from alumnus Franklin Antonio '74, Franklin Antonio Hall is designed to spark cross-disciplinary innovations within the
11
collaboratories — collaborative research spaces that make up the heart of the new engineering building.
Taner Halıcıoğlu '96 makes the largest alumni gift to UC San Diego, directing
$75M
to establish the Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute to promote interdisciplinary research and hands-on experience for students in the field.
Thanks to $1 million in contributions, the Institute for the Global Entrepreneur is bringing disruptive new technolgies to market faster.
Two new gifts and two successful grant proposals will allow the PATHways to STEM through Enhanced Access and Mentorship, or
PATHS program, to expand the number of scholarships awarded and increase student-centered resources.
Illumina Supports Enhanced Genomics-Enabled Discovery and Training Programs at UC San Diego
Grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation are empowering UC San Diego's
4
cross-border community stations to unite community members and university researchers to tackle urban inequality across the San Diego-Tijuana binational region.
K-12
Price Philanthropies Ocean Science Education program is bringing hands-on ocean and earth science programming to K-12 students in underserved communities.
Inspired by late climate change advocate Marshall Saunders, Joan and Irwin Jacobs established the Marshall Saunders Chancellor's Endowed Chair in Global Climate Policy and Research at UC San Diego School of Gloabl Policy and Strategy, held by Jennifer Burney
A generous gift from Rafael and Marina Pastor will support faculty fellowships at
2
UC San Diego schools: Rady School of Management and the School of Global Policy and Strategy
The Kershaw Endowment for Cyber-Archaeology in the Eastern Mediterranean at UC San Diego--established through a bequest from the late Norma Kershaw--brings together archaeology, computer science and the natural sciences to safeguard the past for future generations
A pair of $1 million gifts from Daniel and Phyllis Epstein and Hanna and Mark Gleiberman has established the Homelessness Hub at UC San Diego, the region's
1st
large-scale, university-based research and data hub focused exclusively on homelessness
A $400,000 grant from the Lumina Foundation will support UC San Diego's Indigenous Futures Institute, which works with Indigenous peoples on educational, scientific and environmental co-design
The Kavli Foundation donates
$5M
in matching gifts to the Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind to advance a variety of leading-edge research projects investigating the brain and mind
Launched in 2021, the Chancellor's Scholarship and Fellowship Challenge offers a
1:2
match in support of student aid and exceeds it's initial $5 million goal in just one year
A $1.4 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will help develop new CRISPR technologies to curb mosquito populations and reduce the spread of malaria
Rafael Fernandez de Castro, and expert on U.S.-Mexico relations, was appointed the Aaron Feldman Family Chancellor's Endowed Chair in U.S.-Mexican Studies in Memory of David Feldman, thanks to a $1 million gfit to establish the chair
3-year
grant from the Heising-Simons Foundation will bolster Scripps Institution of Oceanography's outreach efforts and recruitment of underrepresented students
After being diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, Shallum Etpison traveled across
3
continents — from Palau to the Netherlands to the U.S. — before receiving a lifesaving double lung transplant at UC San Diego Health.
A $10 million gift from alumna Sally T. WongAvery '75 establishes one of the largest dedicated library endowments to East Asian scholarship in North America.
To mark the
30th
anniversary of the Shiley Eye Institute, a $10 million gift from Darlene Shiley will expand clinical space will increase patient care capacity and research infrastructure.
The Suraj Israni Center for Cinematic Arts established through a gift in honor of aspiring filmmaker Suraj Israni.
Support from JM Foundation allowed UC San Diego to send the
first
aged bone marrow stem cell nanobioreactor to the International Space Station, along with blood stem cells, to study how cancer stem cells develop.
With foundational support from Price Philanthropies UC San Diego Medical Center in Hillcrest is undergoing a comprehensive
15-year
redevelopment that will result in state-of-the-art facilities, expanded patient care services and technologies, and other community amenities to promote well-being.
The Nixon Visions Foundation Macular Dystrophy-PRPH2 Research Fund will boost stem cell research aimed at early diagnosis and a cure for macular dystrophy.
Since the first endowed chairs were established at UC San Diego in
1981
the number of endowed chairs has expanded to include more than 255 chairs across nearly 70 academic departments, divisions and schools.
The Jerri-Ann and Gary E. Jacobs Endowed Fellowship Fund in social sciences and the Jerri-Ann and Gary Jacobs Family Baseball Scholarship is opening up opportunities for the next generation.
Thanks to a $9 million grant from the Aligning Science Across Parkinson's
ASAP initiative, researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine will advance a new proto-drug for Parkinson's disease into the next phase of drug development.
Philanthropic support launches the Dean-Hertzberg Breast Cancer Database Systtem (BCDS) at Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health
The Don and Karen Cohn Chancellor's Endowed Chair in Neurosurgery will support excellence in research, education and clinical care in the field of neurological surgery.
