The Difference an Unrestricted Gift Can Make

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This story originally appeared in the winter 2025 issue of UC San Diego Magazine as “The Gift That Keeps On Giving.”

Nearly a quarter century ago, UC San Diego received the largest- ever unrestricted donation to the campus: an estate gift of more than $10 million to establish the Rik and Flo Henrikson Endowed Fund. Still the largest gift of its kind to the campus, the endowment was established to provide UC San Diego’s chancellors with the flexibility to use the funding for the most critical priorities. That gift has proved to be one of great generosity and also of incredible foresight.

The endowment was established in 2001 by Rik Henrikson, a San Diego attorney and real estate investor, together with his wife, Flo. The couple appreciated the value of education in driving scientific advancements, creating social mobility and more. Unrestricted gifts have become even more meaningful recently as universities across the nation face uncertain funding streams.

“UC San Diego is one of the top public universities in the world, thanks to the visionary support of individuals like Rik and Flo Henrikson,” said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “Unrestricted funding is incredibly valuable because it allows us to meet the most pressing needs of the university at any given time. The Henrikson endowment has been used to support our students with scholarships and fellowships, and it has helped drive collaborative research efforts with potential for great impact.”

Following standard endowment practices, the Henrikson Endowed Fund distributes a portion of its annual investment returns to support campus programs while reinvesting the remainder to maintain and grow the fund’s real value over time. This approach ensures the endowment keeps pace with inflation and can continue supporting its designated purpose for generations to come.

Unlike many other endowed funds that are designated to support specific areas of campus, the Henrikson endowment offers flexibility for the chancellor to use the funds for UC San Diego’s highest priorities. The fund has supported undergraduate scholarships and graduate fellowships as well as research that spans multiple disciplines. The Rik and Flo Henrikson Commons in the Audrey Geisel University House is named to honor the couple’s support.

Rik Henrikson earned his law degree from UC Berkeley before moving to San Diego, where he served in the U.S. Army’s cavalry following World War II.

He went on to co-found Jennings, Engstrand and Henrikson, a local law firm focused on land use, real estate, business and estate planning.

Henrikson, also part owner of the popular Grossmont Center outdoor shopping mall in San Diego’s East County, is remembered for always showing trust in his associates and empowering those around him to do their best work.

He took an interest in UC San Diego when it was established in 1960. As he watched the campus grow and decided to include UC San Diego in his estate plans, Henrikson applied the same ethos of empowerment when he designated the gift as unrestricted.

“Rik would say, ‘I don’t know what UC San Diego needs to spend the money on. The chancellor has a much better idea of where the funding is needed than I do,’” says Tony Dimitroff, a former law partner of Henrikson and trustee for the endowment. “He believed deeply in the power of education.”

Learn more at giving.ucsd.edu.