Tuesday, April 13, 2010

UCSB ALUMNI HONOR DIGITAL INSTRUMENTS FOUNDER VIRGIL ELINGS

Awards spotlight service and work of Virgil Elings, Betty Elings Wells, Hank Pitcher, Lynn Reitnouer and Bill Villa

The UC Santa Barbara Alumni Association will honor philanthropists Virgil Elings and Betty Elings Wells as Honorary Alumni at its Awards Banquet during the All Gaucho Reunion in April.
Honorees will also include artist Hank Pitcher, ’71, Crowell, Weedon & Company senior partner Lynn Reitnouer, ’55, and former UCSB Director of Admissions Bill Villa, ’69, for their generous work and service to the university.
Virgil Elings and Betty Elings Wells will be recognized for their partnership in the philanthropic support of the California NanoSystems Institute at UC Santa Barbara.
Virgil Elings is a former UCSB professor of physics who made fundamental contributions leading to the scientific revolution at the nanoscale. In 1987, he co-founded Digital Instruments, the first company to make the power of atomic scanning probe microscopy readily available to scientists, a critical starting point in nanoscience and nanotechnology.
During their marriage, Betty Elings Wells was a real estate investor and business partner with her former husband, Virgil Elings. Together, they launched numerous entrepreneurial ventures, including Digital Instruments, where she was office manager and secretary of the corporation.
Pitcher will be recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus for his long career as an artist, which began at UCSB’s College of Creative Studies. Pitcher is best known as a painter of California beach culture, and has had several exhibits and published several books of art. He began teaching art at the College of Creative Studies as soon as he graduated, and became a tenured professor of art in 1996.
Reitnouer will be honored with the Graver Service Award for his work as a trustee of the UCSB Foundation since 1992. He served as board chairman from 1997-1998. He also was the chairman of the Chancellor’s Council from 1993-1995. Reitnouer currently serves as steering committee co-chair of the Campaign for UC Santa Barbara, which has raised $562 million since its inception in 2000.
Villa will receive the Graver Service Award for recognition of his contributions to the campus and its students. Villa served as associate director of the EOP office early on, and then moved to the Admissions office in 1977 as director. He spent 23 years in Admissions, working to diversify the campus’s undergraduate student population.
The 2010 Alumni Association Awards Banquet will be held at 6:30 p.m. April 23 at Corwin Pavilion, UC Santa Barbara University Center. A no-host reception begins at 5:30 p.m. Individual tickets are $90. Blue table reservations are $800. Gold table reservations are $1,000 and receive two bottles of wine. Each table seats eight. To make reservations, register at www.ucsbalum.com/agr or contact Mary MacRae at (805) 893-2957 or e-mail mary.macrae@ia.ucsb.edu.

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If you’d like more information about this topic, please call Mary MacRae at (805) 893-2957 or e-mail Mary at mary.macrae@ia.ucsb.edu.

For reporter, photographer or videographer access to this event, please contact Andrea Huebner at (805) 893-4077 or andrea.huebner@ia.ucsb.edu.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010



Dioji Dog Dash invades UCSB for the Gaucho Gallop
Do you have a furry friend at home? Looking to share your love of running with the one that loves you unconditionally? Bring them to the Gaucho Gallop and you can have your cake and eat it too!
Dioji Dog Dash
Bring your dog and get ready to race for perhaps the biggest prize off the day: a 3 month supply of dog food! Runners and their dogs will compete versus other human/dog teams over a 1 kilometer distance with the winner (both male an female) taking home the prize.
Dioji Doggie Lounge
Take part in the one-of-a-kind Doggie Lounge hosted by the great folks at the Dioji K-9 Resort & Athletic Club. Your dog will be cared for while you race your heart out in the 10K or 5K runs. Be sure to register early, we have limited spaces.
For more information, go to www.UCSBruns.com/doggoneit

Monday, April 5, 2010

UC SANTA BARBARA ANNOUNCES FIRST EVER “GAUCHO FRIDAY”
Annual Event to be held on Friday, April 23rd

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (April 5, 2010) -- UC Santa Barbara Executive Vice Chancellor Gene Lucas and Alumni Association Executive Director George Thurlow have announced April 23 as Gaucho Friday and encourage all students, faculty, staff, and friends to wear blue and gold apparel that bears the university’s name on that date.

“UCSB is respected for its academic excellence and abundant social opportunities in a hospitable and beautiful environment,” Lucas said. “Gauchos are much like a family that all work together to make this university one that has much to be proud of. To identify with a campus as unique and distinguished as that of UCSB, it deserves to be celebrated.”

Gaucho Friday is sponsored by the UCSB Alumni Association, UCSB Bookstore, La Cumbre Yearbook and UCSB Athletics and will be working closely with the community to accumulate prizes for the event.

Students, Faculty and Staff “caught” wearing their school spirit by OlĂ©, the beloved mascot, and his posse will be given raffle tickets and will have a chance to win a whole host of prizes. Gaucho Friday kicks off the fourth annual All Gaucho Reunion, taking place that weekend. The All Gaucho Reunion is an opportunity for all past and current students, as well as their friends, to reconnect with each other.

Executive Director George Thurlow encourages all students to be proud of their remarkable university by wearing their Gaucho gear.

“We are extremely lucky to be associated with such a fantastic university. From academics to athletics, UCSB truly excels! Our Faculty members are among the brightest in the world and our alumni have gone on to do some incredible things.” Thurlow said.

As part of the event, the UCSB bookstore will be offering a 20% discount on all adult UCSB logoed clothing on Gaucho Friday. In addition, everyone who receives a raffle ticket from Ole and his posse will have the chance to win a variety of gift certificates.

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For more information, go to www.facebook.com/GauchoFriday

Friday, April 2, 2010

Santa Barbara County Economic outlook
Thursday April 22, 2010

7:00 am Registration & Breakfast
8:00 am Craig Zimmerman-Chairperson Welcome & Introductions
8:10 am Dan Walters - Syndicated Columnist, Sacramento Bee State of the State
8:30 am P eter Rupert, Ph.D., Professor, Vice Chair, Housing, Jobs and Economic Policy
UC Santa Barbara, Economics Department
9:00 am Chris Thornberg - Principal, Beacon Economics United States & California Economy
9:40 am Brad Kemp - Director of Regional Research, Beacon Economics Santa Barbara County Economy
10:30 am Close
Registration by Mail: Make checks payable to Santa Barbara Chamber. Mail payment and registration form to SB
Chamber, Economic Outlook Seminar Registration, P.O Box 299, Santa Barbara, CA 93102.
For more information, go to: http://www.ucsb-efp.com/