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Faculty, staff and emeriti: 'Why I gave to Campaign UCLA'

Among the more than 225,000 donors to Campaign UCLA were generous faculty, administrators, staff and emeriti who, as current and former campus employees, have special insight about where their gifts would have the
greatest impact.

Alison Bunting
former director of the Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library

"During my tenure as library director, I was especially grateful for discretionary donor gifts that allowed us to address the highest priority needs of the library. The Alison and Wade Bunting Endowed Discretionary Fund provides current and future directors of the biomedical library with the type of flexible support I so appreciated, and it will serve to strengthen the programs and services of the library.”

Gerald Finerman
professor and chairman of orthopedic surgery and head team physician, who contributed
to the construction of the new Acosta Training Center and other UCLA needs

"When I first came here, there was a training room set up in one corner of Pauley Pavilion that didn’t offer much privacy. In the new training room complex, we have put in a medical suite that will give us the opportunity to see patients in private. … Patients deserve privacy and confidentiality wherever they are. So I’m happy to do it.”

Thelma Estrin
professor emerita of computer science, who gave to a fund for women in engineering

"I have been a woman in engineering for 50 years. I don’t see lots of women going into engineering, and I don’t know why not. I have two daughters,  both in engineering. I hope more women will see that it’s an interesting profession for anyone who’s reasonably good at math.”

Bernice Wenzel and her husband, Wendell Jeffrey
emeriti professors, she with the Department of Physiology and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, and he with the Department of Psychology. They also fund a lecture and have included behests to UCLA in their trust.

"We came to UCLA in 1955 and have enjoyed a long relationship with the university. Last year the need for immediate support became apparent, and we were able to commit sufficient funds for a term Chair in Behavioral Neuroscience, an area expressing our overlapping interests. We are pleased that this gift has already contributed significantly to retaining an outstanding young faculty member who was being actively recruited elsewhere.”

Edward Wiesmeier
assistant vice chancellor for student development and health, director of the Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center and a gynecologist. He and his wife, Elizabeth, contributed to the construction of the women’s clinic in the center.

Most of the new building was paid for by FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) and other sources. But $2.5 million was raised by donors. That made it possible to complete the building. My wife and I wanted to help to establish the women’s clinic, which I’m the director of.”

To honor and thank donors, two celebrations are being planned. A formal event, the Legacy Ball, will be held April 21, honoring lifetime million-dollar donors throughout UCLA’s history. A highlight of the evening will be the dedication of the new Court of Philanthropy at Wilson Plaza. On April 22, invited donors and their guests will celebrate Campaign UCLA’s impact as they attend faculty presentations, tour the campus and enjoy student performances. The day culminates with a ¡Carnival!-inspired party at the Court of Philanthropy.