On March 25, UC San Diego officially launched the Campaign for UC San Diego, a $2 billion comprehensive fundraising effort to transform the student experience and the campus, with worldwide impacts. The public launch of the Campaign was celebrated at a technology-rich event at the campus’ RIMAC arena, where guests were awed by a dynamic multimedia experience, showcasing innovation and experimentation, and underscoring the university’s unconventional history.
The Campaign for UC San Diego will help fund three key priorities: enhancing the student experience; enriching our campus community; and sparking research and innovation. With the support of UC San Diego friends, alumni, and parents, the university aims to boost investments in these areas to fuel innovative treatments and solutions to the world’s most pressing problems.
Given the essential role the UC San Diego Library plays in sparking research and innovation at the university, the Library’s campaign priorities are well-aligned with those of the campus. A top priority for the Library and the campus is to raise additional funds to support the Geisel Library Revitalization Initiative (GLRI). Because of the significance of the initiative for student learning and the campus overall, Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla has agreed to match gifts raised up to $1 million, doubling the impact of other contributions. Donations to the GLRI are designated to support renovation or maintenance activities.
“We are seeking support for a multi-million dollar initiative to transform the first, second, and eighth floors in Geisel Library into modern, collaborative, technology-rich spaces that advance the learning and research efforts of our talented students and researchers,” said University Librarian Brian Schottlaender.
The GLRI, launched in 2015 with a leadership gift from Audrey Geisel, will help to update the building’s main floor, including the lobby. The results of the GLRI have already become visible. Last spring, Audrey’s Café, named for the Library’s benefactor, opened in Geisel Library East, ideally situated adjacent to the Overnight Study Commons. Plans are now in full swing to renovate the top floor of Geisel into a flexible modern reading room, which can be reconfigured to serve as a space for special marquee events.
The Library is also seeking philanthropic partners to support needed upgrades and renovations in its other iconic facility—the Biomedical Library Building. Located on the School of Medicine campus, in close proximity to Muir and Revelle Colleges as well as the future trolley station, the facility is well positioned to serve a campus and community population that is expected to grow steadily and sustainably for the next several years. Philanthropic support in the form of endowments will not only provide the necessary ongoing funding to periodically enhance and update interior Library spaces, but will also enable the Library to extend hours of operation to 24 hours a day, five days a week. A leadership gift will name this vital learning facility and provide resources for both the renovation and permanent endowment. The project will result in dramatic improvement in service to our students, ensuring that rising enrollments do not compromise the quality of their education.
“The Library has a bold vision for enhancing each of these two facilities with expanded self-service features, enhanced group and individual study areas, and technology-rich spaces and services to support 21st century knowledge creation, learning, and teaching,” said Schottlaender. “As technology advances, our students need access to the new innovations that will enable them to succeed in their professional futures, including video, recording, and editing equipment; 3-D printers; video-enhanced white boards; and geographical information systems.”
The Library’s campaign goals also include raising essential funds to enrich the Library’s world-class collections, including special collections, which are the primary source materials for a great deal of research.
Giving opportunities are also available to support a variety of Library endowments, including those in support of key library positions, the Undergraduate Library Research Prize, and the popular Holocaust Living History Workshop.
For more information about the Library’s campaign goals and opportunities for giving and engagement, please contact Julie Sully at 858-822-4554 or jsully@ucsd.edu. More information on how to give can also be found at library.ucsd.edu/give.
To learn more about the Campaign for UC San Diego, visit: campaign.ucsd.edu.