In the penultimate year of the Campaign for UC San Diego, the campus celebrates its fourth consecutive record fundraising year with
$376.4M
million raised.
The Epstein Family Amphitheater — named in honor of a generous gift from Dan and Phyllis Epstein — is slated to open in fall 2022, and will feature more than
first
cardiomyopathy center in San Diego, providing leading research and treatment in the region.
The Iris and Mattew Strauss Chancellor's Endowed Chair in Head and Neck Surgery will reinforce UC San Diego Health's reputation as an international leader in the field.
Titans of industry and academia, Shu and K.C. Chien and Peter Farrell,
have teamed up to empower collaborative engineering and medical research in the Chien-Farrell Institute for Engineering in Medicine Collaboratory within Franklin Antonio Hall.
To expand support for undergraduate and graduate students, Chancellor' Pradeep K. Khosla launched a
1:2
match for eligible gifts to undergraduate scholarships, graduate fellowships, and health-related professional school scholarships between February 2021 and June 30, 2022.
Although Dave Love had competed in at least
50
marathons, injuries made competing hard until he underwent life-changing spinal surgery at UC San Diego Health.
One of the largest gifts in the history of the Division of Arts and Humanities, from longtime campus supporters Chiu-Shan Chen, PhD '69, and Rufina Chen, established the Center for Taiwan Studies.
A generous grant from the Conrad Prebys Foundation helps launch the Department of Music's outreach to local audience and the international music community.
An endowed gift from Joan and Irwin Jacobs to the School of Global Policy and Strategy's Peter F. Cowhey Center on Global Transformation
will focus on changing global economic and political structures and how science and technology advances alter worldwide wealth distribution.
A generous gift from Kristin Farmer establishes the Autism Comprehensive Educational Services Innovation Project, or
ACES xfto advance research in early diagnosis tools and translate them to clinical settings.
Longtime supporters of the Division of Arts and Humanities Ann and Joel Reed donated
12
pieces of art from the Soviet impressionism and socialist realism periods, which are on display at the North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood.
The largest-ever gift to the School of Global Policy and Strategy from the Joe and Clara Tsai Foundation, will expand research and policy studies related to Chine and U.S.-China relations.
After living with Crohn's disease for
7
years, Chloe Levis and her mom Joan flew from her hometown in Idaho to San Diego, where Chloe received a leading-edge new treatment that — with comprehensive support for related health issues — has helped turn her life around.
After being diagnosed with esophageal cancer, Bill McGowan received seamless patient-centered care on
2
coasts — receiving a biopsy from Yale and treatment at UC San Diego Health.
The Psychedelics and Health Research Initiative at UC San Diego received a grant from the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation for a clinical trial using psilocybin to treat phantom limb pain.
Although his father only received a
5th
grade education, Albin Leong, MD '77, was able to attend college and medical school, thanks in part to scholarship and fellowship support that allowed him to focus on his education — a tradition he continues through his support for schoalrships.
A generous gift from Wrethinking, the Foundation, supports research into the relationship between hearing loss, isolation and dementia.
The Preuss School UC San Diego's first-ever Digital Day of Giving raised more than
$595K
from over 115 donors to help ensure the continuity of learning for Preuss students during the pandemic.
Former UC San Diego Chancellor and UC President Emeritus Richard Atkinson and Rita Atkinson establish the Richard C. and Rita L. Atkinson UC San Diego Physician Assistant Education Program.
After receiving exceptional care at UC San Diego Health, alumni Ellen '78 and Chuck Wright '79 helped establish the Comprehensive Chronic Neurological Clinic at UC San Diego Health to provide centralized, comprehensive care for people with chronic neurological conditions.
The Linda & James Ong Family Auditorium was named in honor of the family's gift to UC San Diego School of Medicine — the largest gift from alumni in the history of the school.
Ancient Mediterranean historian and director the the UC San Diego Center for Hellenic Studies Denise Demetriou receives
2
prestigious fellowships — one from the Getty Research institute and another from Harvard University — to advance her work on ancient cross-cultural interactions between the Greeks and others.
The Hellman Foundation endowed the Hellman Fellows Program at UC San Diego to support the research of outstanding early-career faculty. The program made its first awards to UC San Diego faculty in
1995
Annie and John So honored their parents with a gift to create the 21st Century China Center Fellows and the So Family Executive Directorship at UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy.
A gift from the John and Mary Tu Foundation increased the number of people tested for COVID-19 and helped develop new methods for tracking and treating the virus.
Following the start of the
COVID-19
pandemic, our community united to support students with virtual academic support, enhanced basic needs services including housing assistance and mobile food pantry, and online social events.
