Double up for UC Davis

When William “Bill” Monroe M.S. ’64 responded to an email from the Aggie Student Challenge to Double Up for UC Davis, he didn’t realize that his gift would be the one to tip the scale. In May and June, UC Davis students challenged alumni and parents to double the $100,000 students raised from other students to support campus student philanthropy programs through ASUCD and We Are Aggie Pride. What Monroe thought was a simple donation to the Geology Graduate Student support fund, actually helped alumni and parents exceed the Challenge goal to raise $200,000 in just eight weeks.

When asked how he felt about being the donor who helped eclipse the fundraising goal, Monroe responded, “That’s super, and I’m glad it worked out that way.” He continued, “I wanted to give because two UC Davis professors made a big impact on me—they were important and helped me greatly. When I received the note from the Student Challenge, I was happy to have a chance to do that for someone else.”

Monroe, a Life Member of the Cal Aggie Alumni Association who is now retired, attributes the success of his 45-year career to the experiences he had at UC Davis. One experience in particular that influenced Monroe was a Geology Graduate Program technical session series at which students spoke about and shared ideas with fellow graduate students and professors. “It was an excellent idea because it gave you a chance to present your ideas to people smarter than yourself,” he said, “It was the same kind of experience  you begin to have when you work in large companies where there are many senior executives.”

UC Davis senior and We Are Aggie Pride co-director, Tara Storm, is grateful to all the donors to the Challenge. “I want to thank Bill and the almost 2,000 donors who raised $201,000. I am always thrilled to see our UC Davis community come together to help one another. The kindness of our alumni and parent donors just confirms how truly wonderful it is to be an Aggie!"