February 29, 2020
Dear alumni, friends, parents, and supporters,
I’m thrilled to share with you that the College of Natural Resources will be renamed the Rausser College of Natural Resources, as of tomorrow, March 1, 2020, in recognition of a landmark gift made by Dr. Gordon Rausser, Robert Gordon Sproul Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics and former dean of the College. Rausser has made a commitment of $50 million. This is the largest donation ever received by the College and the largest naming gift of any academic unit on the campus. It will deepen the capacity of the College’s research, teaching, and public service initiatives to sustain our core excellence and financial strength.
This extraordinary gift will help us maintain our global leadership in generating new knowledge and training the next generation of scientists, social entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, policy makers, and industry experts to tackle our most pressing global challenges.
Professor Emeritus Rausser has spent most of his academic career—more than four decades—at the College of Natural Resources. He is a preeminent agricultural and resource economist whose contributions in academia, government service, business, and public policy have had an incredible impact on California, the nation, and the world. His leadership at Berkeley, including his exemplary service as dean of the College of Natural Resources, has had a critical and transformative effect in sustaining the College’s strength and enabling it to achieve global stature and influence. (Rausser’s brief bio can be found here.)
Gordon is a proud product of California’s public education system. His incredible gift is inspired by his deep commitment to UC Berkeley, the College, and our shared public mission. He believes in the mission of the College and with this gift, has entrusted the College’s future leadership with resources to maintain our public character and remain highly competitive amongst our peer institutions. He hopes this gift will trigger similar acts of support as the campus enters the public phase of a six billion dollar campaign to keep education accessible and science strong, and to advance the public good.
Fulfilling our College’s promise is only possible through the continued engagement of our loyal stakeholders, like you.
On behalf of our community I want to express my deep appreciation to Professor Emeritus Gordon Rausser, and, as always, I welcome your comments and feedback on this exciting moment in the College’s path forward.
With gratitude,
David Ackerly
Dean, Rausser College of Natural Resources