Since our charter class graduated more than 25 years ago, alumni
from the UC Davis Graduate School of Management have been making
their presence known around the world.
Our graduates are CEOs, vice presidents, chief financial
officers, chief operating officers and entrepreneurs. Around the
globe, they have taken prominent roles as international business
leaders in a wide range of industries and organizations.
Graduate School of Management alumni are actively involved in
their communities, and they make time for mentoring, advising and
assisting current students and networking with fellow graduates.
Be True to Your School
In 2000, my final year at the Graduate School of Management, I was lucky to be part of the group of students who founded the GSM Endowment. We had enjoyed our UC Davis MBA experience so much that we wanted to create an opportunity to actively participate in the School’s continued success. I am proud to say that we had 100 percent participation from our graduating class that year, and even prouder to report that every subsequent graduating class has contributed generously to the fund.
In 2002, the School’s part-time students established the Working Professional Endowment, which has also enjoyed amazing growth every year since.
Graduating students are passionate about giving back to the School. It’s a way to say Thank You for what we learned, the perspectives we gained and the friends we made. Today, I’d like to remind you of that passion and encourage you to rekindle it with a gift to the Annual Fund.
The Annual Fund, of which both the GSM Endowment and the Working Professional Endowment are a part, enables projects and programs that are otherwise difficult to fund—things like scholarship programs for deserving students and faculty research projects. The fund can also provide the School with a safeguard in times of need, as when state funding is diminished.
But our endowment funds’ current investment levels are not high enough to support all these special projects and programs.
As a member of the Alumni Association’s board of directors, I am strongly committed to our goal of 15 percent alumni participation in giving this year. I will be making my contribution to the Annual Fund to help the School achieve its goals.
A former classmate, Joncarlo Mark ‘00, shared that he feels confident making contributions to the GSM’s endowments because the UC Davis Foundation (which manages our fund) has a sound investment plan. Please click here to learn more about the foundation.
You benefited in substance and in life experience from your time at the GSM—from the courses that challenged and grew you to the lifelong friends and strong professional network you enjoy today.
I hope you will join me in giving back to your alma mater with a contribution to the GSM Endowment or the Working Professional Endowment. Please help secure and enrich the future of the GSM.
Warm regards,
Jen Pockell-Wilson ‘00
Director, Graduate School of Management Alumni Association