Director of Teacher Education Makes Lead Faculty Gift to Power of 10 Scholarship Fund

As part of a special effort to raise scholarship funds for students through its Power of 10 Scholarship Fund, the School’s Director of Teacher Education, Christian Faltis, and his wife Annie, have stepped up to support the fund. Professor Faltis holds the Dolly and David Fiddyment Chair in Teacher Education, one of only a handful of endowed chairs in teacher education in the nation. Below Faltis talks about why he gives to the fund and the inspiration he has taken from David and Dolly Fiddyment’s generosity.

1. Why do you give to the Power of 10 Fund?

I am so grateful to be at UC Davis in the School of Education and especially to represent Dolly and David Fiddyment, who have given so much to the School. Dolly and David have inspired me in many ways, one of which is the power of giving.  Annie and I live in a modest home, but we live abundant lives, and we believe in the power of education to affect the lives of the coming generations of children and youth.  We decided to give to the Power of 10 Fund because the School of Education has done so much for the region in terms of preparing top notch, knowledgeable, and caring teachers. I know first-hand that many students in our credential programs struggle financially, and they work tirelessly to become well-prepared teachers of children and youth. Giving to the Power of 10 is an action that advocates for teachers and education, in general.

2. What would you say to someone considering a gift to the fund?

There are many ways to give support to causes, and education is one of the most important ones for the nation. Giving to the School of Education means supporting the teachers and educators who dedicate their personal and professional lives to ensuring that children and youth learn from highly prepared teachers. Giving to the Power of 10 contributes to the education of teachers and educators who, in these challenging financial times, need extra support.

3. What are your hopes and aspirations for what we can accomplish with this fund?

I hope that the Power of 10 Fund will provide extra funding to support our students in credential and other graduate programs. I would also like to see a portion of the funds go toward developing a Center for the Educational Policy and Practices for California’s Diverse Communities, to harness research that impacts the development of successful primary and secondary schools and teachers across the state. The School has expertise in educational policy, assessment, language and literacy, ethnography, autism, STEM, and teacher education. Let’s find a way to pull these interests together under one powerful center to generate new research and practices.