March 29, 2005

The Chancellor’s Medal Will Be Presented
To Charmaine And Maurice Kaplan On March 31
Chancellor’s Associates will also present Faculty Excellence Awards

By Lindsay Orth

Community leaders Charmaine and Maurice Kaplan will be awarded the University of California, San Diego Chancellor’s Medal for their extraordinary dedication to the university and the San Diego community at a ceremony on March 31 at the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre at the La Jolla Playhouse.

The ceremony will also feature the Chancellor’s Associates annual Faculty Excellence Awards, granted to five faculty members in the areas of research, teaching and community service.

The Chancellor’s Medal will be presented to the Kaplans by UCSD Chancellor Marye Anne Fox, with special remarks from Ian Campbell, general director of the San Diego Opera. This is the first time that Chancellor Fox has presented the award since assuming the post of chancellor in August 2004. Past recipients of the Chancellor’s Medal include Neil Morgan (2000), Malin Burnham (2002), Darlene Shiley (2003) and Charlie Robins (2003).

“It is a profound honor to present the Chancellor’s Medal to two people who have displayed endless dedication to the growth of our university and the betterment of the San Diego community,” said Chancellor Fox. “San Diego is truly blessed by the generosity of Charmaine and Maury.”

The Kaplans are being honored for their longstanding commitment to the UCSD campus for nearly 20 years, and in particular for their dedication to programs that serve the greater San Diego community, including the Rebecca and John Moores UCSD Cancer Center, the Sulpizio Family Cardiovascular Center and the UCSD Stroke Center. They have furthered meaningful research in marine genomics at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO), and their leadership gift helped establish the Charmaine and Maurice Kaplan Laboratory for Marine Cancer Drug Discovery. They have also supported promising individuals through scholarships, lectureships and fellowships. Additionally, Maury has served as a founding member on the SIO Director’s Cabinet, on the UC San Diego Foundation Board and Cancer Center Foundation Board, and Charmaine has served as president of the University Art Gallery Advisory Board.

The Kaplans have been active visionaries throughout the region, extending generous support to a number of organizations, including the La Jolla Playhouse, Mingei International Museum, Oceanside Museum of Art, San Diego Opera, San Diego Natural History Museum, San Diego State University and others.

Prior to the presentation of the Chancellor’s Medal, the Chancellor’s Associates will present the 2005 Faculty Excellence Awards. Each recipient is awarded a $2,500 honorarium for his or her contributions to the university and the community. Award candidates are nominated by their academic peers, with the final selection by a committee comprised of Chancellor’s Associates members.

“It is a great honor for the Chancellor’s Associates to present the Faculty Excellence Awards each year,” said Steve Schreiner ’80, Chancellor’s Associates chairman. “These awards are a great way for our members to let the faculty know how appreciative we are of everything they do for the university, the students and the entire San Diego community.”

The recipients of the 2005 Chancellor’s Associates Faculty Excellence Awards are:

Karen Dobkins, professor of psychology, for excellence in undergraduate teaching

Dobkins will be recognized for her outstanding ability to present complex topics in physiological psychology, making them relevant and exciting to her undergraduate students. This is the second time Dobkins has been awarded a Faculty Excellence Award. She was honored with the graduate teaching award in 2002.

“Karen’s students appreciate her ability to communicate technical, biologically oriented material in a rigorous but clear, enthusiastic, intelligent and entertaining manner,” said John Wixted, psychology department chair.

David Lake, professor of political science, for excellence in graduate teaching

Lake will be honored for guiding numerous graduate students toward notable success, and for guiding the political science department in crafting a revolutionary graduate program.

“David Lake is an accessible, supportive and challenging instructor who is able to offer constructive criticism in a way that inspires his students to learn more,” said Paul Drake, dean of the Division of Social Science. “He is truly an outstanding scholar who has earned a place for himself in the very top tier of his profession.”

Peter Gourevitch, professor at the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, for research in arts, humanities and social sciences

Gourevitch is being recognized for his pioneering and internationally renowned work in globalization and corporate governance, and for his service to UCSD in helping craft the intellectual vision behind the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (IR/PS).

“Throughout his distinguished career, Peter has successfully raised questions, often for the first time, which define important new international research agendas,” said Peter F. Cowhey, dean of IR/PS. “The university is a better place because of his accomplishments, research and service. There are few others who have made a stronger mark on political science in our time.”

Miroslav Krstic, professor in the department of mechanical and aerospace engineering, for excellence in research in science and engineering

Krstic will be cited for developing the mathematical tools widely used to suppress turbulence, a breakthrough that has enabled advances in everything from jet engines and fusion reactors to weather forecasting. His work also has been applied to quantum computing, charged particle accelerators, and the design of artificial hearts.

“Professor Krstic is one of the fastest rising superstars at the Jacobs School of Engineering and is an excellent example of the engineering research rooted in mathematics, with research that opens up new areas for the application of modern nonlinear control theory,” says Frieder Seible, dean of the Jacobs School of Engineering.

Steven Erie, professor of political science, for excellence in community service

Erie will be honored for his remarkable efforts in helping to find solutions to a broad range of critical social issues affecting Southern California, and for inspiring students for nearly a quarter-century.

“Steve is one of the most active and well-respected experts regarding state and regional infrastructure issues,” says Paul Drake. “His contributions clearly have had a significant impact on policy makers and the public at the local, regional and state levels.”

The UCSD Chancellor’s Associates program exists as an opportunity for the university to connect with friends and supporters within the community. Through the years, membership has grown to include more than 400 alumni, parents, faculty, staff and friends from across the country. Chancellor’s Associates members are recognized for their generosity in designating annual gifts of $1,500 or more to be used at the Chancellor’s discretion. These unrestricted gifts provide the Chancellor with the flexible resources needed to respond to timely and innovative opportunities that touch the lives of students, faculty, alumni and people within the community. Chancellor’s Associates has been awarding the Faculty Excellence Awards annually since 1974.

Media Contact: Lindsay Orth, (858) 822-5309