The University of California, Davis, is celebrating its most successful fundraising campaign — Expect Greater: From UC Davis, for the World — a multi-year effort that raised over $2.25 billion for student support, health research and care, sustainability, innovation and more.

Gifts to the campaign have empowered first-generation students to achieve their dreams, funded groundbreaking research across disciplines, and expanded resources that contribute to the university’s vibrant culture and academic excellence.

“Expect Greater has proven that when we come together, our community can achieve extraordinary things,” said Shaun B. Keister, vice chancellor for Development and Alumni Relations. “Its success demonstrates the profound trust our donors place in us to educate, innovate and lead. We are immensely grateful for their support and partnership.”

From July 2016 through June 2024, over 133,000 donors worldwide gave $2,255,625,098 in more than 448,000 gifts and pledges to support UC Davis’ efforts to advance solutions to the planet’s most pressing problems and build a brighter future for California and beyond.

UC Davis exceeded its $2 billion campaign goal 10 months ahead of schedule, in August 2023, which is a remarkable achievement considering the campaign launched publicly in 2020 amid a worldwide pandemic that closed schools and exacerbated economic uncertainty.

Legacy of impact

Of the total campaign gifts and pledges, donors gave $822 million — or more than one-third of all funds raised — to support research and identify solutions to society’s most pressing challenges, like food security, health equity and climate change. These funds also bolster UC Davis’ interdisciplinary approach to making transformative discoveries, together.

Other funding highlights:

• $469 million in department and faculty support. This includes over 70 new endowed chairs and professorships, as well as new graduate student fellowships, classroom and laboratory resources, and other funding to support faculty and foster academic growth.
• $323 million in student support. This includes 1,573 new scholarships, funds for student emergencies, basic needs and research opportunities, as well as awards for experiential learning and professional development.
• $267 million for construction and renovation. This includes new, state-of-the-art spaces at UC Davis and UC Davis Health in Sacramento, such as the Edwards Family Athletics Center, Advanced Veterinary Surgery Center, Ernest E. Tschannen Eye Institute Building, Diane Bryant Engineering Student Design Center, and the UC Davis Coffee Center, the nation’s first academic research and teaching facility dedicated entirely to the study of coffee.

Every gift fuels a brighter tomorrow

More than 93% of gifts to UC Davis were $1,000 or less, and with a median gift amount of $25, the Expect Greater campaign demonstrated the collective power of community support and the key role that every donation plays in creating lasting change.

“We are deeply grateful to all who have given so generously throughout this campaign,” said Chancellor Gary S. May. “On behalf of our students, faculty and the entire UC Davis community, thank you for believing in our mission and strengthening our impact at home and around the world.”

From an 11-year-old’s $20 gift to the Bodega Marine Laboratory to grateful patient Ernest E. Tschannen’s $38.5 million commitment to vision science, private support is vital because it drives innovation and accelerates discovery. Thirteen gifts were $10 million or more.

Lynda and Stewart Resnick, co-owners of The Wonderful Company, were the top individual donors with $50 million to the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. The Resnicks’ gift is helping build a world-class agricultural innovation center and funding competitive research grants for projects focused on agricultural sustainability.

UC Davis Foundation Chair Deborah J. Neff ’76 expressed appreciation to the university’s volunteer community for their pivotal role in the campaign’s success.

“We owe our deepest thanks to our incredible volunteers who generously gave their time and energy to support this campaign,” Neff said. “Their leadership and dedication have truly made a difference for UC Davis.”

Record-Breaking Support for the Life Sciences

Neff, who also chaired the College of Biological Sciences’ Campaign Leadership Council, was CBS’ largest alumna donor, contributing $8 million gift to endow a CBS Dean’s Chair and support groundbreaking research at the Center for Neuroscience. Her gift was part of nearly seven thousand contributions the college received throughout the campaign. 

With an initial goal of $75 million, CBS surpassed this milestone with 6,978 gifts from 3,565 donors totaling $84,752,641, exceeding the initial goal by almost $10 million. Of that number, substantial support came from 1,180 new donors to the college. 

Other CBS highlights from the Expect Greater Campaign include:

$1 million from alumni couple Kamaljeet Singh-Khaira ’93 B.S. and ’12 M.S. and Dr. Ravinder Khaira ’90 to support the College of Biological Sciences’ top priorities. In recognition of their gift, the Science Lecture Hall was renamed the Ravinder and Kamaljeet Khaira Lecture Hall and became the first building on the Davis campus named for an alumni couple and to carry an Indian surname.

$2 million bequest from Alys Hay ’75 to create a college-wide endowed chair to advance gender equity in STEM.

$1.5 million from Bryan Cameron ’80, to which the UC Office of the President added $500,000 to establish the C. Bryan Cameron Presidential Chair in Neuroscience to support faculty excellence and advance mental health research that will improve lives.

$1 million deferred gift from Robert D. and A. Kathleen Grey to support the Center for Neuroscience, which Robert played a lead role in founding during his time as the first CBS Dean, and later, as UC Davis Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor. In honor of Grey’s leadership and service, the main building of the Center for Neuroscience was named Robert D. Grey Hall.

$1 million pledge from Aggie sweethearts Charles ’76 and Nancy Cooper ’76 to support undergraduate student research and experiential learning opportunities within CBS.

A momentous final year

The final year of the Expect Greater campaign was the second-best fundraising year in UC Davis history. In fiscal year 2023-24, UC Davis raised over $290 million, or about $55 million more than its annual fundraising goal.

Noteworthy gifts include:

• $20+ million from philanthropist Maria Manetti Shrem to establish the Maria Manetti Shrem Arts Renaissance in the College of Letters and Science, funding programming plus endowed chairs in arts, arts history and sustainable design.
• $8 million estate gift from Victor and Phela Vesci to the UC Davis Children’s Hospital to help create a new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and establish endowments for pediatric intensive care, lung and gastrointestinal programs.
• $4.1 million from more than 4,700 donors on the eighth annual Give Day, “Reaching Greater Heights,” which set a university giving-day record.

To learn more about the historic Expect Greater campaign, visit giving.ucdavis.edu.