Vice Chancellor Rhea Turteltaub discusses the factors that ignited the campaign and why there is cause for even more optimism about the campus’s future.
The gift, from alumna Alicia Miñana and her husband, Rob Lovelace, establishes a hub that will engage scholars, community organizations, practitioners and lawmakers.
The interdisciplinary institute is the first initiative of its size and scope. It is being created with a $20 million gift from the estate of philanthropist and entrepreneur Kirk Kerkorian.
The gift will help bridge the so-called “valley of death” in laboratory research, when lack of funding prevents promising discoveries from reaching clinical trials.
The bequest by Sidney Roberts and Clara Szego Roberts reflects the couple’s backgrounds — both benefited from college scholarships — and their passion for science and the arts.
The donation establishes the Doumani Research Innovation Fund, which will support translating scientific discoveries into new treatments for people with cancer.