Dear Friends and Colleagues,

On Friday, I announced the launch of UCSF: The Campaign in my annual State of the University address.

I send my thanks to those of you who gathered at Parnassus, Mission Bay, Oakland, and Fresno, as well as those of you who tuned in online. My appreciation also goes to Drs. Hana El-Samad and Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, who joined me to help explain the importance of this comprehensive fundraising campaign to our shared future. If you were unable to attend or watch live, you can watch or read about the event online.

While there were many important topics to cover, the launch of UCSF: The Campaign took center stage. Through this campaign, we will raise $5 billion to attract, retain, and support brilliant faculty members and students and solve the most challenging problems in biology and human health. Thanks to our visionary supporters, we have already raised nearly $3 billion, positioning us more than halfway to our goal.

As much as the campaign focuses on building the University’s endowment, it also helps us raise our voice in a new and vivid way. Together, we must revolutionize health care and improve lives in our communities as well as solve some of the most complex health problems around the world. We are speaking out for the most vulnerable and standing up for the importance of science. By raising our voice through this campaign, we have an unprecedented opportunity and...