The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has received a $10.5 million gift to provide scholarships for undergraduate students, the school said in a release.
The gift came from the estate of late professors emeriti Dr. Sidney Roberts and Dr. Clara Szego Roberts, who both benefited from scholarships when they were enrolled in the college.
Donated to the Centennial Campaign for UCLA, which is scheduled to conclude in December 2019 during UCLA’s 100th anniversary year, the scholarship will benefit students studying science and art.
The couple, who came to the university in the 1940s, were staunch advocates for basic research. During their time at UCLA, their individual and collaborative efforts advanced understanding of hormones in relation to metabolism, nutrition, brain function, and other areas.
Sidney Roberts is credited with launching UCLA’s medical school as its first academic appointment and later became a founding member of the Brain Research Institute.
Both Sidney and Clara received the Ciba Award for “significant contributions to endocrinology” in 1953 and were named Guggenheim Fellows in 1956.
The estate has also donated $1.5 million to establish a chair in molecular and cellular endocrinology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and a Sohmer grand piano to support community outreach for the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.
Majority of Students Use Scholarships, Grants to Pay for College