A letter from Charles Marshall, Director

Dear Friends and Alumni of UCMP,

The annual Big Give, which will take place on Thursday, March 12, is a campus-wide opportunity to celebrate and support what makes Berkeley unique and the premier public university in the world.  Your gifts to the UCMP help contribute to excellence in all facets of the museum: research, collections, education and outreach.

With the 2020 Big Give we ask for your support for:

1. Graduate and undergraduate student training and employment in the museum. The UCMP provides students with training in data science, curation, biology, and geology by directly interacting with the fossil record. Your support will help fund positions for students to continue this tradition.
2. Preserving the Past in support of the Future.  As we approach the UCMP 100^th birthday, our vast collections continue to provide new insights on the history of life.  Your gift will support upgrades in collections care for some of our historic collections made in 19^th century and the early years of UCMP, ensuring the collections are conserved and accessible for the next century of scientists.
3.  Building Bridges to Aspiring Bears.  Through a new outreach partnership with diverse two-year colleges in the Bay Area, UCMP brings community college classes to campus as part of their regular courses.  In addition to giving access to unique UCMP resources, we are showing community college students that Cal is a strong possibility for them. Your gift will make it possible for more two-year college classes to visit and support the graduate students who teach the on-campus sessions.

From the smallest gift to the largest, your generosity to UCMP has the power to transform a student’s experience at Cal, enhance the quality of our fossil collections, and make a broader and more impactful influence on our community partners.

Thank you and please consider a contribution in the form of a gift, a social share, or both during the Big Give in support of UCMP research, collections, and education!

Sincerely,
Charles Marshall, Director