The Conrad Prebys Foundation awarded a
$350K
challenge grant to raise funds for frontline health care workers in San Diego during the COVID-19 pandemic.
UC San Diego faculty members Nissi and Ajit Varki made a gift to support research into the origins of humankind at the Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny, or CARTA
An award from the Koret Foundation supports collaborative marine archaeology research between Scripps and the University of Haifa exploring human adaptation to environmental change over the past
11,000
years
7
months after undergoing hip-replacement surgery at UC San Diego Health, Mark Collins was hiking the Grand Canyon without pain for the first time in years — and now he leads pre-operative informational sessions for others preparing the the surgery.
Honoring philanthropic women across Southern California, She Who Inspires was published in October 2019
J. Yang Scholarship Program helps Taiwanese students attend UC San Diego and supports partnership building with institutions in Taiwan.
250
Miles above earth UC San Diego researchers sent brain organoids to study human development in a first-of-its-kind project dedicated to T. Denny Sanford.
Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute welcomed global communications company Viasat Inc. as one of its first Founding Industry Partners to help bring real-world industry experiences to students.
Mihir Bellare appointed the S. Gill Williamson Endowed Chair in Computer Science, established through a gift from alumni Steven and Susan Hart, to advance work in socially conscious cryptography.
Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute funded
17
awards in the unaugural year of the Undergraduate Scholarship Program, support student projects on sarcasm detection and political rhetoric, among others.
Alumni Sandy Timmons '81 and Rick Sandstrom '72, PhD '79, launched a
$1M
Chancellor's Associates Endowment Challenge to ensure that the next generation of exceptional students has access to UC San Diego's leading education.
The Garner Family Chancellor's Endowed Chair in Blood and Marrow Transplant will help enhance research, teaching and clinical care in the field of blood cancers and blood and marrow transplant.
Scripps Institution of Oceanography's newest research vessel, the nearshore vessel Bob and Betty Beyster, is the
5th
in the Scripps fleet. Made possible by gifts made in honor of Bob and Betty, it will increase scientists' ability to conduct local research, develop technology and advance ocean-based education.
UC San Diego's Crowdsurf empowers students, faculty and staff to share innovative and socially compelling work across campus with our philanthropic community.
UC San Diego is named
14th
most generous college in the nation, raising significant amounts of support and awarding institutional grant aid to nearly half of students.
Support from Viasat Inc. will help UC San Diego Design Lab's Center for Design-Driven Technology assist companies using leading-edge design tools and perspectives remain competitive.
UC San Diego received a record-breaking
$1.37B
in total research and philanthropic funding during fiscal year 2017-18, including $252 million in private gifts.
Thanks to generous support from the Strauss family, UC San Diego launched the
first
pilot study of its kind to test personalized vaccines to boost an anti-tumor immune response.
Artist Heejung Shin, MFA '18, received the inaugural David Antin Prize, named in honor of founding member of the UC San Diego Department of Visual Arts David Antin.
Shin's work centers on the immigrant woman experience and uses multiple mediums to challenge boundaries.
54
students received UC San Diego Black Alumni Scholarships in 2018, including 19 incoming freshmen and 35 current students whose awards were renewed.
UC San Diego Nikon Imaging Center is only the
3rd
site in North America, and provides researchers with access to the latest microscopic tools and technologies.
In its first year, the Lytx Graduate Fellowship supports
two
students in the one-year intensive MSBA program. Funded by Lytx, the fellowships support students in business analytics committed to the advancement of women or underrepresented groups in the field.
13
faculty members have received Packard Fellowships for Science and Engineering to help junior faculty jumpstart their research careers.
UC San Diego announces a historic fundraising year in 2017-18, with more than
$312M
raised.
Artist Alexis Smith donates her monumental
62-foot
long mural "Same Old Paradise" to the Stuart Collection, making it the 19th installation in the collection.
T. Denny Sanford's landmark gift to establish the UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center, UC San Diego researchers have received more than
100
awards from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) totaling more than $215 million.
Faculty members at the UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center received
$2.2M
in funding to investigate stem cell-based treatment for Danon disease — a rare genetic disorder characterized by weakening of heart and other muscles.
The Preuss School UC San Diego celebrates
20 years
of inspiring young people from underserved communities across San Diego to take intellectual risks that set them up for academic success, to effect change, and to transform their communities.
UC San Diego alumnus Alan Braynin '95 establishes
10
scholarships per year over four years.
Faculty members at the UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center received
$8M
in funding for research into novel stem-cell based treatments for acute myelois leukemia.
Researchers at UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center received a
$5.8M
award to develop a new immunotherapy in which patients' cells would be equipped with a receptor that recognizes and targets cancer stem cells.
$35M
provided by the Charles Lee Powell Foundation in support of students, faculty and research at Jacobs School of Engineering.
