Successful conclusion of the Brilliant Future campaign

On October 4, UC Irvine celebrated two historic milestones – the 60^th anniversary of our founding and the conclusion of the Brilliant Future philanthropic fundraising campaign. For six decades this university has helped our state’s best and brightest students achieve their potential and has been an anchor institution driving the advancement of Orange County as one of the great entrepreneurial regions of the world.

The tremendous outpouring of support from across the entire region for the Brilliant Future campaign shows how much the work we do is valued. I’m delighted to share with you that we raised more than $2.4 billion in new funding and engaged more than 93,000 alumni, surpassing our monetary goal by 20 percent and our engagement goal by almost 25 percent. Read more about the campaign’s success. An astonishing 84 percent of gifts came from first-time donors, reflecting how much friends and neighbors in our communities recognize the importance of helping this world-class public research university continue to educate students to their potential and talent and to pursue building a better society, a better world.

Thanks to the campaign’s success, we have accelerated research that opens new frontiers of knowledge, launching new institutes dedicated to interdisciplinary collaboration and relentless innovation, recruiting top talent and establishing more than 50 endowed chairs. Donors have contributed more than $1.7 billion to support research and departmental initiatives—a truly visionary investment in the ideas our world so urgently needs.

We have revolutionized healthcare and wellness. A major milestone in this journey was the creation of the Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences, made possible by a $200 million gift from the Samuelis, the largest gift in our history. The four schools in the college, together with the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute and the new Falling Leaves Foundation Medical Innovation Building, are spearheading life-saving research and educating tomorrow’s physicians, nurses and healthcare professionals to practice patient-centered medicine, with deep expertise, curiosity and heart.

Our patient care network has completely transformed. We have made UC Irvine a critical healthcare hub in our region, including the Joe C. Wen & Family Center for Advanced Care, the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and very soon, our new acute care hospital. By the end of 2026, UCI Health will have become the largest provider in Orange County and one of the largest health systems in California. It’s no surprise that, taken together, investments in healthcare and health education during this campaign surpassed $1 billion—a transformative step forward in the future of human health.

We have made the future brighter by giving more students the opportunity to become Anteaters and to pursue their American dreams. UC Irvine has earned national recognition as one of the best value public universities in the United States. We know that brilliant futures are only possible when our brightest minds have the chance to shine. We believe that talent and hard work, not financial barriers, should determine a student’s future.

And finally, together, we have nurtured dialogue, creativity and understanding about what it means to be human. At a moment when our world urgently needs more deeply informed and culturally engaged leaders, we’ve advanced global and cultural understanding with new endowed chairs in areas as wide as Jain studies, Zoroastrian studies, and the art history and archaeology of ancient Iran. The Center for Critical Korean Studies has earned an international reputation as an interdisciplinary powerhouse that attracts academics, guests and funding from around the world. It is a hub not just for the university’s Korean community but for anyone with an interest in Korean culture. Fellowships like the Kugelman Fellowship in conflict resolution and peacebuilding empower students to explore pathways to peace and diplomacy, preparing them to address complex global challenges.

On behalf of a grateful university, I thank Brian Hervey, vice chancellor for advancement and alumni affairs, and the entire advancement team across our schools and units for their hard work and dedication. Thanks to them, we are able to pursue our noble mission of education, research, and public service with renewed vigor.

The success of the Brilliant Future campaign is a powerful reminder that when a community comes together with a shared vision, anything is possible. Our donors are not just supporters – they are partners in progress. Their generosity has transformed UC Irvine and our community and will continue to shape lives, advance knowledge and serve society for generations to come.