Donors Help Provide a Margin of Excellence in STEM
February 1, 2022
Diane Bryant STEM Innovation Center front entrance.
The STEM Capital Campaign
In 2017, ARC embarked on a fundraising campaign called "Investing in Knowledge, building for the Future" to build a state-of-the-art STEM Innovation Center to help train and create a skilled STEM workforce. The three-story, 57,000 square foot building provides critically needed infrastructure, contemporary classrooms, and laboratory spaces, which are essential for 21st century teaching and learning. Design elements provide shared, flexible, and movable spaces and labs for programs and disciplines that include Business and Computer Science, Mathematics, Astronomy, Physics and Engineering, along with the STEM Center (MESA), the American River Immersive Education and Innovations Lab (ARIEL), and computer and statistics labs.
Local and state bond dollars earmarked for STEM modernization projects in community colleges paid for the ($32M) cost of construction of the building and $2.5M was raised from the generous support of alumni, employees, emeriti, and corporate and community partners to purchase technology and equipment for students to gain hands-on experience using the same cutting-edge tools they will encounter at high-tech employers. This experiential learning will ensure that Sacramento's students have access to the highest quality, affordable and most up-to-date STEM education available.
The new Diane Bryant STEM Innovation Center is named in honor of American River College alumnus Diane Bryant whose generation donation of $500,000 is one of the most significant donations in college history and served as the leadership gift for the Campaign. Bryant is a former Group President of Intel's Data Center Group and former Chief Operating Officer of Google's Cloud Platform and current Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of NovaSignal. She received her associate's degree from American River College and her bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Davis. Bryant received the Distinguished Alumni Award from California Community Colleges in 2016 and the Outstanding Alumnus of the Year from UC Davis in 2017. Bryant was named one of the 50 most powerful women in business by Fortune magazine in 2015 and 2016 and was ranked number 32 in the Silicon Valley 100 by Business Insider. She holds four US patents for chip design.
Major Donors
We thank the following donors for their generous lead gifts during the STEM Capital Campaign:
- 2021 ARC Chemistry faculty
- Art Mark
- Bob Bruns and Sue Lorimer
- California American Water
- Cindy and Tim Burke Family
- Damon Antos
- David and Jane Viar
- Dr. Fred Evangelisti and Molly Evangelisti
- Dr. Metwalli Amer and SALAM
- Frank M. Booth
- Jayne Overgard
- Joan Brenchley-Jackson
- John and Maggie Frisch
- Julie Hayes and Chris Stroop
- Kaiser Permanente
- Linda Dixon
- Louise Lockhart
- Marie B. Smith
- PASCO Scientific
- Ray Di Guilio
- Richard C. Dorf and Joy M. Dorf
- SAFE Credit Union
- Schools First Federal Credit Union
- Science Area Associates
- Shashi Gupta
- Tom Kandris
- Thomas Greene
- Wei-Jen Harrison Family
- William E. Hixon Foundation