Roughly six years into a decade-long fundraising campaign seeking $2 billion for research, student scholarships and other initiatives, UC Irvine announced this week that half of its goal has been met.

The $1 billion in donations raised so far is part of UCI’s Brilliant Future campaign – initiated in 2015 and launched publicly in 2019 – and has “contributed to the construction of new buildings and the creation of more than 140 new scholarships, fellowships and student awards, as well as the establishment of 38 endowed chairs that support pioneering research,” university officials said in a statement.

Donations also helped the school’s health center during the pandemic, providing funding for coronavirus-related equipment, supplies and research.

Despite a difficult year for many, giving continued in 2020. The campaign even saw a bump in donations larger than $1 million last year compared to 2019, university officials said.

Brian Hervey, UCI’s vice chancellor for university advancement, said donations shifted to areas that needed them most, like support for students and medical workers. People gifted masks and meals for hospital workers, as well as money for PPE and COVID-related research, he said.

“As the pandemic started, there certainly were questions about the uncertainty of how people would feel about continuing to give at the same levels, especially since we had just launched a major campaign,” Hervey said. “But we’re very happy to see that not only did people continue to give, but their giving shifted to areas that needed more support.”

Recent large contributions include $10.4 million from Vincent and Amanda Steckler to support art history students and to create a new center that promotes inclusivity in the computing field,  a $5 million gift from UCI Foundation trustee Stacey Nicholas to boost diversity and inclusiveness in STEM, and $2.5 million from Roy T. Eddleman to establish a fellowship for graduate students studying quantum science.

A $2.5 million donation from the John and Mary Tu Foundation in May was used in part to help UCI Health researchers study COVID-related treatments, preventative measures and vaccines, Hervey said.

A lot of the funding raised so far has gone toward adding new facilities at UCI, which bolsters the campaign goal of expanding access to healthcare in the community, Hervey said. The university is building a new hospital and plans to add more health clinics in Irvine.

Among the largest gifts were $200 million from Susan and Henry Samueli, owners of the Anaheim Ducks, that is helping create the university’s College of Health Sciences; $39 million from their Samueli Foundation for the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building; and $40 million from the William and Sue Gross Family Foundation that is establishing the new School of Nursing.

Also among the donations: Two troves of art worth tens of millions of dollars to display at UCI’s new Institute and Museum of California Art.

“Those two collections fulfilled a dream that was actually conceived in the beginning of our campus, that eventually there would be an art museum as a part of UCI,” Hervey said.

The creation of the museum speaks to one of the campaign’s key goals, which is to explore the human experience, he said. Though it’s closed now due to the pandemic, the museum is typically free to the public, and the university is planning a new facility.

Other core objectives of the campaign are to advance the American dream for students, transform healthcare and accelerate research.

The university previously raised $1 billion for its Shaping the Future campaign in 2015.

The alumni-engagement aspect of the current fundraiser sets it apart from prior ones, Hervey said, adding that more than 44,000 UCI grads have been involved so far.

“When we refer to engagement, we’re talking about attending events, serving on boards, being a mentor,” Hervey said. “Mentorship is a big one.”

The ambitious fundraising campaign should also help facilitate long-term growth of the campus, drawing in a bigger student and faculty population and growing the school’s endowment, he said.

“The increased number of academic chairs and scholarships and research funds will help us attract both students and faculty to help grow the campus.”

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