At a July 18 news conference, the school announced a $1 million contribution from Bren, which, together with his gift of $1.5 million last August, will serve as the founding capital for the Bren Fellows Program, a series of up to 25 new faculty chairs, initially in the natural sciences and medicine.
UCI also announced that Francisco J. Ayala, of the university's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, has been named the first Bren Fellow, as well as the director of the Bren Fellows Program. That appointment will be supported by Bren's gift last August, whereas his new contribution will go for the appointment of an as-yet-unnamed second Bren Fellow.
"The Bren Fellows will be among the university's most prestigious faculty positions," UCI Chancellor Jack Peltason said at the press conference. "They will serve to further the highest level of scholarly endeavor and support our goal of becoming one of ...
