Volume 28 · Number 2 · Winter 2011
Campaign: Gifts that support our vision
The Cal Aggie Marching Band-uh helps celebrate the campaign kickoff.
The work of all of UC Davis’ colleges, schools, units and programs is being strengthened by gifts made during the campaign. The examples below highlight just some of the ways campaign contributions are making a difference.
Training future scientists
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) awarded UC Davis a $1.2 million science education grant in 2010 to support a new program that will provide structured laboratory research opportunities to disadvantaged and underrepresented students transferring to UC Davis from community college. That new program, called Facilitating Student Research Access (FASTRAC) will build on the success of UC Davis’ Biology Undergraduate Scholars Program (BUSP), which provides lab research experiences and mentoring to underrepresented students. The BUSP program was awarded a $1.8 million grant from HHMI in 2006. To date, HHMI has contributed close to $8 million in science education grants to UC Davis.
Top chemists
Fred ’64, Ph.D., ’67, and Mary Jane Corson recently made a $100,000 gift to the Corson/Dow Graduate Fellowship in Chemistry, which supports high-achieving chemistry graduate students. Since establishing the fellowship in 1998, the couple has generously contributed nearly $250,000 to the fellowship fund, which has supported 12 graduate students so far. The Corsons also have made generous unrestricted gifts to the Annual Fund and the College of Letters and Science.
Improving teaching
Dolly and David Fiddyment contributed more than $1 million to establish the Dolly and David Fiddyment Chair in Teacher Education in the School of Education. The chair — one of just a few of its kind in the nation — is currently held by Professor Chris Faltis. With the endowed position, Faltis leads a program that prepares student teachers to enlist their students as active partners in their own learning. The Fiddyments also are major supporters of arts education and the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.
Aggie Pride
Paul ’79 and Nancy ’78 Sallaberry pledged $350,000 in 2007 toward the first phase of construction of Aggie Stadium — augmenting their earlier contribution of $250,000 for the sports facility. The Sallaberrys are deeply connected to the athletics program, having competed as student athletes while attending UC Davis. The Sallaberrys chose to have the expression “Aggie Pride” installed on the stadium press box.
Western history
The estate of Michael and Margaret B. Harrison donated to the UC Davis General Library a collection of more than 21,000 volumes relating to the history of the Trans-Mississippi West — including rare books, pamphlets, maps and other printed items — valued at more than $3.4 million. The collection also contains Western art, Native American crafts, bronze sculptures and memorabilia. Collected throughout an 80-year-plus period, the Michael and Margaret B. Harrison Western Research Center Collection is one of the finest Western Americana collections ever built by private individuals and is considered by many to be priceless in its value to scholars and aficionados.
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