School Receives Gift for Endowed Chair in Teacher Education
Thanks to the generosity of a $1.09 million gift to the School of Education, UC Davis will enhance its leadership position in preparing the next generation of teachers.
Eager to raise the profile of teachers and strengthen the training they receive, Dolly and David Fiddyment, of Roseville, California, have established the School’s first endowed chair, one of only a handful of academic chairs nationwide that are focused on teacher education.
This generous gift is a milestone in our growth and signals the importance of teachers and teacher education to all of us. We are honored to have the Fiddyments as partners in our mission to strengthen teaching and learning for all. -Dean Harold Levine
Dolly and David Fiddyment are looking to make a difference—today and well into the future. For these dedicated parents and community leaders, there is no greater cause than the education of children.
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The Fiddyments believe a child’s route to a great education depends on having great teachers along the way. They believe that supporting the School’s efforts to prepare innovative and well-prepared teachers is the best investment they could make in the future of education.
“Teachers are tremendous role models, but they need the right training and tools to work effectively with children,” said Dolly. “We believe strongly in Dean Levine’s vision for making UC Davis a premier teacher education school.”
The Fiddyments were also inspired to invest in School after visiting the classroom of one of its graduates—Dawn Imamoto, a second grade teacher in West Sacramento, and one of California’s Teachers of the Year in 2004. “Dawn embodies the kind of teacher we’d like every child to have,” said Dolly.
The Fiddyments, already major supporters of arts education and the Mondavi Center at UC Davis, have a long and rich history in education. David’s great-grandmother built and taught at one of the first schools in the Roseville area in the 1880’s. Both of their mothers taught in the early 1900’s. Dolly received her training as a teacher at UCLA in the 1940’s and taught elementary school in the San Juan Unified School District for 25 years, retiring in 1981.
David is an inventor, farmer and problem solver by trade, helping shape the pistachio industry in California. During the last 30 years, he has also served on various community, business and school boards, including the Mondavi Center’s board of advisors.
“It is such a joy for us to be able to stand up and take a position on something of such importance,” said David. “With this gift, we are hoping to make a difference in the education of children everywhere.”
This gift, the largest private donation made to the School to date, will strengthen the School’s ability to attract a nationally recognized scholar to lead the teacher education program and will help UC Davis inspire additional support for students interested in teaching.
Working to strengthen schools has a long history at UC Davis, dating back to the first teacher-training program held on the University Farm in 1918. With the official founding of the School of Education just four years ago, the University revitalized its commitment to preparing the best and brightest teachers to serve all of California’s learners.
According to Dean Harold Levine, the Dolly and David Fiddyment Chair in Teacher Education will not only invigorate the School’s relationships with schools regionally, but also will raise awareness nationally about the importance of teacher preparation.
“This chair will further position UC Davis as a leader in teacher education and provide us with the resources to help shape best practices nationwide,” said Levine.
Spring 2006