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UC San Diego Scholarship Students Paired
with their Benefactors at Annual Hearts and Scholars Dinner
The event also honored Joseph Watson, vice chancellor of Student Affairs,
for the integral role he has played in building UCSD’s undergraduate scholarship program
Jade Berggren | February 20, 2007
More than 225 guests, including 88 scholarship recipients from UC San Diego took part Feb. 8 to the university’s annual Hearts and Scholars dinner that allows students to thank the benefactors who made their scholarships possible. The event is hosted and underwritten by members of the UC San Diego Undergraduate Scholarship Council.
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Vice Chancellor Joseph Watson receives a standing ovation during this year's Hearts and Scholars dinner. |
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The celebratory evening at the Faculty Club also featured a special tribute to Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Joseph Watson, who has played an instrumental role in helping to expand and enhance UC San Diego’s undergraduate scholarship offerings. After more than 40 years at UCSD, Watson will retire from his position at the end of this academic year. Since he started in his current post in 1981, the number of endowed undergraduate scholarship funds has increased exponentially, from just two to 92 and scholarship awards have increased from less than $100,000 to more than $2.2 million per year.
The creation of Mary S. and Joseph W. Watson Endowed Scholarship Fund was announced at the Feb. 8 event and will be funded by donations from Watson’s friends, family and colleagues in honor of his contributions to UCSD.
“Through the years, Joe Watson has put countless hours of work into the creation of undergraduate scholarships to give more students an opportunity to receive an education from UC San Diego. If not for this support, many of these students would have not have been able to attend college at all,” said Keith Brant, UCSD’s vice chancellor of External Relations. “With the scholarships he helped to establish, Joe has left a legacy that will last well into the future.”
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Sheldon and Susan Englehorn with scholarship recipients. |
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Following the special tribute and announcement of the new scholarship fund, the attendees—including donors such as Sheldon (’72) and Susan Engelhorn, Charlotte Nielsen, Charlie Robins, and Herbert and Sybil York—talk to the students who they have helped by providing scholarships, sharing experiences and forging bonds.
UCSD student and scholarship recipient Tsinsue Chen said: “This scholarship has helped me tremendously. I am very thankful for the opportunity to get to know my donor better and to interact with her at the Hearts and Scholars dinner. I definitely would consider her a mentor and someone to look up to.” Chen plans to graduate this spring with a major in Biochemistry and Cell Biology with the goal of attending medical school in the fall.
Representatives of corporations that have established scholarships were also on hand for the event. Amylin Pharmaceuticals, for example, sponsors summer research scholarships, the Chancellor’s 5K and contributes to both the Hearts and Scholars and Fiesta de las Estrellas scholarship events. Other corporations that have established scholarship funds for UCSD students include BAE SYSTEMS, Northrop Grumman, Siemens Building Technologies, Union Bank of California and USE Credit Union.
Alumni, parents, friends and companies interested in investing in the future of UC San Diego students with an undergraduate scholarship fund can contact Kim Signoret-Paar, director of development for Student Affairs, at (858) 534-0263 or kspaar@ucsd.edu. Gifts for undergraduate scholarships contribute to the $1 billion fundraising goal of The Campaign for UCSD: Imagine What’s Next.
About The Campaign for UCSD: Imagine What’s Next:
Since its founding just 45 years ago, the University of California, San Diego has rapidly achieved the status as one of the top institutions in the nation for higher education and research. In order to keep UCSD at the forefront of academic and research excellence, the university launched The Campaign for UCSD: Imagine What’s Next in July 2000. Donations to the comprehensive $1 billion fundraising campaign will help support students and faculty, expand academic programs, fund research endeavors and strengthen innovation funds to meet the highest priority needs. The Campaign for UCSDhas generated over $965 million to date, but there is nearly $35 million to raise before the campaign concludes in June 2007. For more information, please visit www.campaign.ucsd.edu.
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