March 25, 2010

UCSB Receives $750,000 Endowment for Student Scholarships

Eileen Conrad

UC Santa Barbara has received a $750,000 gift to establish an endowment that will provide ongoing support for student scholarships in memory of UCSB alumnus Kevin Christensen.

The gift, in the form of a bequest from Christensen's late mother, Carolyn, will help keep UCSB accessible and affordable for deserving students, said Mike Miller, acting director of the UCSB Office of Financial Aid.

"The Kevin Christensen Memorial Scholarship Fund comes at a time when students are in dire need of scholarship assistance," Miller said.

"With the recent increase in UC fees, many students are struggling to find ways to finance their college education, and it is generous gifts such as this one from the Christensen family that will make the dream of a college degree become a reality for many of our students."

The recent contribution will help advance "Project You Can," a University of California systemwide effort to raise $1 billion in private funds for financial aid to ensure educational access for all qualified students.

At UCSB, 70 percent of all undergraduates receive some form of financial aid.

About UC Santa Barbara

The University of California, Santa Barbara is a leading research institution that also provides a comprehensive liberal arts learning experience. Our academic community of faculty, students, and staff is characterized by a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration that is responsive to the needs of our multicultural and global society. All of this takes place within a living and learning environment like no other, as we draw inspiration from the beauty and resources of our extraordinary location at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.