Great museums like the UCMP can grow even stronger by expanding their essential functions through new resources. In fact, UCMP's legacy is built upon the generosity of individuals motivated by an enthusiastic and deep commitment to the value of paleontological collections for research, education, and outreach gifts by Annie Alexander in the early 1900s established our main endowment that is central to our day-to-day operation. More recently, UCMP received a gift of $1 million to provide a Hewlett Chair1 for UCMP, the Philip Sandford Boone Chair in Paleontology, with the goal of securing Berkeley's ability to continue to attract and retain Directors of the highest caliber.
In this issue of UCMP News, we highlight new ways we are furthering the research and education missions of the UCMP through the launching of a capital campaign that focuses on areas of greatest need: (1) supporting graduate student research; (2) expanding and securing the future of our online education resources; and, (3) developing new ways of preserving the legacy of our collections.
This capital campaign builds on the generosity of several recent gifts and donations. Our goal of increasing support of graduate student research (1) is centered on growing a new endowment, the Anthony Barnosky Honorary Fund for Graduate Student Support, just established through a very generous gift of $150,000 from a UCMP alum (see box below). We hope to secure the future of our education and outreach program (2), which includes UCMP's award-winning online resources Understanding Evolution and Understanding Science, by establishing a new endowment, the UCMP Fund for Education and Outreach (see box below). The seeds for that endowment have already been sown by Judy Scotchmoor, who many of you know. Finally, on a shorter timescale, we have embarked on raising funds to capture UCMP's living history (3) through the Bill Clemens Oral History Fund.
Together with you, our Friends, alumni, and supporters, we can meet the goal of furthering the research and education traditions at the UCMP. We anticipate a greater ability to attract new projects, new talent, and new technologies to strengthen our underlying mission. You can make a direct, charitable donation to any of these UCMP funds via Berkeley's secure Give to Cal website.