With goals to raise $2 billion and to meaningfully engage at least 75,000 alumni, Brilliant Future: The Campaign for UCI has made a profound impact on the campus, the UCI Health enterprise, alumni, and the broader community.
This timeline highlights key campaign milestones. Thank you for your help in creating a brilliant future.
Brilliant Future: The Campaign for UCI officially begins with a silent phase and a goal to raise $2 billion, making it the most ambitious fundraising effort in the university’s history.
Sue and Bill Gross commit $40 million to establish the Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing, the fourth nursing school in the prestigious UC system.
The Irvine Museum generously gifts the museum’s remarkable collection of California impressionist paintings to UC Irvine, which kicks off the construction of a new museum.
Julie Hill becomes chair of the UCI Foundation.
UC Irvine’s first-ever Giving Day, a 24-hour online fundraising campaign, exceeds the goal of $1 million, raising $1.4 million to support students, research and innovative programs.
A transformative $30 million gift from the Samueli Foundation will help fund a state-of-the-art interdisciplinary science building for the engineering, computing and physical sciences.
The UCI Anti-Cancer Challenge is established. The Anti-Cancer Challenge brings like-minded people together to fight cancer.
UC Irvine receives a $200 million gift from Susan and Henry Samueli to name the College of Health Sciences and launch a major integrative health initiative.
An exquisite, long-hidden Buck art collection comes to UC Irvine from the trust of Gerald Buck.
The Parent Executive Board forms with UC Irvine undergraduate parents “to provide and facilitate leadership-level philanthropic support and resources for the university, and promote activities that enrich the student experience.”
The Parent Executive Board gives the first Anteater Grant.
The Anteater Network, a flash-mentoring portal for students and alumni, launches. They will network with the leaders of today and mentor the leaders of tomorrow.
In honor of the Beall family’s support, the campus’s entrepreneurial and innovation platform was renamed UCI Beall Applied Innovation.
Brilliant Future: The Campaign for UCI publicly launches as the largest philanthropic campaign in Orange County history.
Our first campuswide undergraduate scholarship match launches in February 2020, providing donor incentive to directly impact student success.
UC Irvine starts construction on the Samueli College of Health Sciences complex that promises to be a national showcase for integrative health patient care, training and research.
The UCI Graduate Division Matching Gift Program launches in October 2020 to incentivize donor investment in new endowments for Ph.D. fellowships.
The Brilliant Future fundraising campaign surpasses $1 billion in gifts, pushing UC Irvine across the halfway mark in its $2 billion philanthropic effort.
Alumnus Vincent Steckler '80 and his wife Amanda Steckler donate $10.4 million to UC Irvine to support art history students as well as the creation of a center committed to making the field of computing more inclusive.
Chao family gifts to UCI Health for cancer care top $50 million.
UC Irvine hosts topping-out ceremony for Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences, a state-of-the-art nine-acre campus that will be a catalyst for care.
Alumni couple Carol and Eugene Choi receive UC Irvine's Extraordinarious award at the 50th Lauds & Laurels event.
Falling Leaves Foundation's $30 million lead gift will fund an innovative UC Irvine medical research building.
UC Irvine breaks ground on new hospital, medical complex in Irvine.
The first phase of the UCI Graduate Division Matching Program concludes in December 2021, generating $7 million in new funds raised across campus for endowed Ph.D. fellowships.
The UCI Institute and Museum of California Art receives a naming gift from Jack and Shanaz Langson.
The campaign reaches 50,000 engaged alumni.
Audrey Steele Burnand estate gifts $57.75 million to UC Irvine to fund the creation of a new campuswide center that will pursue research into the causes and treatment of depression.
The second phase of the UCI Graduate Division Matching Program launches in June 2022 to incentivize donor investment in new endowments and current-use support for Ph.D. and academic master’s graduate student fellowships.
Joe C. Wen and family donate $20 million to support the new UCI Health Center for Advanced Care.
UC Irvine closes its second-highest fundraising year with over $223 million, and the Brilliant Future campaign tops $1.3 billion with more than 86,000 supporters.
UC Irvine alumni Paul and Jo Butterworth pledge $35.5 million to the Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences to support programs fostering ICS student success and achievement.
Irvine Health Foundation's $14 million grant to UC Irvine will establish 7 endowed chairs.
Gary Singer ’74 becomes the first alumnus chair of the UCI Foundation.
