When asked what makes a university rise to the top, Dean of Biological Sciences Eduardo Macagno unequivocally says, “Quality of the faculty. In any university it’s the quality of the faculty.”

“I think of the teachers who inspired me when I was at UCSD. We need to continue to recruit that caliber and give them additional dollars to do their research,” says Leo Spiegel, ’83. “If we get great faculty, we’ll get great students, and more important, great graduates.”

Over the next decade, UCSD’s general campus expects to add 765 faculty members due to growth, retirements and attrition. The University’s most powerful recruitment and retention tool in a competitive market is the academic distinction of an endowed chair that also provides
financial support to cover expenses such as lab space, equipment and data needed for research.

When UCSD’s legendary professor of biology Paul Saltman passed away in 1999, the campus created the Paul Saltman Endowed Chair for Teaching Excellence and many of his former students made gifts in his memory.

“Paul Saltman had that unique ability to combine instinctive teaching, enthusiasm for biochemistry, and caring about his students in equal measure,” says Dan Rosen, Ph.D. ’79, a donor to the Saltman fund. “I wanted to give to this fund because his inspiration served as a beacon in my life.”

Another way that alumni of any means can support faculty is by contributing to deans’ innovation funds, which are available for most academic areas on campus. The deans utilize these funds to address priority areas of need, such as faculty retention and recruitment.

For information about contributing to deans’ funds or other areas of faculty support, contact UCSD Development at (858) 534-1610.