The Parents Fund

Partners in Excellence

By Julie Chiron

Spring 2006 | The Parents Fund’s Question Man asks board members to share their motivations for giving to Cal. Their reasons are varied, but all want to help.

Eileen and Simon Chow

Eileen and Simon Chow
Our son’s maternal grandparents have been very involved in donating time and money to their community for the betterment of education, health, and social welfare. Following their lead, we want to do our part. For us, Cal exemplifies a school that is as good or better than many of the Ivy League universities. The student diversity and intellectual vitality of the campus have continued to motivate and invigorate our son, Eugene ’08. Cal should also receive additional commendation for having achieved this distinction despite limited funding as a public institution. We want to help UC Berkeley and our chancellor in providing an education that is both world-renowned and accessible to the public.

Alfred Clark

Alfred Clark
Now that we have a son, Steve ’09, at Cal and a son, John, at Stanford, life has gotten more interesting, especially around Big Game time. At the last Big Game, each nearly got in a scuffle when John went looking for Steve in the Cal student section and Steve went looking for John in the Stanford section — at the same time! Luckily, friends recognized them and saved them from becoming too caught up in the rivalry. We all know that in education, standing still means falling behind. By contributing to The Parents Fund and encouraging others to do so, my wife, Sue, and I can provide opportunities to enrich the educational experience for current students while keeping Cal among the top universities in the nation.

Kim and Tim Lien

Kim ’79 and Tim ’79 Lien
Our son, Taylor ’09, is a third-generation Bear on Tim’s side and a fifth-generation Bear on Kim’s side. Cal pride runs deep in our family. After high school, Taylor swore he would never take physics again. Then he heard about Berkeley Professor Richard Muller and his class, “Physics for Future Presidents,” which is one of Cal’s Discovery Courses. We were surprised that Taylor would want to tackle physics again, but he says he loves this class. One of his first assignments was to tell the professor about himself in an e-mail message. He mentioned his Golden Bear ancestry and was surprised when the professor immediately wrote back saying it was no wonder that Taylor liked Cal so much! We’re proud to support the Discovery Courses through our gifts to The Parents Fund. (For more information about Discovery Courses, including a video, go to http://
lsdiscovery.berkeley.edu/.)

Lynn Wendell

Lynn Wendell
There are several reasons my husband, Peter, and I give to The Parents Fund. First, education is one of our philanthropic priorities. Second, our daughter, Jennifer ’07, is having a wonderful experience at Cal, and we give out of gratitude for all the ways she has grown over her three years there. Third, and perhaps most importantly, we strongly believe in the Freshman and Sophomore Seminars program, which gives students a chance to learn in a small-group environment and to interact closely with a professor. If students have just one successful experience with a professor in a small-class environment early in their time at Cal, it is far more likely that they will replicate that experience as they progress through the years, and that their overall academic experience will be richer and deeper.

Funding Sources Today, state support and tuition together make up only 51 percent of Cal’s budget. The support of parents is essential to keeping tuition costs down and to funding programs and resources for students. This year, parents are joining together to raise $1.2 million for the university. So far they have already raised $900,000 toward that goal. Please use the enclosed envelope to send in your gift today. Every gift makes a difference. Call 510/643-2471 with questions or your reasons for being partners in Cal’s excellence.