Thanks to a gift from the Ray and Tye Noorda Foundation and the Wholistic Research and Education Foundation, UC San Diego School of Medicine launches a
first
of its kind investigation into the effects of cannabidiol on children with severe symptoms of autism spectrum disorder.
Thanks to generous support from James Stuart DeSilva to launch the Stuart Collection, a
22-piece
collection spread across the 1,200-acre campus, UC San Diego continues to commission new installations that invite visitors to campus to engage with art.
Just one year after the launch of the Campaign for UC San Diego, the campus has raised more than
$1.5B
in philanthropic support.
The Koman Family Outpatient Pavilion, named for philanthropists Bill and Amy Koman,
opens at UC San Diego Health in La Jolla with facilities for surgery, basic and advanced imaging, physical therapy, pain management, and infusion and apheresis services.
Between July 1, 2016 and June 30, 2017, nearly
1,400
UC San Diego faculty and staff contributed more than $5.8 million to support our campus
The Yinan Wang Memorial Chancellor's Endowed Junior Faculty Fellowship is established to support up-and-coming faculty in the Division of Physical Sciences.
Shirley Meng named inaugural holder of the Zable Endowed Chair in Energy Technologies to develop the next generation of electric car batteries and a green energy grid for a more sustainable future.
Established by Roberto and Colleen Padovani, the Roberto and Colleen Padovani Endowed Scholarship, supports exceptional undergraduates in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Grants from the American Cancer Society and Susan G. Komen helped researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health to identify a potential pathway for metastatic breast cancer treatment that may occur in up to
20%
of primary breast cancers.
A generous gift from alumnus Bill Lee, PhD '82, establishes the William A. Lee Undergraduate Research Awards to encourage students of all majors in the physical sciences to immerse themselves in scientific inquiry.
Founding faculty member, physiologist John B. West, MD, PhD, establishes the campus'
first
endowed faculty chair in respiratory physiology: the John B. West Endowed Chair in Respiratory Physiology.
In celebration of the public launch of the Campaign for UC San Diego, the campus hits the road for
4
regional events featuring UC San Diego's nontraditional thinking: using virtual reality to expedite drug discovery, surfing to understand the human microbiome, and more.
A generous gift from Steve and Paula Mae Schwartz, including more than
80
boxes of renowned psychological anthropologist and UC San Diego Professor Emeritus Theodore Schwartz's papers, created the Schwartz Library Collection Endowment for Melanesian/Anthropology Studies.
7M
nautical miles sailed by Scripps scientists since Scripps Insitution of Oceanography's founding more than 100 years ago.
The Center for Networked Systems established the Alan Turing Memorial Scholarship to nurture a more diverse community in computer science education and research.
UC San Diego names a leading-edge science building Tata Hall for the Sciences in recognition of a
$70M
gift from the Tata Trusts to create the binational Tata Institute for Genetics and Society.
With generous support from alumnus Joseph Edelman '78, UC San Diego launched the
first
of its kind in the University of California System Advancing College Mental Health program — a two-year pilot to help undergraduates interested in mental health professions obtain hands-on experience.
Thanks to a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UC San Diego is collaborating with the San Diego Math Network and
4
regional school districts to address outcomes in math achievement from middle to graduate school through a symposium and mini grants.
To accelerate research to prevent blindness, the Downtown San Diego Lions Club Welfare Foundation made its largest gift to a single project — the Downtown San Diego Lions Club BioBank for Vision.
In 2017, UC San Diego graduated its
class of Chancellor's Associates Scholars — designed to provide local admitted, high-schieving students from low-income families with the opportunity to attend UC San Diego tuition- and debt-free.
Thanks to endowed support from David Gubser, the new LGBT Undergraduate Scholarship Program will increase access to higher education for the LGBTQIA+ community.
After an immunotherapy clinical trial at Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health helped him overcome tongue cancer, Poison drummer Rikki Rockett launched a text2give campaign that raised
funds for cancer immunotherapy research, clinical trials and patient care at Moores Cancer Center.
To meet the evolving needs of library users, Retired University Librarian Brian Schottlaender pledged to advance the Geisel Library Revitalization Initiative and support the Archive for New Poetry.
In honor of alumna Joyce Cutler-Shaw's support for the UC San Diego Library — including her gift to establish the Joyce Cutler-Shaw Archive documenting her work as the
first
American artist-in-resident at a university medical school — she received the UC San Diego Library's Geisel Citation Award for Library Philanthropy.
The Martha Longenecker Roth Distinguished Artist-in-Residence Endowment was created in honor of the founder of the Mingei International Museum to recruit talented artists to UC San Diego.
Jennifer and Jimmy Anklesaria fund UC San Diego Rady School of Management's
first
endowed presidential chair, the Jimmy Anklesaria Presidential Chair in Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
A grant from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute empowered a collaborative team from
supported brian injury studies and education.