Since its opening 43 years ago, UC Santa Cruz has achieved real distinction as a place where excellence is defined by the very special qualities of its people and programs.
On Friday, October 24, the campus's glorious past and its very promising future will be celebrated at UC Santa Cruz's second annual Founders Day dinner. It is my sincere hope that as many of you as possible can join me at this splendid event.
It is very appropriate that the theme of this celebratory event is "Fulfilling the Promise." Through the hard work, support, and accomplishments of the evening's honorees, UC Santa Cruz has been able to build upon the dreams of the people who founded this extraordinary campus.
The dinner--to be held at the Cocoanut Grove on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk--is open to the general public. The evening begins with a reception at 7:00, followed by dinner at 7:30.
For additional details and ticket information, please go to http://www.ucsc.edu/founders/ or call UCSC's Special Events Office at (831) 459-5003.
The 2008 Founders Day honorees are listed below:
* Dana Priest will receive the UCSC Alumni Association's annual Alumni Achievement Award. A 1981 graduate of Merrill College, she is an award-winning reporter for the Washington Post, who earned her second Pulitzer Prize in April for a 2007 exposé of the mistreatment of wounded Iraq war veterans at Walter Reed Medical Center.
* Narinder Singh Kapany will receive the Fiat Lux Award. This award is given by the UC Santa Cruz Foundation to alumni and friends who have demonstrated outstanding achievement, dedication, and service in support of the university's programs and goals. A research scientist, professor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Dr. Kapany is acknowledged by many as the "father of fiber optics."
* Patricia Zavella will be honored as UCSC's Faculty Research Lecturer for 2007-08. This award is the foremost academic research honor bestowed by UCSC's Academic Senate. A professor of Latin American and Latino Studies, she is one of the world's leading scholars in the fields of feminist ethnography and Chicana studies.
I am sure you will agree that the evening's honorees are very deserving of our appreciation and our recognition. I hope to see you there.
