November 2005

Dear Colleagues:

As I write this, the Fall Quarter is more than half completed and campus activity continues at full swing, with many notable highlights. I would like to open this letter by drawing your attention to an especially important and exciting event: The opening of the new California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2) facility.

Calit2 is an innovative university research environment perched on the leading edge of the digital revolution. Using $100 million from the State of California, Calit2 designed and constructed two buildings: at UC San Diego and UC Irvine. In concert with UC Irvine’s sister institute, our new campus research facility fosters multidisciplinary collaboration among a wide range of fields.

At the dedication ceremony on Oct. 28, we were proud to announce the naming of the Calit2 building as Richard C. Atkinson Hall in honor of former President of the University of California and former Chancellor of UC San Diego Richard C. Atkinson. President Atkinson is one of the people most responsible for the establishment of the four UC Institutes and first to express the vision for what became Calit2 at UC San Diego.

During this exciting event, visitors were treated to glimpses of cutting-edge technological advances and experiments. In tours of the wing that houses pristine laboratory environments, guests saw equipment that will be used to make nanodevices for use in fighting cancer. In another wing, visitors wore special glasses to see 3-D images of thunderstorms and mathematical models displayed through the world’s highest-definition projector.

The dedication featured more than 100 exhibits from 20 disciplines, including: Bioengineering; Data Analysis; Homeland Security; Information Technology; Nanotechnology; New Media Arts; Robotics; Smart Spaces; Speech; Video Processing; and Wireless Networks.

Keep your eye on this institute for breakthrough research in the areas of wireless communication and nanotechnology, as well as many other fields dealing with large-scale societal issues. This was an exciting day for the campus, and I hope you were able to stop by for the opening events.

For more on Calit2, visit: http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/thisweek/2005/oct/10_31_calit2.asp

Chancellor’s 5K Run/Walk Sets New Records

On Oct. 21, I hosted the Chancellor’s Challenge 5K Run/Walk for Scholars, a campus tradition now in its 10th year. I’m delighted to report that the number of participants in the Chancellor’s 5K has set a new record. I personally pledged $5,000 to the scholarships if participants in the run/walk topped 1,500. Besting last year’s total of 1,395, this year’s event included 1,527 runners and walkers who raised money for UCSD undergraduate scholarships by pounding the pavement. We enjoyed the support of hundreds of people who gave their time, effort, and money to one of UCSD’s finest traditions. Our efforts have been well rewarded: This year, the 5K raised a total amount of $253,300 – setting another record! It was also great fun.

In conjunction with the event, longtime 5K sponsor Fisher Scientific, with the support of CEO Paul Montrone, has made a substantial gift to endow the Mary Louise and Charlie Robins Scholarship Fund at UCSD. With the help of sponsors like this, as well as many other donors and participants, the Chancellor’s Challenge had generated nearly $1.5 million for undergraduate scholarships since 1996.

For additional information on supporting undergraduates at UCSD, visit www.studentsupport.ucsd.edu.

UCSD Ranked 7th in Nation in Federal R&D Funding

UCSD ranked 7th in the nation in federal research and development funding at research universities in 2002-2003, according to the most recent ranking from the National Science Foundation (NSF)

UCSD spent a total of $646.5 million in research and development funds during that time, ranking seventh among all federally funded research universities. The top 10 universities, in order, are Johns Hopkins; UCLA; Michigan; Wisconsin-Madison; University of Washington; UC San Francisco; UCSD; Stanford; Pennsylvania; and Cornell.

It is worth noting that the NSF commonly releases rankings several years behind the calendar year. In a more up-to-date note, the total of all 2004-2005 awards for research contracts and grants at UCSD totaled $728.4 million.

International Studies Among Top in Nation

Underscoring UCSD’s expanding focus on and strength in international affairs, the university has been rated among the top ten in the nation this year in a listing of the best schools for studying foreign affairs. The listing was the result of a survey of 1,100 college and university international affairs scholars who were asked to name the best schools for both academic and policy careers. The survey was conducted by the College of William and Mary, and the results have just been published by the influential journal “Foreign Policy.”

The study ranked UCSD ninth in the nation on the list of the best schools for students pursuing an international relations career in academia. The university was ranked tenth on the list of the best schools for students pursuing a career in public policy.

We have a stellar international program, and we are pleased to have this recognition from scholars in the field -- those who are in the best position to recognize outstanding departments and superb teachers. We look forward to continued growth in our international studies programs as the university continues to expand its global presence.

Chancellor’s Online Chat Constructive and Informative

I want to thank all the students who participated with me in the Chancellor’s Web Chat on Oct. 19. This is my third UCSD Web Chat, and I believe it was the liveliest one so far. We chatted for an hour, and many issues were raised and discussed. The topics ranged from growing fruit trees on campus, to parking concerns, to the Report of the Undergraduate Student Experience and Satisfaction Committee (which is now posted on the Chancellor’s Web site as a direct result of the Web Chat).

We currently hold these chats at the beginning of the first quarter and at the end of the last quarter of the academic year, but there is interest in increasing the frequency of the chats. If you think we should increase the number of chats, please send me an email at chancellor@ucsd.edu and let me know. We could consider having them once a quarter. If you want to read a transcript of the last Web Chat, visit http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/oncampus/chancellor_chat_10_19_05.asp

With warm regards,

Marye Anne Fox