"It's great to be here in this marvelous facility and see something very tangible that the campaign has achieved," said Campaign Co-Chair William E. Oberndorf in calling the meeting to order.

National Chair Andrew S. Grove established a tone of guarded optimism with his opening remarks. While the campaign's success to date has been impressive, he emphasized that coming years will require a redoubling of efforts for the campaign to reach its goal of raising $1.4 billion by June 30, 2005.

"We are fortunate that the campaign hasn't suffered during this period when charitable giving has been significantly down," Grove noted. "At the same time, we know that it will require even more energy and determination for us to move forward."

Reports on the campaign's progress were shared and analyzed. As of March 1, the overall campaign total stood at $1.076 Billion.

The meeting included updates from the chairs of various campaign priorities and a panel discussion featuring Grove, Oberndorf, UCSF Chancellor J. Michael Bishop; Campaign Co-Chairs Barbara Bass Bakar, Brook H. Byers and Arthur H. Kern; Associate Vice Chancellor Kathleen L. Kane and Campaign Director Douglas G. Stewart.

Mark Laret, CEO of the UCSF Medical Center, also addressed the group, describing the next challenge on the horizon: planning and development of a new hospital as existing facilities face replacement due to seismic concerns and functional obsolescence.

Finally, Joe DeRisi, PhD, one of the first faculty researchers to move to Genentech Hall, gave a stimulating preview of the future of science and health. He described how the new facility is aiding scientific advances in his laboratory, including genomic studies that may lead to improved treatments for infectious diseases and cancer.

"That is the reason I am involved with supporting UCSF," said Grove. "I want my grandchildren to have the benefits of the discoveries we are helping to make possible."