$100 million philanthropic grant for the establishment establish the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at the University of California, Davis;

Dear Friends of UC Davis –

On behalf of the University, I wanted to alert to a new development on campus. At a press conference this morning, campus and foundation officials announced a new $100 million philanthropic grant for the establishment of a new School of Nursing on the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. Here are a few additional details regarding this exciting news:

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation has provided $100 million in founding support to establish the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at the University of California, Davis;

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, established in 2000, seeks to advance environmental conservation, scientific research and improve the quality of life in the San Francisco Bay Area. From inception through 2006, the Foundation has awarded nearly $1.3 billion dollars in grants.

The grant will establish a professional nursing school that emphasizes leadership, scientific rigor and multi-disciplinary training. The program will strive to graduate influential nurse leaders, educators and researchers who will make positive, long-term systemic impacts to health care in California and throughout the nation;

This grant – to be allocated over 11 years - is the largest philanthropic grant to UC Davis, and one of the largest in the history of the University of California. It is also the largest philanthropic gift in the nation in support of nursing education;

With necessary approvals, Davis would admit its first masters and doctorate students in the fall of 2008. A BS nursing program is expected to launch in 2010 or 2011. Eventually, the school is expected to house 456 students;

Graduates of the School will serve as educators, researchers and leaders of healthcare teams that advance patient care and safety, prevent and treat disease, and improve access to and quality in an ever-changing and increasingly complex national healthcare system.

The school will include rigorous admissions standards, a curriculum that would be integrated with both UC Davis’ School of Medicine and Graduate School of Management, and residency training for bachelor’s degree candidates.

All degree programs would also incorporate UC Davis’ expertise in public health, telemedicine and health technology (the University continues to actively pursue the creation of a professional School of Public Health, which is progressing through the approval process);

For more information, please visit the UC Davis web site – www.ucdavis.edu – additional information will be available on the homepage.