Cultivating Aggie Success

Most of us are aware of the tightrope that today’s college students walk as they grapple with rising educational costs while striving to reach successful career paths. But few of us would guess the scope of this challenge — and the numbers are striking.

Here at UC Davis, 45% of our undergraduate students experience food insecurity. About 18% have faced housing insecurity, 5% of whom have experienced explicit homelessness.
 

These statistics aren’t outliers. They reflect the reality on university campuses across the nation. As a result, programs designed to secure access to basic needs like food, housing, financial stability and mental health resources have significant positive impacts on our students’ lives and are now more important than ever.

At the same time, a rapidly evolving career landscape is creating an increasingly competitive post-graduate job market. A degree alone is no longer enough. Today’s graduates need to acquire applied, job-
ready skills before leaving campus to help ensure their success. That’s why it is ever more critical that we offer career readiness programs like paid internships and on-campus jobs that give our students the practical experience needed to unlock job security and increased earnings throughout their professional lives.

Because these challenges are closely linked, we need to respond with solutions that are equally connected. UC Davis has a vision to do just that, integrating basic needs services with career support programs to ensure optimal outcomes for each and every student, regardless of circumstance.

UC Davis is dedicated to student success built on a foundation of stability — a foundation that everyone pursuing higher education deserves. Access to nutritious food, secure housing and meaningful career development programs helps remove the barriers presented by day-to-day challenges so students can keep their focus on charting a path for the future.
 

UC Davis’ student support programs already serve more students than at any other campus in the UC system, reflecting the intentionality, accessibility and impact of these programs. But we can — and must — do more. With increasing costs for necessities and a continually shifting career landscape, expanding basic needs and career development services is more important than ever, for every student.
 

TOMORROW

Imagine yourself as a UC Davis student with significant financial need. When you’re hungry, thanks to the Cultivating Aggie Success initiative, you can go to the new campus grocery store and use your CalFresh benefits to purchase items that will supplement the free hot meal you received at the Aggie Eats Food Truck. Afterward, you stop home for a study break in your furnished apartment provided through the Aggie Compass rehousing program. Refueled and refreshed, you’re excited to report for your new campus job — a paid lab assistant position that’s closely connected to your career interests in the biotech sector. With the experience you’re gaining, together with the professional development courses you’ve taken through the Career Center, you’re confident that you’ll soon be ready to translate the theory and experience from your biology courses and labwork into job-ready skills to apply for a sought-after position at an ag-tech startup after graduation. 

Donor investment can bring this reality to life for our students. With sustained support, we can secure the future of our flagship programs by:

• Moving from one-time grants to consistent funding
• Increasing the number of students served by food security and rapid rehousing offerings
• Expanding internship and student employment opportunities
• Formalizing a comprehensive, cohort-based career preparation program

When every Aggie is equipped for success, every student — and every community they reach — benefits.
 

SERVING MORE STUDENTS

Student Affairs at UC Davis currently offers a robust system of services — from comprehensive career preparation to a student-run, student-led food pantry to a rapid rehousing program.

With donor partnership, Cultivating Aggie Success will provide a coordinated network of support that meets students where they are — offering integrated basic needs and career support programs that are proven to open pathways to increased earnings and higher civic contributions after graduation.
 

Underpinning many of our offerings is the Aggie Compass Basic Needs Center, which connects students with an array of support programs designed around food, housing, financial and mental health support. As we expand our current basic needs offerings, we will reach more students through new initiatives such as a campus grocery store designed around CalFresh benefits. Philanthropy will allow us to increase our impact even further, growing our ability to foster Aggie success through day-to-day needs support and career programs that uncap every student’s potential and serve the entire UC Davis community.

The UC Davis Career Center offers students numerous opportunities to gain vital experience that helps advance their career prospects, including career advising, resume reviews, workshops, internships and paid student positions. Donor support will empower us to take these offerings, expand them and build pathways between them so that every student has access to the full range of resources available to them. Philanthropic partnerships will also enable us to launch a cohort-based career preparedness initiative. Leveraging our existing offerings, this comprehensive program will equip students with professional skills through a guided experience that will help them cultivate the confidence and expertise to enter the workforce on their chosen career paths.
 

A LEADER IN STUDENT SUPPORT INNOVATION

UC Davis is a recognized leader in student support innovation, piloting first-of-its-kind programs like Aggie Eats, a pay-what-you-want food truck. UC Davis’ career readiness and basic needs programs have been piloted and tested through institutional support and one-time state funding. Having demonstrated significant success, we now seek donor partners to help us refine and elevate these programs while sustaining them into the future. Our goal is to build on and expand these proven approaches to create the largest possible impact.

We will achieve this by leveraging an array of impactful assets and programs, including:

• The Aggie Compass Basic Needs Center, offering financial assistance, food security, housing and mental health services, including:
  • Aggie Eats, a food truck designed to increase student access to delicious, nutritious healthy food and other basic needs
  • College-Focused Rapid Rehousing, a program that provides up to nine months of housing assistance
• The ASUCD Pantry, providing food and essentials to UC Davis students and staff
• The UC Davis Career Center, helping students cultivate career skills and connecting them with internships and employment
   

DEFINED BY UC DAVIS, REFINED WITH YOU

UC Davis creates leaders who influence every field and industry. Students who receive needed support are equipped to bring their full selves to their communities, making them stronger. Investing in our students is foundational to creating the world we want to live in. Expanding our capacity to financially support Aggies and prepare them for careers in an evolving professional landscape is ultimately what will empower them to define that future.

Thank you for your engagement, advocacy and support. Volunteer leaders like you are key to the success of our initiative. Your feedback on the Cultivating Aggie Success initiative is invaluable in refining our vision’s appeal to donors. As we begin to promote this initiative broadly, we will look to you to help us raise awareness and engage donor interest in supporting our students. Together, we can redefine the Aggie experience and set every student on a path to success.