Thank you for contributing to the community by providing your feedback on the 2025 conference. Presentation materials are below.
2025 Conference Presentation and Discussion Materials
Session 2: Building Big: The Vision Behind the California Institute for Immunology & Immunotherapy
Speakers: Dr. Gary Michelson and Dr. Eric Esrailian (CIII)
Moderator: Lindsey Williams (UCLA)
CIII co-founders Dr. Gary Michelson and Dr. Eric Esrailian shared the vision, strategy, and multi-year effort behind this bold public-private partnership that positions California at the forefront of global immunological research and innovation. Moderated by Lindsey Williams, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences Development at UCLA, the discussion highlighted key lessons in institutional alignment, coalition-building, and unlocking support to fuel breakthrough science.
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Session 3: International Case Study – Structuring High Impact Gifts in Australia
Speakers: Claudia Rowe (University of Sydney) and Kyle Polite (UNSW Sydney)
Facilitator: Leti Light (UCSF)
This was an opportunity to learn the origin stories of two notable gifts in support of STEM at the University of Sydney and women’s health at UNSW Sydney. Aligning with the SIGAP Strategic Initiatives framework, Leti engaged Claudia Rowe (University of Sydney) and Kyle Polite (UNSW Sydney) in a conversation to gain a practical understanding of the key elements for structuring high-impact strategic gifts, including leadership, financial models, governance, and more.
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Session 3 Video on the Ainsworth Endometriosis Research Institute
Session 3 Video on the Khuda Initiative
Session 5: Managing Through Influence: The SI Framework in Practice
Facilitators: Vidusha Devasthali (U of Oregon), Nelly Khidekel (Caltech), Christopher Haight (Stanford), Katie Donworth (Purdue)
This interactive session focused on common challenges and best practices in managing strategic initiatives without a direct reporting line. Topics included managing university leadership, faculty engagement, storytelling, budgeting, fundraising, and more.
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(Session notes coming soon)
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Session 6: Capital as a Cornerstone: UC San Diego’s Investment in Innovation
Speakers: Dean Albert Pisano, Adrienne Bolli and James Vermillion (UCSD)
Moderator: Rebecca Tseng Smith (UCSD)
During its most recent comprehensive campaign, UC San Diego leadership identified a strategic opportunity to expand its engineering and applied research enterprise. A key pillar of this effort was the creation of Franklin Antonio Hall – a multidisciplinary hub designed to foster cross-campus collaboration, support rotating research teams through competitive application for space, and strengthen partnerships both within and beyond the university. This case study explored how leadership, vision, and capital investment converged in new ways to bring the project to life.
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Optional Early Bird Breakfast Briefing: The Penn State Story
Speaker: Eric Reinhard (Penn State)
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Eric Reinhard of Penn State shared how an accomplished (but non-Ivy) research university, without a culture of large-scale initiatives, successfully secured a $23.5M gift of property and endowment from the Fuller family. Drawing on strategies learned through SIGAP Strategic Initiatives Conferences, this story demonstrated how persistence, strategic storytelling, and a clear articulation of institutional promise can unlock transformational support and galvanize campus leadership.
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Session 7: SIs as Strategic Campaign Pillars: A Tale of Two Computes
Speakers: Michael Braughton (Purdue), Katie Donworth (Purdue), Randi Mejia (Vanderbilt), Don Snyder (Vanderbilt)
Moderator: Jason Solle (UCSF)
We heard how Vanderbilt and Purdue each took distinct approaches to identifying key strategic initiatives, integrating them into their campaign priorities, and launching them with transformative leadership gifts.
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