UCSD Alumni Association
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| UCSD Alumni Association | |
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| Established: | 1964 |
| Type: | 501(c)(3) |
| President: | Mark Diamond |
| Director: | Armin Afsahi |
| Location: | La Jolla, San Diego, California, USA |
| Colors: | Navy Blue and Gold |
| Affiliations: | University of California, San Diego |
| Website: | [1] |
Contents |
[edit] History
The UCSD Alumni Association was formed by a small group of honorary members in 1964. In 1972, The University of California Regents provided funding to help newer UC campuses establish alumni organizations and the first staff member at UC San Diego was hired in 1972. Shortly thereafter, the Chancellor appointed a committee to recommend purposes, functions, and organization. In 1977, the Articles of Incorporation were executed, making Alumni & Friends a separate non-profit organization.
The Association has grown today to represent over 116,000 alumni. Its mission - to foster a lifelong, mutually beneficial relationship of alumni and students with UCSD. The Association works to provide alumni with continued access to the resources of the University, communicate new developments on campus, and facilitate a network for alumni and student interaction.
The Association awards undergraduate scholarships, recognizes outstanding alumni, faculty and students, assists the University with legislative advocacy, and brings alumni together in social, educational and networking forums - in San Diego and across the nation. The Association publishes @UCSD magazine, CampusLoop e-newsletter, and hosts an interactive website.
[edit] Prominent Alumni
Ancel Keys, SIO, Ph.D. ’30: In 1961, Dr. Keys appeared on the cover of TIME Magazine and was dubbed Mr. Cholesterol by the popular press for discovering a link between cholesterol and heart disease.
Tim Roemer, ’79: Member of the 9/11 Commission for 18 months.
J. Stephen “Steve” Peace, ’76 and John DeBello,’75: Creators of the 1978 sci-fi spoof, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
Michael Robertson ’90: Received the Outstanding Alumnus at the 2002 Alumni Awards for Excellence because of his entrepreneurship.
Rachel Axler, '04: Writer for Comedy Central’s Emmy Award-winning program, "The Daily Show".
Josh Billauer, ’98: Co-founded the non-profit foundation, Life Rolls On (www.liferollson.org), in 2002.
Romas Kudirka, ’98: Lithuanian-American water polo player, chemist, and member of the avant-garde music group Three Dry Mice.
Maurizio Seracini, ’73: Internationally recognized expert in high-technology art analysis and character in Dan Brown’s popular bestseller The Da Vinci Code.
David E. Shaw, ’72: founded the D. E. Shaw Group in 1988, which today has more than $20 billion in assets and has redirected his expertise toward developing precise targeted drug therapies for illnesses and disease. He is also the recipient of the 2006 Outstanding Alumnus Award.
Ricardo Chavira, M.F.A. ’00: Plays Carlos Solis, the jerky husband of Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria) on ABC television’s saucy runaway hit Desperate Housewives.
More prominent alumni: http://alumni.ucsd.edu/prominent/index.htm
[edit] Facts of Note
[edit] UCSD: The Institution
- Forward Thinking at the Gateway to the Pacific: Nestled along the Pacific Ocean on 1,200 acres (4.9 km²) of coastal woodland, UCSD is a powerful magnet for those seeking a fresh, next-generation approach to education and research. Since its founding almost five decades ago, UCSD -- one of ten campuses in the world-renowned University of California system -- has rapidly achieved the status as one of the top institutions in the nation for higher education and research.
- Students: UCSD received more than 45,000 applications for fall 2007 admission (the second highest application rate in the University of California system). The average high school GPA of admitted freshmen for fall 2007 was 4.06 and average SATI Reasoning scores were 634 Critical Reading, 670 Math and 640 Writing. Total campus enrollment for fall ‘07 is 27,500.
- Economic Impact: UCSD is an engine for regional economic growth. UCSD faculty and alums have spun-off close to 250 local companies, including over a third of the region’s biotech companies. In addition, UCSD is San Diego County’s third largest employer (behind the federal government and state government), with a monthly payroll in excess of $96 million and nearly 27,000 employees.
- Specialized Resources: UCSD’s graduate and professional schools include Scripps Institution of Oceanography; School of Medicine; School of International Relations and Pacific Studies; Center for U.S. – Mexican Studies; Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Jacobs School of Engineering (graduate and undergraduate), and Rady School of Management. The campus is also home to the UCSD Medical Center; the San Diego Supercomputer Center; California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2); Center for Research in Computing and the Arts; Center of Interdisciplinary Science for Art, Architecture, and Archaeology (CISA3); Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation; and Institute of the Americas.
[edit] Alumni Directors
| Alumni Directors | Year |
|---|---|
| June Smith | 1972 - 1974 |
| Joany Langness | 1975 - 1977 |
| Gary Plantz | 1978 - 1981 |
| Jean Rodgers | 1981 - 1983 |
| Dan Rodriguez | 1984 - 1988 |
| Bernie Farrow | 1989 - 2000 |
| John Valva | 2001 - 2007 |
| Armin Afsahi | 2008 - present |
[edit] Board of Directors
The UCSD Alumni Association Board of Directors developed from the original group of 10 volunteer directors in 1974, to 21 elected positions and five appointed positions. The purpose of the Board is to establish goals and objectives for the Association, and, through the work of its committees, guide and assist the staff of the Office or Alumni Relations in implementing programs.
