Philanthropy comes full circle for UC Davis law professor
With the first Employee Giving Month at the University of California, Davis, running from April 2 to April 30, the spotlight is on the School of Law, which leads the university in faculty giving. It’s a point of pride for the School that all faculty give back to UC Davis.
Professor of Law Peter Lee has seen firsthand the benefit of philanthropy. He has received numerous philanthropically-funded awards for his work in intellectual property law, focusing on patent law and university-industry technology transfer. He also was a recipient of a $25,000 Chancellor’s Fellowship award from the UC Davis Annual Fund in 2012. The award honors outstanding early-career faculty by providing them with unrestricted funds they can use to further their research.
“In an era of declining state support for public education, philanthropy is important to the research and teaching mission of the university. I’ve been an individual beneficiary, along with many other faculty, and we understand just how critical giving is,” Lee said. “If people in California and around the world want to maintain a world class education, and benefit from the research we offer, private philanthropy has to play a significant role.”
Seeing the impact of philanthropy on students and faculty as well
as his own research, Lee was moved to become an even more dedicated supporter of UC Davis. He has supported student scholarships and the King Hall Annual Fund for 12 years.
“At UC Davis School of Law, we pride ourselves on being a public law school committed to accessible education. Much like other units at the university, our mission is dependent on scholarships, fellowships and other forms of financial aid and research support,” Lee said. “Philanthropy is critically important to opening the doors for education to students who otherwise would not be able to pursue it.”
