As national attention on the "crisis in education" grows, UC Davis will enhance its leadership position in preparing the next generation of teachers thanks to a recent $1.09 million gift to the School of Education.

Eager to raise the profile of teachers and strengthen the training they receive, Dolly and David Fiddyment of Roseville have established the first endowed chair for the 4-year-old school, one of only a handful of academic chairs nationwide that are focused on teacher education.

The Fiddyment gift is the largest private donation made to the School of Education. The Dolly and David Fiddyment Chair in Teacher Education will strengthen the school's ability to attract a nationally recognized scholar to lead the teacher education program, said Dean Harold Levine, and will help UC Davis inspire additional support for students interested in teaching.

"This generous gift is a milestone in our growth and signals the importance of teachers and teacher education to all of us," Levine said. "We are honored to have the Fiddyments as partners in our mission to strengthen teaching and learning for all."

The Fiddyments, already major supporters of arts education and 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 1880s. Both Dolly and David Fiddyment's mothers taught in the early 1900s. Dolly received her training as a teacher at UCLA in the 1940s and taught elementary school in the San Juan Unified School District for 25 years, retiring in 1981.

Role models

"Teachers are tremendous role models, but they need the right training and tools to work effectively with children," said Dolly. "We believe strongly in the dean's vision for making UC Davis a premier teacher education school."

The Fiddyments also were inspired to invest in UC Davis 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.

For the Fiddyments, their gift also is about helping to solve what they see as a major problem in California — a lack of innovative and well-prepared teachers. A UC Davis alumnus, David is an inventor, farmer and problem solver by trade, helping shape the pistachio industry in California. During the last 30 years, he also has served on various community, business and school boards, including Mondavi Center's board of advisers.

"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."

UC Davis has a long history of working to strengthen schools, dating back to the first teacher-training program held on the University Farm in 1918.

With the official founding of the School of Education in 2002, the university revitalized its commitment to preparing the best and brightest teachers to serve all of California's learners.

Looking forward, Levine said, the Dolly and David Fiddyment Chair in Teacher Education not only will 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.

The School of Education plans to begin recruitment for the chair this fall.

Donna Justice is the director of communications for the School of Education.