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Greetings from David Lake, Acting Dean
In this issue of the Social Sciences e-Connection you will read about Whitney Friedman, a UC San Diego alumna and current graduate student, who travels to a far corner of the world to put her research into practice. It takes a motivated and committed researcher to travel to Shark Bay, Australia, for a year-long study on bottlenose dolphins. Her research will benefit the ecology of a World Heritage site, as well as enrich our knowledge about the social behaviors of aquatic mammals. Her dogged pursuit of knowledge is exemplary of numerous other Triton alumni who are highly dedicated to their respective professions. UC San Diego is not an “all things to all students” university. But in our focus areas, our work is exceptional and attracts young people of a similar caliber and makeup as Whitney.
For the second consecutive year Washington Monthly has ranked UC San Diego #1 in “what colleges are doing for the country.” These rankings reflect, to a great extent, the work of Social Sciences students in community service and volunteerism across America and beyond.
As you may imagine, the life of a student on campus today is more difficult than ever before. UC San Diego has never been more competitive: in 2011, a record 53,455 freshman applications were received and about 1 in 3 were accepted (roughly 3,700 chose to attend). Tuition has escalated dramatically and this year, for the first time in the history of the University of California, students paid more — about $2.97 billion — toward the cost of their education than did the state, which contributed only $2.37 billion. For graduating seniors, jobs are scarce. Professional work experience and practical skill sets are even more vital for securing employment in a career of the student’s choosing.
The Social Sciences have been responsive, with the development of internship programs in departments like Economics and practicum coursework in Education Studies. The UCDC program provides summer study and internship programs in our nation’s capital. We have created alumni networks in the legal, entertainment, communication and financial industries to help our students and alumni advance in their careers. In the dean’s office, we are establishing a fund to seed research projects with a specific emphasis on helping solve real world social problems. And, in 2011, we garnered gifts totaling more than $1.2 million in support of student scholarships and fellowships in the Social Sciences.
Ours is a team effort. I sincerely thank our generous alumni and friends who support our students and invest in UC San Diego. For students like Whitney, your support really can be life—and career—changing.
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