Record $120 million gift leads to new name for UC Davis veterinary school
A record-breaking gift will result in a new name for a top-ranked University of California, Davis, school.
The Weill Family Foundation has donated $120 million to the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, the university said in a Wednesday news release.
The school will now be known as the University of California, Davis, Joan and Sanford I. Weill School of Veterinary Medicine — or the UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine.
It’s one of the largest gifts in the university’s history.
“UC Davis is home to one of the world’s most outstanding veterinary schools and many of the brightest minds in animal and human medicine,” said Sanford “Sandy” I. Weill, a long-serving member of the UC Davis Chancellor’s Board of Advisors. “We are proud to support an institution where groundbreaking research and compassionate care are prioritized together, and where discovery benefits both animal and human health.”
UC Davis said in a statement $80 million of the donation will go to build a new small animal teaching hospital. The school said it expects the new facility will:
- Care for up to 20,000 additional animals across an array of specialties;
- Offer cutting-edge research and clinical trials, advancing treatments that benefit both animals and humans; and
- Integrate artificial intelligence and precision medicine, unlock new possibilities in diagnostics, treatment planning and patient outcomes.
The remaining $40 million will go to clinical research.
This story was originally published January 28, 2026 at 2:25 PM.