November 27, 2006
 We have much to be thankful for this holiday season. We have a record number of students who embody the UC San Diego tradition of uncommon scholarship and global citizenship. We have several new members on our leadership team, as well as new faculty and staff members. This past year, we graduated our first classes from the Rady School of Management and the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. We’ve expanded and strengthened our collaborations - locally, nationally and globally. And we continue to be a top-ranked higher education and research university. We also have much to look forward to next year.
Campaign Impact
We are in the final stretch of our seven-year, $1 billion campaign that is raising much-needed funding for student scholarships, research endeavors and academic programs. The campaign will end in the summer of 2007. To date, we’ve raised nearly $940 million toward our goal and the funding is already making a difference at UC San Diego. It’s helping first-generation college students pursue their dreams of higher education. It’s helped provide thousands of underserved children across San Diego with free vision screenings, eye exams and glasses. It’s provided new tablet laptop computers, printers and accessories to incoming freshmen participating in the Summer Bridge academic support and leadership development program. The campaign money is also being used to support research to fight Celiac Disease, perform innovative studies of brain rhythms, and investigate a specialized type of microRNA that may function as a tumor suppressor. In addition, thanks to a generous donation to the Department of Recreation, outdoor lighting is being added to recreation areas so students can stay active and play sports into the night. We are grateful to all of our supporters who have joined us in our commitment to higher education.
Campus Construction
We have several construction projects underway on campus, many of which will be completed in 2007. One of our ongoing projects is the development of the University Center neighborhood which will include the Student Academic Services building, the Price Center expansion, the new Music Building and the renovation of the original Student Center. The neighborhood will be a gateway to the campus. It will encourage interaction among students, faculty, staff and visitors. It will provide convenient access to stores, restaurants and services. And it will be a lively area, day and night, featuring art shows, exhibits, concerts, and other endeavors.
The new Student Academic Services building is already 85 percent complete and should be finished by mid-March, with everyone moved in by May. More than 300 employees will be based in this new facility that will provide a total of 100,000-square-feet of space. The building will house the Triton Center (a welcome center for visitors, students and their families), Admissions and Enrollment Services, Financial Aid, Student Business Services, the Office of Graduate Studies, Student Research and Information, the Sexual Assault Resource Center, Student Policy and Judicial Affairs, Student Legal Services, the Cashier’s office, the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs’ Resource and Analysis group, Imprints, and two restaurants. The building will also have seven shared conference rooms which will be available to student and campus organizations, as well as the community.
Phase two of the expansion of the original Student Center will be completed next fall. It will provide a new building for Groundworks Books, interior seating for the Grove Caffe, new student organization offices, a student computer lounge that will be open in the evening, and outdoor lighting. Phase one was finished last February. The additions included two new buildings - the Women’s Center and LGBT Resource Center – and a Thai restaurant.
The 160,000-square-foot Price Center expansion began March 2006 and will be completed January 2008. The development will include eight new retail stores and restaurants, additional meeting space and an alumni center. Rounding out our University Center neighborhood, next year we’ll begin construction of our new Music Building. The state-of-the-art facility will serve as an anchor for our Music Department and provide a world-class, 400-seat concert venue for the San Diego community.
Another exciting construction project is the Rady School of Management’s Otterson Hall. It’s already 70 percent complete and will serve as the new headquarters for the school next year. Additionally, in an effort to meet the community need for eye care, we’re building a new wing of the Shiley Eye Center and expanding the Anne F. and Abraham Ratner Children’s Eye Center. The additions will house exam rooms, clinical space, research labs and offices.
Props to Prop 1D
Many of our upcoming construction projects will be funded by Proposition 1D which California voters passed in November. The statewide school bond appropriates $10.4 billion for public schools, community colleges and universities to help alleviate overcrowded classrooms, make seismic and other repairs to aging buildings, and upgrade labs and other scientific facilities. Due to the passage of Prop 1D, UC San Diego will receive $94.5 million to refurbish older facilities and build new ones. Specifically, the funding will help construct the new Structural and Materials Engineering Building, improve the campus’ chilled water and electrical distribution system, create additional lab and office space, and help with planning costs for the second phase of the Rady School of Management facility. Proposition 1D funding will also help buy equipment for the new Music Building.
There is so much to look forward to next year. But for now, the holiday season is a time to relax and spend time with loved ones. And, more important to our students, the arrival of the holidays signifies the end of finals and a temporary reprieve from classes. Enjoy the break and the holiday season!
With warm regards,
Marye Anne Fox
Chancellor
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