UC San Diego's Golden Anniversary Benefits Student Scholarships and Fellowships

50th Anniversary events and activities help raise funds for Invent the Future campaign

March 30, 2011

By Kristin Luciani

Proceeds from 50th Anniversary merchandise, on sale at the UCSD Bookstore, benefit Invent the Future.

Ricardo Sandoval, a first-generation college student, grew up in Mexico and attended a small high school in Imperial Valley with just over 50 students in his senior class. After receiving his acceptance to the University of California, San Diego, the excitement that Sandoval and his family felt soon gave way to worry over how they would pay for his education. Scholarship support provided the vehicle for Sandoval to attend UC San Diego, enabling him to graduate from the university with a degree in communications in 1994. Today, Sandoval is a newscast director for NBC San Diego.

Like Sandoval, 55 percent of current UC San Diego undergraduate students rely on financial aid to attend the university. To address the growing need for student support, coupled with the decline in funding from the state of California, the campus named its Invent the Future student support campaign (www.inventthefuture.ucsd.edu) the fundraising beneficiary of UC San Diego’s year-long 50th Anniversary celebration. The $50 million campaign will help fund undergraduate scholarships and graduate fellowships for all who need them. To date, the effort has raised more than $26 million, with $9.2 million of that raised thus far during this 50th anniversary.

Now a newscast director at NBC, Ricardo Sandoval got his start with a scholarship to UC San Diego.

 “As the university celebrates this milestone achievement, we are reminded of our commitment to excellence, accessibility and affordability,” said UC San Diego Chancellor Marye Anne Fox. “The Invent the Future campaign will help to ensure that talented students of all economic and social backgrounds have access to a world-class education at UC San Diego.” 

The campus community and alumni – as well as sponsors from the San Diego region – have stepped up to support scholarships and fellowships through the 50th Anniversary activities:

• Visionary Sponsors include Cubic Corporation, Qualcomm and Sempra Energy. Additional sponsors are Clark Construction; VOLT; Cymer, Inc; Steelcase/BKM; Classic Party Rentals; Consolidated Electrical Distributors, Inc.; Swinerton Builders; Skidmore, Owings and Merrill; USE Credit Union; Turner Construction and Webcor Builders. (www.50th.ucsd.edu)
  
• The UC San Diego Bookstore is donating 10 percent of all 50th Anniversary merchandise sales to Invent the Future. (http://bookstore.ucsd.edu/ucsd50th.htm)   
  
• Chuao Chocolatier, founded by UC San Diego alumni brothers Michael and Richard Antonorsi, is hosting a 50th Anniversary chocolate bar contest. Fifty cents of each special edition candy bar benefits the student support campaign. (http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/thisweek/2010/10/04_chuao_chocolate.asp)
  

In addition, these upcoming 50th Anniversary efforts will support students:

• Green Open House, April 16, 2011. This free event will showcase UC San Diego as a living laboratory of sustainability, with cooking demos, health screenings, car show, food and fun for the entire family. (www.50th.ucsd.edu)
• The Green Business Summit, providing an opportunity to network with industry leaders and business colleagues about opportunities in sustainability, will donate proceeds from the $20 registration fee to continuing education scholarships and Invent the Future.
• Stone Brewery will host a beer garden at the event, with proceeds from the entrance fee directly benefiting the campaign.
  
• “A Marvel Inside A Miracle,” published by UCSD Alumni, illustrates the university’s origins and first 50 years through more than 175 archival photographs. All proceeds from sales benefit student scholarships. (www.alumni.ucsd.edu/book)  
  
• Alumni Weekend June 17-19, 2011 features the Annual Alumni Awards for Excellence reception, dinner and awards ceremony, with all event proceeds benefiting Invent the Future.
  

 Private gifts to the university have the power to transform the lives of bright and promising students, like alumnus Ricardo Sandoval, and ensure a skilled workforce and knowledgeable leadership for the future.

“If it wasn’t for scholarship support, I never would have started at UC San Diego,” said Sandoval. “As corny as it sounds, giving to scholarships really is an investment in the future. We need the brightest and most driven students, and often times those qualities don’t coincide with economic status.”

Media Contact: Kristin Luciani, 858-822-3353, kluciani@ucsd.edu