A message from the chancellor

Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi

Dear Friends of UC Davis,

UC Davis is a university on the move. We are setting new standards for academic achievement, and reaching new heights of excellence in all that we do.

Our momentum comes from more than 100 years of achievement and service to society, a history that includes advancing sustainable agriculture, improving trauma care, protecting wildlife around the world, and reviving Native American languages. It comes from our faculty, staff, students and alumni, who are shaping our future on a daily basis.

And our momentum comes from our great legacy as a land grant university and from our vision for our future — a vision to build a healthier, more sustainable future, to catalyze innovation, to address pressing global problems, to foster economic development, to teach and discover with great distinction.

You, our supporters, help keep UC Davis moving forward, advancing to ever-greater heights of excellence. With the help of your contributions, our faculty and staff are conducting research that improves lives and advances our understanding of our world — mapping the entire visible night sky, turning food waste into energy that can fuel our homes, and restoring sight for people with damaged corneas. Across the university, our faculty, staff and students are collaborating with our partners to address the pressing problems that communities are facing on a local and global level. Our students are realizing their full potential as they pursue their dreams — and private support helps us ensure that a UC Davis education remains accessible to all qualified students. Over the last five years, the number of UC Davis students eligible for Pell grants has been on the rise — an indication of the increasing need for financial assistance among our students.

Our vision is ambitious. And while we receive important core funding from the state, we must seek out additional sources of support if we are to achieve our ambitious goals for our university and our world.

And so, The Campaign for UC Davis is a fittingly ambitious initiative. By reaching out to our friends around the world, we aim to raise $1 billion from more than 100,000 supporters. UC Davis appreciates and benefits from the private contributions made by all our supporters—including faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents, patients, foundations, corporations, and other organizations. With the help of our donors, the campaign is strengthening UC Davis’ ability to achieve its vision — by helping the most promising students to learn and discover here, and by supporting our faculty and staff as they discover, innovate, teach, care for patients, and serve the public.

UC Davis would not be the university it is today without the many donors who have made philanthropic investments in our work. The Campaign for UC Davis is an opportunity to shape what our university will be tomorrow, and sustain the high caliber of teaching, research and public service that is our foundation. It is an opportunity to strengthen UC Davis’ ability to promote economic development in the state and the region, and to advance quality of life for all.

On behalf of the entire university, I thank you for your support, and invite you to help UC Davis improve the world through The Campaign for UC Davis.

Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi