UC San Diego Alumni Initiate ‘First Wave’ of Support for Triton Alumni and Welcome Center
The University of California San Diego’s highly anticipated Triton Center will serve as the heart of campus, and its Triton Alumni and Welcome Center will be a central hub for returning alumni. Several UC San Diego alumni leaders have stepped up to support the project, including Taner Halıcıoğlu ’96, who has pledged $25 million to support the Triton Alumni and Welcome Center.
Serving as a home away from home for UC San Diego alumni and an engaging campus gateway for students, faculty, staff and visitors, the Triton Alumni and Welcome Center was named to represent the entire Triton family – past, present and future.
“I am full of hope and excitement about the Triton Alumni and Welcome Center and the many possibilities that it will open up,” said Halıcıoğlu. “Connections with other students filled with big ideas, faculty who challenge us to aim higher and fellow alumni who share our desire to make change in the world have, for me, always been at the heart of UC San Diego’s identity. My hope is that this gift will inspire others to join me in supporting this historic campus project.”
One of four co-located buildings within Triton Center, the Triton Alumni and Welcome Center will be a place for the entire UC San Diego community to come together to socialize, work, gather and collaborate. It will be home to a dedicated boardroom, lounge, library, hoteling space and meeting rooms for alumni, as well as state-of-the-art exhibition space to share our campus’ distinctive history. The Triton Alumni and Welcome Center also will be the starting point for new Tritons to tour the campus.
“The Triton Alumni and Welcome Center at Triton Center will unite Tritons across generations,” said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “We are so grateful to Taner for his visionary support of this project, which will be the first place where prospective students arrive on campus, and the place where alumni return to exchange ideas, reconnect with each other and help inspire current and future students.”
The Triton Alumni and Welcome Center is slated for completion in 2026. In addition to serving as the new home for the Triton Alumni and Welcome Center, Triton Center will centralize student and campus services; showcase UC San Diego’s distinctive accomplishments, heritage, art and culture; and offer spaces for relaxation, enrichment and celebration.
A wave of alumni support
Since the project was announced, UC San Diego alumni have come together to support the new center. Sandra Timmons ’81 and Richard L. Sandstrom ’72, PhD ’79, pledged $2 million to support the Triton Alumni and Welcome Center. The sixth floor of the Triton Alumni and Welcome Center, featuring a lounge, library and outdoor terrace, will be named in recognition of their gift.
“We are excited to see the future Triton Alumni and Welcome Center – the first in the history of UC San Diego, which will create a home for alumni who are visiting the campus,” said Timmons. “As alumni who met each other on campus, we believe in the importance of having a central place for the campus community to gather and for alumni to connect and mentor UC San Diego students.”
In addition to the gift from Timmons and Sandstrom, James “Jim” S. Kaplan ’84 pledged $250,000 to the project, naming the Alumni Board Room pre-function lobby, which will be known as the James Kaplan Lobby. Matthew J. Newsome ’91 and Linda S. Tseng-Ong ’87, MD and James J. Ong, MD ’89, also have provided significant support to the project, naming spaces within the center.
Coming together to volunteer their time as ambassadors for the project are alumni leaders including past and present members of the UC San Diego Alumni Board of Directors, as well as the Triton Leadership Committee, whose members include Halıcıoğlu, Timmons, Kimberley “Kim” L. Phillips Boehm ’82, PhD; and Gary E. Jacobs ’79.
Joining the ‘first wave’
UC San Diego alumni and friends now have the opportunity to be among the first to support the project, joining the “first wave” of supporters to the Triton Alumni and Welcome Center. UC San Diego Alumni Board President Ping Yeh ’99, MS ’01; Jerrilyn T. Malana ’86; and Gabriela Manriquez ’89, MPIA ’97, each established matches to help raise $25,000 for the project by March 31, 2024.
“We are grateful to all of our alumni supporters who are seeking to bring Tritons together with the Triton Alumni and Welcome Center,” said Khosla. “Our alumni are making their mark and creating a lasting legacy at UC San Diego, which will benefit countless generations to come.”