[edit] Past Board Presidents
| Board Presidents | Year |
|---|---|
| Tom Robinson ’68 | 1974 – 1976 |
| Tom Shepard ’70 | 1976 – 1978 |
| Randy Twombly ’72 | 1978 – 1980 |
| Frank Phillips ’74 | 1980 – 1982 |
| Susan Grady ’71 | 1982 – 1984 |
| John Cambon ’74 | 1984 – 1986 |
| Mark Broughton ’74 | 1986 – 1988 |
| Gerry McAllister ’73 | 1988 – 1990 |
| Gary Wollberg ’80 | 1990 – 1992 |
| Bob Kelly ’74 | 1992 – 1994 |
| Martin Shapiro ’81 | 1994 – 1996 |
| Steve Schreiner ’80 | 1996 – 1998 |
| Ross Schwartz ’79 | 1998 – 2000 |
| Beth Binger ’86 | 2000 – 2002 |
| Brian Walsh ’89 | 2002 – 2004 |
| Henry DeVries ’79 | 2004 – 2006 |
| Mark Diamond ’87 | 2006 – 2008 |
[edit] Activities and Programs
Since 1974, the Association has been awarding scholarships, hosting social events, recognizing outstanding graduates and assisting the University with legislative efforts. These events include, but are not limited to:
Alumni Awards for Excellence: This annual event honors outstanding alumni, student scholars and alumni leaders.
Chapter Events: 21 groups from across the nation meet for social and career networking events on a quarterly basis to stay in touch with friends and UCSD.
UCSD Near You: UCSD faculty travel around the nation bringing their insight on some of today’s top social issues. This event gives alumni a peek at some of the research going on at UCSD today.
Life 101: Thinking Outside the Books: This annual event is held for UCSD students as a way for them to meet successful UCSD alumni, learn tips to transition to life after graduation and explore career opportunities.
Triton Junkyard Derby: Competitors scour the UCSD "junkyard" and have two days to build the perfect cart... or anything capable of making it to the finish line. This event was envisioned and created five years ago by the UCSD Alumni Association and has now grown into a campus-wide tradition .
Welcome New Grads Mixers: These events are hosted around the nation through the Regional Chapter Groups of the UCSD Alumni Association as a way to celebrate and recognize the accomplishments of UCSD's newest alumni and allows for them to network with outstanding and well-accomplished alumni professionals.
'Freshmen Send-Off' Picnics: Incoming freshmen from areas all across the United States meet with other freshmen in their neighborhood to enjoy a picnic lunch and get the inside scoop about UCSD from alumni.
- More information about these and other events by the UCSD Alumni Association can be found at http://alumni.ucsd.edu/events/index.asp.
[edit] Chapters and Groups
The UCSD Alumni Association hosts a variety of social, cultural, athletic, and academic activities across the globe for alumni and current students.
| Regional Chapters | Constituent Chapters |
|---|---|
| Asia | Black Alumni |
| Atlanta | Chicano Alumni |
| Bay Area | LGBT Alumni |
| Boston | Native American Indian Alumni |
| Chicago | UCSD Staff Alumni |
| Europe | Scripps Institution of Oceanography |
| Los Angeles | Sixth College Alumni |
| New York | Structural Engineering |
| Orange County | Triton Enterprise Network |
| Sacramento | Alumni Groups |
| San Diego | Biological Sciences |
| San Luis Obispo | Computing Arts Group |
| Seattle | Int’l Relations/ Pacific Studies |
| Twin Cities Minnesota | Rady School Of Management |
| Ventura/ Santa Barbara | School Of Medicine |
| Washington D.C. |
[edit] Membership
Initially, membership in the Association was free to any person who attended a minimum of six quarters at UCSD or who graduated from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. In 1975, a dues membership program was established, but was discontinued in 1977. 55 life members were acquired during the two years.
In August 1989, a more comprehensive membership campaign was launched. Currently, nearly 8,000 alumni are members of the Association. Eligibility for annual or life membership is extended to individuals who completed a minimum of six quarters at UCSD. Affiliate membership is available to friends of UCSD interested in supporting the Association.
[edit] Student Outreach
The UCSD Alumni Association is directly connected to two student programs; UCSD Student Foundation and COAST. The UCSD Student Foundation (www.studentfoundation.ucsd.edu) is designed to introduce students to philanthropic enterprises and concepts and the workings of educational foundations. COAST (www.thecoast.ucsd.edu), which stands for Chancellor’s Organization of Allied Students, is a group of students who participate in a variety of UCSD External Relations events and give their insight to issues about UCSD from the student perspective.
[edit] External links
UCSD Main Page http://ucsd.edu/
UCSD Alumni Association http://alumni.ucsd.edu/
External Relations http://www-er.ucsd.edu/
UCSD Student Foundation http://studentfoundation.ucsd.edu/
COAST http://thecoast.ucsd.edu/
UCSD CampusLoop http://alumni.ucsd.edu/update/email.asp
@UCSD Magazine http://alumni.ucsd.edu/magazine/index.htm
@UCSD Fan Page http://www.facebook.com/pages/La-Jolla-CA/UCSD/23426235024
