August 21, 1996 Contact: Francine Tyler (408) 459-2495; ftyler@ua.ucsc.edu

UC SANTA CRUZ RECEIVES $6.1 MILLION IN PRIVATE GIFTS AND GRANTS FOR THE 1995-96 YEAR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SANTA CRUZ, CA--The University of California, Santa Cruz, received nearly $6.1 million in private support in the form of gifts and grants during the fiscal year that ended June 30, according to the campus's Development Office. Gifts from UCSC alumni rose more than 40 percent over the previous year, and contributions to the Annual Fund Program reached a record high.

Alumni gave approximately $800,000 to the campus in 1995- 96, up from nearly $600,000 the previous year. Gifts from alumni included an endowed chair in art history, the largest alumni gift ever made to UCSC. Annual Fund contributions--primarily consisting of annual gifts from alumni and parents and matching funds from corporations--totaled nearly $900,000, a 5 percent increase over the previous fiscal year.

The bulk of the funding came from the following sources: foundations, 31 percent; the business sector, 22 percent; alumni and parents, 20 percent; individuals other than alumni and parents, 20 percent. Other sources included community organizations, trusts and bequests, and campus organizations.

Private gifts and grants help support campus programs, scholarships, and fellowships. They have become increasingly important in the last five years as budget cuts have reduced state support for the university.

"We are grateful for the effort of our many faculty and volunteers who are responsible for much of the private gift support that comes to this campus," says Daniel G. Aldrich III, assistant chancellor for University Advancement. "In particular, the UC Santa Cruz Foundation has been extremely important over the last few years in helping to build this steady base of support for the campus."

Major private gifts or grants received by UCSC during the past year included:

-- A $500,000 David and Lucile Packard Foundation Fellowship for Science and Engineering, which was awarded to Charles Wilson, assistant professor of biology. He is the second UCSC faculty member to be named a Packard Fellow.

-- A $450,000 grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation of Los Angeles, which funded a laboratory for the study of biomolecules, including a new mass spectrometer and enhancements to nuclear magnetic resonance equipment. The laboratory expands the ability of UCSC researchers to investigate disease mechanisms and develop treatments.

-- A $250,000 endowment that established the Patricia and Rowland Rebele Chair in Art History. Income from the endowment will help bring UCSC's art history program more national recognition and strengthen collaboration with the larger Santa Cruz community. The endowment was the largest alumni gift ever made to UCSC.

-- A real estate gift from Dr. Chris and Yolanda Dybdahl of Santa Cruz that established a $225,000 charitable remainder unitrust, a large portion of which will benefit UCSC's Karl S. Pister Leadership Opportunity Program.

-- A $100,000 grant from the Hewlett Foundation's Pluralism and Unity Program to fund development of the U.S. Intercultural Studies Program. New courses designed to promote cultural understanding and unity are being developed at each of UCSC's eight residential colleges, complementing academic work with related co- curricular activities.

-- A $50,000 endowment gift from the J. M. Long Foundation, which will allow UCSC to update and expand the University Library's collection of Pacific Rim materials.

In addition, UCSC was selected to participate in the prestigious Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences. As a participant in the program, the campus has been invited to submit applications for Pew Scholars fellowships, which provide $200,000 over four years to fund research costs for promising young faculty.

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