UC San Diego Graduate Motivates
Others to Give to Scholarships
Physician Tony Jackson, ’74, helps to generate scholarship
support so that more deserving students will be able to attend UCSD

October 8, 2007

By Regan Olsson

With the rising cost of higher education and increased competition for scholarships, a growing number of college students will have to work to help pay their way through school.  In fact, currently one third of UC San Diego students pay all of their costs out-of-pocket, according to a recent article in the San Diego Union Tribune.

Tony Jackson, '74

As a biochemistry student at UCSD in the early 70’s, Tony Jackson, ’74, was one of these students.  Jackson paid his way through his undergraduate years, as well as during his years as a medical student at UC Irvine. Today, as an emergency room physician in Los Angeles, he focuses his free time on improving student opportunities and inspiring the community to give to student scholarships at UC San Diego.

“I walked the same path as these students which is the reason why I got involved,” said Jackson.  “I know how difficult it is – I paid my way through college.  Now I want to make a difference, and positively impact deserving students.”

As a scholarship donor and member of the UC San Diego Undergraduate Scholarship Council, Jackson’s goal is to increase the amount of financial support available to undergraduate students, making college possible for students who would not otherwise be able to attend UCSD.  He also attends high school fairs around Southern California touting the university’s educational programming and opportunities.

“I think UCSD is a very high quality university that doesn’t get as much attention as some other schools in California,” he added.  “Increasing visibility is key.  UCSD is one of the most underutilized bargains there is – we have a great university at a great price, in a great location.”

The Undergraduate Scholarship Council provides community leaders and alumni with opportunities to support academically outstanding students through scholarship funding, community awareness of UC San Diego scholarship needs and opportunities and the identification and stewardship of donors.  As a member of the Council, Jackson works actively with UCSD Student Affairs to help create more scholarships to enable talented students with limited resources to choose to attend UCSD.

Recently Jackson played a supporting role in another UC San Diego effort – “The Campaign for UCSD Milestone Video” where he was interviewed discussing the impact of private support on students, faculty and the campus in general.  To see the video, visit www.campaign.ucsd.edu.

Giving to UC San Diego
Since its founding just 45 years ago, the University of California, San Diego has rapidly achieved status as one of the top institutions in the nation for higher education and research.  One of ten campuses in the world-renowned University of California system, UC San Diego enrolls more than 28,000 students each year and offers degrees in a variety of disciplines, including seven professional schools.  Nationally ranked in the top ten best public universities by U.S. News and World Report, UC San Diego has also been named by Newsweek as the “hottest” institution to study science. With higher education’s share of state revenue declining each year, the university must increasingly rely on financial support from private sources. Gifts made by alumni, parents and friends play an important role in keeping UCSD at the forefront of academic and research excellence.  For more information, call 858-534-1610 or visit www.giving.ucsd.edu

 

Media Contact: Regan Olsson, 858-822-3353