Sandy Weill, the billionaire banker and former CEO of Citigroup, has focused much of his efforts on philanthropy since leaving the bank two decades ago. His most recent donation, a $120 million gift to the veterinary school at the University of California, Davis—the largest ever for veterinary medicine—hits especially close to home. Weill and his wife, Joan, were inspired to support the school after it took care of their bichon frisé, Angel, who died in 2018. They’ve since gotten another dog, Sweet Pea, of the same breed.
“Angel’s care at UC Davis left a lasting impression on our family,” said Joan Weill in a statement. “As Sandy and I became more involved with the school over the years, we have been continually inspired by its leadership, dedication to team science, pursuit of solving complex health challenges, and its unwavering commitment to animals and the families who love them.”
To honor Weill’s generosity, UC Davis will rename its school the UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine. In addition to supporting expansion and training initiatives, funds will be earmarked for comparative medicine, which studies health and disease across species, and research into conditions that affect both animals and humans, such as cancer, neurological disorders and cardiovascular disease.
Roughly $80 million of the Weills’ donation will go toward the construction of a new animal teaching hospital as part of the school’s $750 million plan to strengthen and grow its veterinary campus. The new facility will enable the school to care for an additional 20,000 animals annually and take part in cutting-edge research, A.I. integration and precision medicine.
By bolstering facilities and infrastructure, the couple’s support is also expected to help address a dire shortage of veterinarians in the U.S. A projected 70,000 new veterinarians will be needed by 2032, but the country is currently only on track to meet 76 percent of that need, according to a study from the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges. UC Davis, as part of its campus-wide expansion, aims to grow enrollment in its Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program from 600 to 800 and increase the number of trained specialists from 140 to 190.
The remainder of the donation will be used to enhance research opportunities. A key initiative is enabling faculty to pursue high-impact ideas not supported by traditional funding, as well as backing early-stage discovery projects.
The Weills aren’t the only philanthropists eager to support veterinary medicine. Some of the largest gifts in the field include a $100 million donation from businessman Ted Powell to upgrade veterinary school facilities and a $50 million grant to Oregon State University’s veterinary college from alumnus Gary Carlson.
Sandy, who currently has an estimated net worth of $1 billion, and his wife have donated more than $1.5 billion in total to institutions across education, medicine and culture. Notable gifts include $106 million to launch a neurological disease initiative across institutions like UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley, and $50 million to establish a collaborative cancer research hub. Their recent gift to UC Davis brings their total giving to the UC system to more than $500 million.
“UC Davis is home to one of the world’s most outstanding veterinary schools and many of the brightest minds in animal and human medicine,” said Sandy in a statement. “We are proud to support an institution where groundbreaking research and compassionate care are prioritized together, and where discovery benefits both animal and human health.”
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