From an aquarium teeming with alumni and their children, to an awards gala, to a brunch-time concert in Southern California’s new world-renowned music venue, over 1,300 UC San Diego alumni and friends participated in the inaugural Alumni Weekend that took place June 4-7. This exciting new program provided alumni the opportunity to reconnect with friends and faculty, celebrate their UC San Diego experience and revisit campus through the eyes of current students.

 “It has been a transformative year for the nation and our university,” says Armin Afsahi, ’90, executive director, UCSD Alumni Association. “We have been heartened to see the bond between the university and its alumni strengthened as never before with over 2,500 alumni and friends returning to campus this year.”

The inaugural Alumni Weekend began on Thursday night with over 200 alumni, faculty and friends enjoying mariachis, music and margaritas at the Alumni & Faculty Happy Hour in the courtyard of the Ida and Cecil Green Faculty Club.

On Friday, over 300 alumni, families and friends enjoyed exclusive after-hours access to the Birch Aquarium – an exhilarating mix of steel drum music, festive island-themed fare and dramatic views of the Pacific Ocean. Young “Tritons-in-training” enjoyed the tide pools and the opportunity to touch starfish and sea cucumbers.

For some alumni, this was the first university event they have attended since graduation. “I felt a sense of pride being among fellow graduates, many that I recognized from daily business interactions,” says Gary Bosse ’89. “Next time I run into them downtown, I’ll be able to introduce myself with an immediate common bond.”

Saturday’s Destination UCSD brought Tritons of all ages back to campus for a day of recreation and fun. It started with walking tours of the Stuart Collection and key sustainability sites, state-of-the-art recreational facilities, and continued with lunch at campus dining halls, followed by college and department reunions. The legendary Ernie Mort, former campus chaplain and dean emeritus of Revelle College, returned to lead an alumni tour of campus and share tales from UCSD’s first college.

Destination UCSD also brought together alumni from several academic divisions, colleges and campus groups with their own smaller reunions, including Muir College, Marshall College, Jacobs School of Engineering, Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, Associated Student Presidents and Commissioners of Programming, Greek alumni, Student Foundation alumni, and Guardian/Triton Times alumni.

In the evening, 350 alumni and friends gathered for the 31st Annual Awards for Excellence honoring outstanding alumni and faculty for their leadership, advocacy, philanthropy and service to UCSD. Chancellor Marye Anne Fox celebrated the achievements of the honorees and used the opportunity to appeal to the strong network of alumni, asking them to advocate on behalf of the UC system in the face of the impending dramatic cuts to the higher education budgets.

This year’s honorees included:

• Donald W. Murphy, ’75, Outstanding Alumnus of the Year, chief executive officer for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and former deputy director of the National Park Service;
• Abbie Celniker, ’80, Professional Achievement, a pioneer in late-stage discovery and development of protein therapeutics and building biologics-focused businesses;
• Jeffrey Rabin, Ph.D., Distinguished Teaching, UC San Diego professor of mathematics and former co-director of the Algebraic Thinking Institute;
• Gary Curtis, ’69, Distinguished Service, entrepreneur and biomedical pioneer, scholarship supporter and Trustee of the UC San Diego Foundation; and
• Wayne Kennedy, Honorary Alumnus, senior vice president emeritus from the University of California and former vice chancellor, UC San Diego.

The Awards for Excellence program raised $55,000 for the Alumni Association’s endowed scholarship program. The organization has been actively involved in the recruitment and financial scholarship of high-achieving individuals since 1994.

The weekend of activities concluded with an al fresco brunch followed by a performance by pianist Katalin Lukács, ’10 and vocalist Stephanie Aston, ’11, at the new Conrad Prebys Music Hall, an extraordinary new facility at UC San Diego. 

“We hope alumni who returned to campus for Alumni Weekend gained a renewed sense of community and pride in this incredible institution,” says Afsahi. “We look forward to welcoming them back to campus very soon.”

The UCSD Alumni Association is already planning its annual trifecta of reunions now. Mark your calendars now for Homecoming, October 16-18, Young Alumni Reunion in February 2010 and Alumni Weekend, June 3-6, 2010. Additional information is available at www.alumni.ucsd.edu.