Giving

Redefining 21st Century Education

The UCI School of Education is focused on advancing educational sciences and improving educational opportunities and outcomes for all individuals across the entire lifespan. Our research, community partnerships and programming are dedicated to producing innovative scholarship, addressing the needs of local schools, and inspiring future generations of educators. We are reimagining how a school of education can, and should, serve its students, campus and community. We invite you to support our bold vision – together we can ensure that students from all backgrounds achieve the American dream.

To learn more, view our case statement and our campaign priorities.

MESSAGE FROM SANDI JACKSON
Chair, UCI School of Education Brilliant Future Campaign

Sandi Jackson

The field of education is on the brink of an exciting new era fueled by data-driven, technological breakthroughs that are transforming both the ways we teach and how students learn. Our faculty, students, and alumni are dedicated to redefining 21st century education through rigorous research, model academic programs, teacher professional development and partnerships with local schools.

In California, high-quality public education is a proven pathway to opportunity and social mobility. As the No. 1 university doing the most for the American dream, UCI’s student body looks like few others and their diverse perspectives form a unique foundation for every aspect of teaching and discovery.

By joining together, university researchers, practicing educators, business leaders and philanthropists, we have an opportunity to position Orange County as a national model for 21st century education.

We must rally behind the UCI effort by supporting research, sponsoring school partnerships, endowing scholarships for promising teachers and promoting international collaboration. With your help, we will begin the next chapter in the life of an education school with unparalleled opportunity to effect change in Orange County and beyond.

- Sandi Jackson
Trustee, UCI Foundation
Co-Founder, Samueli Academy
Chair, UCI School of Education Brilliant Future Campaign

In our ongoing commitment to give the world a Brilliant Future, the University of California, Irvine has launched the largest philanthropic and alumni engagement endeavor in the history of Orange County — a campaign to raise $2 billion.

With your generous support, together we will create a brighter tomorrow for our students, our community, and the world. A gift to the UCI School of Education supports the university's Brilliant Future campaign.

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Donor Spotlight

Aunt Mabel Looney Endowed Fund for Teacher Education

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She was completely unselfish. She worked very hard to give me, and many others, an education. She knew that education was the ticket out of poverty.

- Jim Looney

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Faces of Philanthropy

Stacey Nicholas

Dr. Arnold and Esther Gutierrez

Deborah Vandell Endowment

William F. and Pat Podlich

The Ueberroth Family Foundation

SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union

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UCI's School of Education is changing the landscape for public education across Orange County. I am especially interested in the impact that OCEAN will have on traditionally underserved student populations.

Stacey Nicholas
UCI Trustee

UCI Trustee
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Company

Al Mijares

Superintendent
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Orange County Department of Education

The UCI School of Education is a true partner to our schools, engaging in meaningful research and evidence-based practices that advance our understanding of teaching and learning while promoting equity and opportunity for all students.

Al Mijares

Superintendent
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Orange County Department of Education

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The UCI School of Education is doing tremendous work in our community. Their support of local schools in Orange County, including helping to develop teachers, is nothing short of remarkable.

Anthony Saba

Executive Director
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Samueli Academy

CAMPAIGN PRIORITIES

Partnering with Local Schools

Our faculty and doctoral students are committed to partnering with local schools on high-quality research, teacher professional development, college readiness and program design essential to driving educational improvement in our diverse community. Programs include the Center for Educational Partnerships (CFEP), the Orange County Educational Advancement Network (OCEAN), the UCI Teacher Academy, and many more.

The Value of College and Workforce Development

As a 21st century school of education, we are focused on improving the educational outcomes of all UCI undergraduates by working with partners both in the California Community College system and across the nation. Our school is serving as a pilot demonstration site to develop and implement a state-of-the-art measurement project that improves our understanding of undergraduate educational experiences and promotes evidence-based models of undergraduate student success. Universities across the nation will be able to utilize the findings and tools generated from our research, so they too can assess the undergraduate experience on their own campus.

Advancing Educational Data Science

The School of Education is partnering with school districts and community colleges to establish an integrated longitudinal data archive to track student progress from K12 to college and into the labor market. This new center will become a hub for research-based approaches to transforming education in California and beyond.

Scholarships for Promising Teachers

Scholarships help ease the financial burden for aspiring teacher candidates, many of whom make financial sacrifices and difficult life choices in order to fulfill their commitment to serving and improving the lives of young people. Our MAT + Credential program, a paragon in teacher preparation, is home to more than 100 students every year. With your support, these future teachers can enter the workforce with zero or reduced debt and begin their careers as educators, mentors, and leaders of future generations.

FUNDING DESIGNATIONS

K12 Community Partnerships

Our campus is located in the heart of Orange County, the nation’s sixth most populous county. Surrounding us is a diverse K12 student population and dozens of school districts whose goals and demands are rapidly evolving. Through strategic partnerships, the School of Education is working with local schools to create tangible improvements for our county’s students and teachers. By supporting these partnerships, you’re helping K12 students of all backgrounds achieve the American dream.

center for educational partnerships (cfep)

The Center for Educational Partnerships (CFEP) is a robust center in the School of Education that creates collaborations to support preparation for, and success in, higher education. Through a multitude of programs, the CFEP helps local K-12 students, community college students looking to transfer, and UCI undergraduates of all disciplines. In 2019, CFEP programs impacted more than 14,000 students, 3,200 teachers and 570 schools.

Scholarships for Promising Teachers

Scholarships help ease the financial burden for aspiring teacher candidates, many of whom make financial sacrifices and difficult life choices in order to fulfill their commitment to serving and improving the lives of young people. Our MAT + Credential program, a paragon in teacher preparation, is home to more than 100 students every year. This past year, one-third of our MAT students were the first in their family to attend college. With your support, these future teachers can enter the workforce with zero or reduced debt and begin their careers as educators, mentors, and leaders of future generations.

Deborah Lowe Vandell Endowed Education Fund

Founding Dean Deborah Vandell led the School of Education in its transition from department to school. Through this endowment - which supports doctoral student research - her contributions will continue to live on forever. More information is available he re.

Michael E. Martinez Memorial Fellowship

Named after the late Dr. Michael Martinez, a leading scholar at the UCI School of Education from 1991-2012, this fellowship is given annually to a student who exemplifies superior scholarship, intellectual curiosity, and high levels of professionalism, service and collaboration with fellow students. More information on the fellowship and Dr. Martinez is available here.

CalTeach Math and Science Program

The CalTeach program offers a unique opportunity for UCI undergraduates who major in STEM to complete both a bachelor’s degree and a California teaching credential in four years. Since 2008, more than 1,400 students have taken CalTeach courses at UCI. Today, more than 50 districts and 80 schools are served by UCI CalTeach graduates.

SAGE Scholars

For the past 20 years, the UCI SAGE Scholars Program has led the way in creating upward mobility for high-achieving UCI students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Open to UCI juniors and seniors from all majors, the SAGE Scholars Program provides students with leadership coursework, scholarship funding, tutoring, and mentoring that facilitates successful transitions into career and graduate school. With support from generous donors and alumni, the program has grown in scope and scale each year, while maintaining a 100 percent graduation rate, all-time.

Dean's Excellence Fund for Education

Discretionary fund for school leadership to direct toward areas determined to have greatest need and are most-aligned with school’s strategic priorities.