{"id":464092,"date":"2026-09-15T04:14:21","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T04:14:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/464092\/"},"modified":"2026-09-15T04:14:21","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T04:14:21","slug":"ernest-tschannen-sacramento-philanthropist-dies-at-101","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/464092\/","title":{"rendered":"Ernest Tschannen, Sacramento philanthropist, dies at 101"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ernest E. Tschannen, the longtime Sacramento philanthropist whose multimillion-dollar gifts helped transform Sacramento State and other institutions across the region, has died, the university announced Monday. He was 101.<\/p>\n

His death came just weeks after Sacramento State unveiled plans for a nearly $150 million engineering building<\/a> that will bear his name, the latest in a series of major gifts Tschannen made to the university over more than a decade.<\/p>\n

Tschannen committed $15 million toward the Ernest E. Tschannen Engineering Teaching and Research Building, planned to replace the 66-year-old Santa Clara Hall.<\/p>\n

\u201cSacramento State has lost one of its most extraordinary friends and supporters,\u201d university President Luke Wood said in a statement. \u201cErnest Tschannen came to this country with very little, built a life here, and then spent decades giving back to the community that gave so much to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ernest Ernest Tschannen, 91, is applauded during a 2016 news conference announcing his $38.5 million donation to the UC Davis Eye Center. Tschannen, a longtime Sacramento-area philanthropist and major benefactor of Sacramento State and UC Davis, has died at 101. RANDY PENCH Sacramento Bee file <\/p>\n

Tschannen had already left a prominent mark on the campus through the Ernest E. Tschannen Science Complex, which opened in 2019. The nearly 97,000-square-foot complex, which includes biology and chemistry laboratories, a planetarium and an observatory, was built with the help of a $9 million donation from Tschannen, The Bee previously reported. In 2018, Sacramento State awarded him an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree for his philanthropy.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis generosity transformed our campus and the lives of generations of students,\u201d Wood said. \u201cThe Tschannen Science Complex reflects his belief that science should be visible and shared. His $15 million commitment to our new engineering building will do the same for the next generation of Hornets.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we first brought him to see Sac State, he was shocked at the inadequacies of the buildings and the labs,\u201d former university president Robert S. Nelsen said from his home in Texas\u2019 Rio Grande Valley. \u201cWhen we brought him back, the new labs had been established. He could see the science taking place. That\u2019s what he really loved: seeing the hands-on education they were getting.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Aranjot Kaur, a business major at Sacramento State, Tschannen\u2019s commitment to \u201cgiving back\u201d was an inspiration.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlmost every student knows Ernest Tschannen because of what he has done for our campus,\u201d Kaur said. \u201cWith him passing away, I just want to remember the impact he has had on so many students \u2014 not just now but for generations to come. He\u2019s going to be remembered.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tschannen\u2019s relationship with Sacramento State stretched back at least to 2015, when he surprised university officials with a $750,000 donation toward a proposed events center. At the time, Tschannen told The Bee he had little interest in team sports but was impressed by the university after visiting the campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t make money for myself,\u201d Tschannen told The Bee in that 2015 interview. \u201cI work to help other people, with donations, for good causes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tschannen also was a major benefactor of UC Davis \u2014 he donated $38.5 million to the university over several years after undergoing eye surgery there in 2000. His support eventually helped fund the Ernest E. Tschannen Eye Institute.<\/p>\n

\u201cErnest Tschannen\u2019s philanthropy embodied a clear vision: He wanted to improve the world for future generations,\u201d UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May said. \u201cHe built a fortune and yet lived modestly. He chose to direct his resources toward improving the causes he cared about most. We are thankful he helped UC Davis achieve our vision for a world-class eye center in Sacramento.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Dr. Dr. Michele Lim gives Ernest Tschannen the first eye exam at the new Ernest E. Tschannen Eye Institute in Sacramento in 2022. PAUL KITAGAKI JR. Sacramento Bee file <\/p>\n

He also supported outdoor causes, including the Tahoe-Pyramid Bikeway and the American River Parkway Foundation, reflecting a lifelong enthusiasm for cycling, hiking and kayaking, according to previous Bee reporting.<\/p>\n

Born Feb. 16, 1925, in Aarwangen, Switzerland, Tschannen came to the United States and began his career as a mechanical engineer before making his fortune through real estate investments. In 2015, he told The Bee he owned about 3,500 apartment units and estimated his net worth at $75 million.<\/p>\n

Despite his wealth, Tschannen lived modestly. During a 2015 visit to his Orangevale-area home, The Bee found bicycles and kayaks alongside an overgrown garden of cactus, fruit trees and other plants. Tschannen, then 90, said that after he could no longer drive, he continued to walk about an hour each day and still kayaked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I pass away, I want my money to stay in this country, because this is where I earned it,\u201d Tschannen told The Bee in 2015.<\/p>\n

\"Sacramento-area Sacramento-area philanthropist Ernest Tschannen sits in his Orangevale home on in 2015. RANDY PENCH Sacramento Bee file <\/p>\n

\u201cErnest Tschannen is the perfect example of why immigrants are so important to the U.S.,\u201d Nelsen said. Tschannen\u2019s work, Nelsen said, was always done \u201cwith the intention of giving back….When he found out we were all about students, that\u2019s why he gave.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHis legacy is that he will continue impacting students. It\u2019s a multigenerational effect \u2014 preparing students for careers in engineering, careers in the sciences,\u201d Nelsen said later. \u201cHe will still help shape the next generation of leaders in the physical sciences.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sacramento recognized Tschannen\u2019s philanthropy in 2016, when then-mayor Kevin Johnson declared Feb. 16 Ernest E. Tschannen Day. Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty also praised Tschannen\u2019s impact on the city Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cErnest Tschannen\u2019s generosity and commitment to Sacramento State and our community have left an extraordinary legacy,\u201d McCarty said in a statement. \u201cWe are grateful for the opportunities he created. Our hearts are with his family, friends, and loved ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sacramento State said details of a campus celebration of Tschannen\u2019s life would be announced in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n

\"The The Ernest E. Tschannen Science Complex at Sacramento State opened in 2019. Tschannen, who donated $9 million toward the $91 million building, died at 101. Rob Neep Sacramento State <\/p>\n

The Bee\u2019s Jennah Pendleton and Camryn Dadey contributed to this story.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published September 14, 2026 at 4:14 PM.<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Tarini Mehta<\/a><\/p>\n

The Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n

Tarini Mehta is The Sacramento Bee\u2019s higher education reporter. Previously, she covered education in Napa County for The Press Democrat through the California Local News Fellowship. An alumna of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, she has written for publications such as the Boston Globe, the Bay Area News Group, The Diplomat, India Today, The Hindu and The Print.\n <\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Darrell Smith<\/a><\/p>\n

The Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n

Darrell Smith is a local reporter for The Sacramento Bee. He joined The Bee in 2006 and previously worked at newspapers in Palm Springs, Colorado Springs and Marysville. Smith was born and raised at Beale Air Force Base and lives in Elk Grove.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ernest E. Tschannen, the longtime Sacramento philanthropist whose multimillion-dollar gifts helped transform Sacramento State and other institutions across…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":464093,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[121,123,122],"class_list":["post-464092","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sacramento","tag-sacramento","tag-sacramento-headlines","tag-sacramento-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/464092","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=464092"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/464092\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/464093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=464092"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=464092"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=464092"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}