Former UC San Diego Foundation Chair and Wife Endow $4 Million Fellowship Fund

Jerome and Miriam Katzin

The University of California, San Diego today announced that Jerome and Miriam Katzin have endowed a $4 million fellowship fund to support graduate students. UC San Diego’s more than 5,000 graduate students raise the caliber of the university’s work by advancing groundbreaking discoveries, driving innovation, and generating new knowledge and leadership that will make a difference locally, nationally and around the globe. The Katzins hope that their gift will also inspire others to support graduate education at UC San Diego.

“With this gift, Jerome and Miriam Katzin have made an incredible impact on our campus community that will last for generations,” said UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “Boosting our endowment and raising funds to support students are strategic campus priorities, and we thank the Katzins for their vision, generosity and commitment to the university’s mission.”

The endowed gift will establish The Katzin Prize Endowment Fund to support UC San Diego graduate students studying for an academic doctoral degree in any discipline who demonstrate outstanding talent and promise. Fellowships are graduate level scholarships.

 “We know that in order to stay competitive, the campus must increase its endowment, notably in areas that will attract excellent faculty and students,” explained Jerome Katzin, retired investment banker and chair emeritus of the UC San Diego Foundation. “The best doctoral students attract the best faculty, underscoring the need to increase the number of graduate students attending UC San Diego and assuring the quality of those students.”

Growing the graduate student population is a strategic priority for UC San Diego. These graduate students fuel the regional research economy; train the next generation of researchers, teachers, innovators and leaders; and enhance the university’s excellence, impact and reputation. 

Currently, graduate students at UC San Diego represent approximately 19.4 percent of the total student population. At peer public institutions, graduate students are 30 to 40 percent of the student body. As state and federal government funding decreases, private support for students is becoming increasingly important to the strength of the institution. Equally important, the campus is competing with institutions such as Stanford, MIT and others that are able to attract top graduate candidates with more generous fellowship packages than UC San Diego can currently offer.

For three decades, Jerome and Miriam Katzin have ranked among UC San Diego’s closest friends and most steadfast benefactors through numerous gifts and years of wise counsel. Their support has been marked by such gifts as the Katzin Research Laboratories at the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, the Katzin Chair in Jewish Civilization, the Courtyard at Muir College, the Chair in Corporate Governance at the Rady School of Management, important support of the Sulpizio Family Cardiovascular Center, and other faculty chairs and funds.  Jerome Katzin, who formerly served as director of Qualcomm and of the Price Company, serves on the Rady School of Management Dean’s Advisory Council. He was also instrumental in advancing the UC San Diego Foundation, serving on the Board of Trustees which he chaired in 1992-93.

“Miriam and I have been supportive of UC San Diego almost since its beginning. We are proud of the stellar institution that UC San Diego has become, competing with institutions that are much richer, in both funding and tradition,” added Katzin. “It has thrived under a series of outstanding chancellors and we look forward to a continuance of this vitality under our new chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla.” 

To learn more about supporting fellowships at UC San Diego, visit: www.giving.ucsd.edu/fellowships