Volume 30 · Number 3 · Spring 2013
The Campaign for UC Davis: Cultivating Central Valley talent
The Central Valley — one of the world’s most productive agricultural regions — is falling short on one crop that business leaders say is critical to the future of California agriculture: university graduates.
Central Valley business
and agricultural leader Chuck Nichols
(Tomas Ovalle photo)
The valley, which stretches 450 miles from Bakersfield to Redding, grows more than 230 crops, produces 20–25 percent of the nation’s food supply and generates 62 percent of California’s $38 billion per year agricultural economy. The region is also home to eight of California’s 10 poorest counties and, on average, has the lowest percentage of college graduates in the state. Moreover, business leaders say, local teenagers who do pursue a degree in higher education often do not return to the area after graduation, thus depleting the region’s talent pool.
UC Davis and Central Valley business leaders are working to reverse this brain drain with the Central Valley Scholars Program.
The new program will offer four-year scholarships to eligible students to support their education at UC Davis, as well as internships tailored to give them hands-on learning experiences in agriculture-related fields. It will also encourage civic engagement and community service. The program aims to foster students’ leadership skills and cultivate a commitment to the Central Valley’s future.
Participating businesses, in addition to supporting scholarships, will provide mentoring and networking opportunities for students. In return, they will gain access to a cadre of enterprising young people.
Chuck Nichols ’83, ’84, a Hanford business and agriculture leader who recently made a $100,000 gift to the program, said it offers a new tool to help Central Valley agricultural businesses attract talent.
“That’s the thing that makes a business successful. It’s not the soil, it’s not the equipment, it’s not the technology — it’s the people,” said Nichols, who is also president of the Cal Aggie Alumni Association. “The philanthropic element of scholarships and internships are great for the students; but it is also a very good business decision to be a part of this program.”
To learn more about or make a gift to the Central Valley Scholars Program, contact Jon Parro at 530-754-2033 or jparro@ucdavis.edu.
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