Composer Rand Steiger, currently chair of the UC SanC Diego department of music, is known for pushing the boundaries and exploring the combination of classical instruments with digital audio processing. Throughout his diverse career he has composed for and conducted critically acclaimed concerts and recordings with distinguished ensembles both here and abroad. In support of his teaching, research and service activities, Steiger has been appointed the inaugural holder of the Conrad Prebys Presidential Chair in Music in the Division of Arts and Humanities.
Steven Schick, a percussionist, conductor, author and distinguished professor of music at UC San Diego, is known for charging into new frontiers of contemporary music. As a soloist and director, he has performed with and led numerous local and international ensembles. In support of his teaching, research and service activities, Schick has been appointed the inaugural holder of the Reed Family Presidential Chair in the Division of Arts and Humanities.
“My father was an OB/GYN,” said Ernest Rady, one of San Diego’s most prominent philanthropists and business leaders. “When a woman would come in and say, ‘Thank you doctor, you saved my life,’ my father said it was like making a million dollars. He instilled in me the thought that helping others is fruitful.”
Fostering increased collaboration and innovation between Japan and San Diego, the University of California, San Diego has established the Japan Forum for Innovation and Technology (JFIT). The new program, which will be housed in UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy (formerly School of International Relations and Pacific Studies), will serve as a hub for research on contemporary business, science and technology in Japan, as well as associated policies. The launch of the Japan Forum at UC San Diego was made possible by a $300,000 pledged gift from Japanese IT company, Broadband Tower, Inc.
When the late Warren Hellman and his wife, Chris, established the Hellman Fellows Program in the 1990s, their vision was to help junior faculty take their research to the next level. Now in its 21st year at UC San Diego, the program has supported 275 fellows who show capacity for great distinction in their research and creative activities.
When he realized he had neither the talent nor the dedication to be a career musician, San Diego builder Conrad Prebys chose a different path. But his passion for music never wavered, and since 2007, he has generously given to the Division of Arts and Humanities at the University of California, San Diego to help ensure that the facilities, faculty and programs will continue to launch students into successful music careers.