International Center Awards Scholarships

Christine Clark | June 1, 2010

Recipients of the Chancellor's Award pose for a picture.

Volunteers, scholarship donors, students, administrators, faculty and staff all celebrated international education Thursday evening at the Friends of the International Center's annual dinner and awards ceremony. More than 120 guests watched as scholarship committee chair Ruth Newmark presented a total $56,000 in scholarships to 43 students for study abroad or graduate study on campus.

"The Friends are pleased that in these days of rising tuition cost, exacerbated by diminishing access to financial support, we are able to continue to provide international scholarships," Newmark said. "I can’t emphasize enough how happy the Friends are to take a bit of the financial pressure off these students. Some of these students come from abroad, having chosen UC San Diego as the best place to complete their graduate studies.”

Professor Emeritus Ann Craig spoke at the event and highlighted the importance of understanding different cultures. International education is essential to solving the world's biggest problems, such as climate control, terrorism, poverty, and the present oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, she said.

The scholarships were awarded to nine graduate students, four medical students and 30 undergraduates. 

Undergraduate recipients use the scholarships in three programs: Education Abroad offered by the University of California, Opportunities Abroad through UCSD, or Global Seminars led by UCSD faculty. The graduate students come from abroad and are doing advanced work at UC San Diego, or are Americans conducting research abroad.

"Because of its worldwide reputation for excellence, UC San Diego has always attracted large numbers of international scholars and students," Newmark said. "Presently, we have 2,300 international students from more than 80 countries on our campus. This translates into more than 20 percent of the total graduate student body, while the campus sends more than 22 percent of our undergraduates abroad.”

The Friends of the International Center was established in 1973 and continues to offer various social programs which help the families of UCSD’s foreign students and scholars become familiar with the local American scene.