June 4, 2007

Congratulations to the more than 6,000 students who will graduate from UC San Diego’s undergraduate colleges and graduate schools this month.  As you enter the next chapter in your life, it is our hope that you’ll apply your acquired knowledge to solving some of the world’s most pressing problems, such as global warming.  This is an issue scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography have been studying for more than a half-century and it is the topic of a new exhibit - “Feeling the Heat: The Climate Challenge” - at our own Birch Aquarium.  

Al Gore Visits UCSD
We had a very special guest help us kick-off our new exhibit.  Vice President Al Gore attended the official opening and also presented his now famous multimedia lecture, “An Inconvenient Truth,” to a packed crowd at our RIMAC Arena.  With his Oscar-winning film, book, and traveling presentation, Gore is challenging the world to address global warming.  He learned about climate change research when he was a student at Harvard.  His teacher was none other than the late Roger Revelle, one of UC San Diego’s founders and the fifth director of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.  Revelle was one of the first scientists and scholars to study the steady rise of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which brought attention to the issue of global warming.  For information on the new exhibit at the Birch Aquarium, click here.

Revelle Legacy Continues
Roger Revelle’s wife, Ellen, and her family have graciously donated $2.5 million to create the largest endowed chair in the history of Scripps Institution of Oceanography.  The Roger Revelle Chair in Environmental Science will initially be used to recruit an outstanding climate scientist to Scripps.  We appreciate the Revelle family’s long-standing support, friendship and generosity, and we’re grateful for their commitment to improving our environment and our world.

Music Center Officially Named
I’m pleased to announce the new, official name of the world-class music center being constructed in the heart of campus.  It will be called The Conrad Prebys Music Center, in honor of a generous $6 million gift from Mr. Prebys.  He has had a significant and positive impact on the San Diego community, admirably contributing his time, and making philanthropic gifts to, a number of worthy causes, including the UCSD Moores Cancer Center.  The Conrad Prebys Music Center will feature state-of-the-art computer and sound technology, and will have one of the most technologically advanced small concert halls in the world.  We’re looking forward to hosting a vast array of musicians from around the world at the Center.  We believe this new facility will serve as a bridge to our community, as thousands of San Diegans will be drawn to our campus every year to hear internationally renowned performers.  The construction should be completed in the fall of 2009.

Opening Doors to Success
The Rady School of Management now has a new home on campus, as construction for Otterson Hall was recently completed.  The beautiful building overlooking the Pacific Ocean gives the school an increased presence at UC San Diego and in the community.  Otterson Hall features tiered classrooms, offices for faculty and staff, conference rooms, and common areas for students.  The building provides our students with cutting-edge technology and tools they need to become leaders of innovation-driven organizations.  In addition to its sustainable features, the building was designed to be open and to encourage interaction among students, faculty, staff, the rest of campus, and community members.  

Congratulations to our Graduates
The commencement ceremony is a long-standing tradition that recognizes a student’s achievements and marks a rite of passage as a person transitions from one phase in life to another.  This is an exciting time for all of our graduates who have achieved so much during their time here; they applied themselves to their studies, expanded their minds, made life-long friends, and learned life lessons.  Now it’s time for our graduates to move onto the next chapter of their lives, and use their world-class education to address global challenges and solve real-world problems.  For information about UC San Diego graduation ceremonies, click here.

Good luck to the Class of 2007.  I hope you will continue to be engaged with UC San Diego, and that our achievements and recognition will be a source of pride for you.

                                                                        With warm regards,

                                                                        Marye Anne Fox
                                                                        Chancellor