Our Stories
Philanthropy is a process of discovery. Supporters and scholars learn and grow together. These stories illustrate the meaningful relationships that enrich our campus community and beyond.
Discover what inspires our community of supporters.
No Limits
When John Martinis won the Nobel Prize, Trustee Susan ’70 and Bruce ’68,’71 Worster had a particular reason to celebrate. The chair they endowed helped recruit him to UCSB. Their lifelong commitment to UC Santa Barbara will leave an enduring legacy on campus.
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At the Crossroads
Three historic buildings overlooking the Pacific are about to find a new purpose. Trustee Linda La Kretz Duttenhaver ’77 is helping create a place where environmental researchers and community partners can work together, honoring her father’s legacy while putting an underused corner of campus to work.
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Beyond Academia
What does a history degree have to do with international trade? For Anthony Moran ’78, quite a lot. His UCSB education prepared him for a career answering Congress’ questions. His bequest will help undergraduates pursue the subject that taught him to gather facts and connect ideas.
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Ready for the West Coast Conference
New opponents. New cities. New opportunities to connect. As UCSB Athletics prepares to join the West Coast Conference in July 2027, supporters are helping student-athletes meet the moment. Their investments reach from scholarships and training to the experiences that prepare students for life beyond competition.
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A Lifelong Mentor
At a department awards ceremony, Ralph Archuleta noticed few awards recognized graduate students in geophysics. The longtime professor and earthquake researcher decided to change that. His legacy gift will support students in the field he spent 30 years teaching, studying, and helping others explore.
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A Legacy Conversation With Professor Emeritus Duncan Mellichamp
Duncan and Suzanne Mellichamp have helped faculty build careers and students pursue new ideas at UC Santa Barbara. In this conversation, Duncan, professor and trustee emeritus, shares what guides their legacy giving and lessons they have learned along the way.
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Theoretical Physics, Practical Support
How can a future gift make a difference today? KITP’s Legacy Match Challenge unlocks $10,000 for each new member who documents a planned gift. The initiative is inspiring supporters to find new ways to sustain the institute and help early-career physicists take risks and pursue ideas.
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A Mirror and a Window
Jim Bettinger ’69 didn’t plan to become a journalist. A friend’s invitation to review rock music for the student newspaper changed that. After a career in reporting, editing, and journalism education, he is helping future Daily Nexus staff discover what they can learn on assignment.
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Opening a Window
A professor’s suggestion sent Marc Grossman ’73 to England. It also helped set him on a path to a 29-year diplomatic career. Now, the former ambassador is helping Promise Scholars study abroad and discover the people, places, and possibilities that could change the course of their lives.
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A Path To Success
Hailey Villanueva ’27 can already picture her future English classroom. ÉXITO is helping her get there. With support from Michelle Cowell ’90 and the Slick Family Foundation, the program prepares future teachers and helps current educators bring ethnic studies into classrooms across subjects and grade levels.
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A Continuous Path
Some Bentson Scholars arrive ready to study the ocean. Others learn to swim and dive for the first time. Laurie Bentson Kauth ’69 and Bill Kauth ’78 are extending that community into graduate research, creating a path for marine scientists to keep asking questions and mentoring one another.
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Ideas Take Center Stage
Geof and Laura Wyatt help bring acclaimed writers and thinkers to Santa Barbara through Arts & Lectures’ Word of Mouth series, where ideas move from the stage into conversations with students and experiences throughout the community.estions wherever the sources lead.
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In Pursuit of the Past
Fragile court records in Florence held answers that Ph.D. candidate Joseph Figliulo-Rosswurm couldn’t find from home. The Frost Fellowship helped him get there. Established by Professor Emeritus Frank Frost in honor of his wife, Amanda, the award helps history students follow their questions wherever the sources lead.
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Unlocking a Family Legacy
Seventy thousand microscope slides hold clues to the plant world. For years, digitizing Vernon Cheadle’s collection seemed out of reach. His son Bill is helping change that with a scanning microscope that will make decades of botanical research available to scientists and students around the world.
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Souvenir
The Jeanette Hanisee Gabriel M.A. ’88 Memorial Fellowship will honor the life and legacy of an art historian and subject matter expert on micromosaics who passed away in 2025. The fellowship, established by her husband Angelo “Gino” Gabriel, will help graduate students who also specialize in European decorative arts.
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Organic Honors
The Paula Bruice Scholarship in Organic Chemistry will continue her life’s work supporting young people in their quest to enter healthcare. Established by three alumni to celebrate Bruice’s retirement and teaching legacy, this endowed fund supports undergraduate students who have achieved distinction in organic chemistry.
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For the Love of Listening
Harry Smith Glaze Jr.’s remarkable collection of more than 2,000 rare opera recordings is available at UC Santa Barbara, where it will be preserved and shared through the Library’s Performing Arts Collection thanks to his daughter, Cathy. She also established the Harry Smith Glaze Jr. Fund for the Performing Arts to ensure its long-term care and accessibility.
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Publisher, Leader, Benefactor
Sara Miller McCune H’05 is a pioneering publisher, dedicated philanthropist, and longtime UC Santa Barbara leader. Her far-reaching support across the social sciences, Arts & Lectures, the Library, and more reflects a steadfast belief in the power of research and the humanities to strengthen democracy.
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