The UC Merced medical education building supported by a $5 million gift from the Kashians. UC Merced image

Longtime UC Merced boosters Ed and Jeanne Kashian donated $5 million to support medical education at the university, 

The Kashians have supported the campus since its earliest days, and now their gift to the university will help advance medical education efforts, according to a UC Merced news release.

The donation will go to a new state-of-the-art building, set to break ground in the spring. It will be UC Merced’s and the Central Valley’s hub for health-focused education training and research.

The anticipated facility will house the newly launched B.S.-to-M.D. pathway. It is a partnership among UC Merced, UCSF Fresno and UCSF focused on preparing medical students with a particular interest in improving regional health care for professional and leadership roles, with classrooms and labs to be accessible to all students pursuing pre-health coursework.

“Ed and Jeanne Kashian’s unwavering support of UC Merced spans decades, and their early commitment to help us develop a medical education pathway has been instrumental in making it a reality,” said UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz. “Their guidance, dedication, and vision not only empower our educational mission but help create new opportunities to meet our long-term goal to improve healthcare quality and access throughout our vastly underserved region.”

Kashian, CEO of Lance-Kashian & Company, and his wife, Jeanne, a founding UC Merced Foundation trustee and diplomat, have supported the university for several years to enhance the education of students. 

Lance-Kashian & Company built some of Fresno’s most well-known retail centers, including River Park, Campus Pointe and the under-development Fancher Creek Town Center in Southeast Fresno.

The Kashians have supported numerous initiatives across UC Merced, including the Leo and Dottie Kolligian Library and cutting-edge stem-cell research conducted by campus faculty members. They have also provided unrestricted funding that enables the university to advance innovative projects and programs.

“We recognize that higher education has the ability to transform lives,” stated Ed Kashian. “Supporting medical education and the new medical education building is a priority for us because it ensures that promising students have access to resources that help them become physicians and health workers who can improve medical care in the Central Valley.”

The Kashians’ latest gift is among the philanthropic milestones that are advancing Boldly Forward: The Campaign for UC Merced. Boldly Forward aims to raise $200 million for campus support by 2030, with gifts and pledges received since the campaign’s launch recently surpassing $96 million.