Chancellor Howard Gillman and Susan and Henry Samueli enjoy a “virtual fireworks show” celebrating the couple’s gift of a record $200 million to UCI to name the College of Health Sciences and launch a major integrative health initiative. Steve Zylius / UCI

No doubt about it: 2017 is the year UCI went big. A $200 million gift from Henry and Susan Samueli – the seventh-largest private donation ever to a single public university in the U.S. – will transform the College of Health Sciences. The Buck Collection – a stunning trove of 3,200 pieces of California art – was bequeathed to the campus. A conversion begun this year of the central cooling plant will save more than 50 million gallons of drinkable water. The new FRESH Basic Needs Hub, one of the most substantial facilities of its kind in the nation, distributes more than 2 tons of edibles per week to UCI students fighting food insecurity. And The New York Times touted UCI as the “No. 1 university doing the most for the American dream.” As always, it was a good year to be an Anteater. Here are the highlights in numbers.

  1. alt placeholder UCI ranks No. 1 on The New York Times’ annual College Access Index, making it the top U.S. campus “doing the most for the American dream.” Elena Zhukova / UCI
  2. alt placeholder Chancellor Howard Gillman and Susan and Henry Samueli enjoy a “virtual fireworks show” celebrating the couple’s gift of a record $200 million to UCI to name the College of Health Sciences and launch a major integrative health initiative. Steve Zylius / UCI
  3. alt placeholder For the eighth consecutive year, UCI makes Sierra magazine's list of the nation's top 10 "Cool Schools" for its commitment to sustainability, which includes planting trees and drought-resistant plants on campus. Steve Chang / UCI
  4. alt placeholder Stephen Barker, dean of the Claire Trevor School of the Arts, explores the Buck Collection, donated to UCI this fall. It's the most extensive private trove of California art in the world. Steve Zylius / UCI
  5. alt placeholder UCI's 57 new faculty members meet with Chancellor Howard Gillman (center) at the Tierney University House. Steve Zylius / UCI
  6. alt placeholder Graduates cheer at a 2017 commencement ceremony. Fifty-four percent of students earning bachelor's degrees this year were the first in their family to attend college. Steve Zylius / UCI
  7. alt placeholder Students tour the FRESH Basic Needs Hub - one of the largest college food pantries in the U.S. - on opening day this fall. The facility distributes more than 2 tons of comestibles every week. Steve Zylius / UCI
  8. alt placeholder The Los Angeles Rams once again held their preseason training camp at UCI, during which time the players consumed 27,562 pounds of food. Steve Zylius / UCI
  9. alt placeholder A conversion begun this year of UCI's central cooling plant - from using potable water to using recycled water - will save more than 50 million gallons of drinkable water annually. Steve Zylius / UCI
200 millionAmount in dollars donated to UCI by Henry and Susan Samueli to advance the health sciences on campus and create a comprehensive institute for research, training and patient care focused on integrative health
100 millionBlack holes in the Milky Way galaxy, as estimated by the research group of James Bullock, professor of physics & astronomy
50 million+Gallons of drinkable water saved annually by converting the school’s central cooling plant to an environmentally friendly system using recycled water
2 millionPollution-free rides students will take each year as a result of UCI in 2017 becoming the first college campus in the nation to have an all-electric bus fleet
430,000Measurements made by sensors every five seconds in UCI buildings to gauge energy use, indoor air quality and system performance, reducing campuswide energy use by more than 50 percent
105,494“Likes” of the @UCIrvine Facebook page, 8,000 more than at the same time last year
55,500Followers of #UCIrvine on Twitter, an increase of 13,000 over last year
27,562Weight in pounds of food eaten by Los Angeles Rams players during their August training camp on campus
4,500Pounds of food given away weekly to an average of 400 students by the FRESH Basic Needs Hub – one of the largest facilities of its kind on a U.S. campus – launched this fall
3,200Number of pieces donated to UCI in the Buck Collection, the most extensive private trove of California art in the world
65Percent of UCI employees who commuted to work sustainably through walking, biking, electric vehicles, car pools, van pools, trains, shuttles or buses, according to a 2017 survey
57New faculty members for the 2017-18 academic year
54Percent of bachelor’s degrees (4,880) awarded to first-generation college students
25.7Percent of undergraduates who identified themselves as Latino (qualifying UCI for Hispanic-serving institution status for 2017-18)
9UCI’s ranking on U.S. News & World Report’s list of best public colleges, released in September
8Years in a row UCI has been ranked a top 10 “Cool School” by Sierra magazine
4Starbucks locations on campus
1Ranking on The New York Times’ annual College Access Index, making UCI the top U.S. campus “doing the most for the American dream”