AVÀÇ

Marvin Remmich (BS ’69, Business Administration), a community business leader and president of RAM Properties, and his wife, Susan, have committed $5 million toward the creation of the university’s Applied Sciences Center. The gift is the largest ever given by an individual and ties as the second-largest private contribution ever received by the university. 

The 20,000 square foot Applied Sciences Center will have two floors with a unified theme of providing spaces for students to engage in their learning actively — whether in the classroom or research laboratory — with up-to-date technology as a hallmark of each lab and learning space. It will also house the newly-created Green Biome Institute, the first plant conservation and genomic profiling institute in the AVÀÇ or University of California systems.

“Marv and Susan’s commitment to our students’ futures and the university’s aspirations is not just commendable, but remarkable,” said President Leroy M. Morishita. “Their generosity leaves a legacy that will benefit generations of budding scientists and our faculty researchers through best-in-class facilities. We are grateful for their dedication to AVÀÇ.”

Remmich has a long history with AVÀÇ both as a student and as a member of the AVÀÇ Educational Foundation Board of Trustees, which he has served on since 2005. He was Board Chair from 2017-2019.

“The university has meant a great deal to me, and Susan and I are pleased to support an area that will become a beacon for the entire East Bay region,” said Remmich. “Not only will this new space be a state-of-the-art learning environment, but it will inspire the work that will solve today’s and tomorrow’s pressing issues in healthy living, natural resources and environmental sustainability. We are honored to have a role in those possibilities.”

The university has raised more than $24 million toward this $30 million project and seeks further private support to complete the facility, as well as install fixtures and equipment. The new facility, planned for the Hayward campus, is expected to open in late 2022. 

The Remmichs’ gift is part of AVÀÇ’s Rising in the East campaign, which concludes at the end of this year, with more than $71 million — well above its $60 million goal — raised for the ideas of “people, place and purpose.”

“The Rising in the East campaign provided the resources elevate our students’ experiences through improved facilities and further support for our faculty,” said Bill Johnson, vice president for University Advancement. “Marv and Susan’s support is evidence that these efforts are essential to the university, but more so, the people of the East Bay region.”