Philanthropist gives big to UCSC engineering and humanities
Santa Cruz Sentinel 2/22/07
The two new faculty chairs will be divided between the Humanities Division and the Baskin School of Engineering.
One position, the Peggy Downes Baskin endowed humanities chair for interdisciplinary studies in ethics, will be held by a member of the UCSC humanities faculty or a visiting professor whose work advances the study of ethics in various fields. The chair supports an interest of his wife, Downes Baskin, a research associate in UCSC's feminist studies program.
The other position, the Jack Baskin Endowed Chair in Technology and Information Management will be held by the faculty member who directs the Technology and Information Management Program in the Baskin School of Engineering.
Acting Chancellor George Blumenthal said the new positions will advance important fields of study at UCSC.
"These two chairs support the very best of UC Santa Cruz: innovative programs and a creative approach to discovery involving faculty from multiple disciplines," Blumenthal said in a statement.
Technology and information management is a new discipline within engineering, combining technology management, systems engineering and information technology. The Baskin School of Engineering is developing master's and doctoral programs in this field, complementing its undergraduate program in information systems management. The school plans to establish a Department of Technology and Information Management.
Ethics is another area that could involve several disciplines and enable the UCSC campus to become an international leader in addressing the major ethical and humanistic questions of our time, said Ellen Suckiel, a philosophy professor who teaches a course on bioethics.
Downes Baskin said she has long been interested in ethical issues.
"There are so many areas in which ethical problems arise --in journalism, politics, medicine — and the endowed chair emphasizes the need to address these issues in a cross-disciplinary context," said Downes Baskin, author of the 2003 book "Beyond Superwoman," which explores the lives of successful female executives in Silicon Valley.
Jack Baskin, a retired developer, chaired the UC Santa Cruz Foundation for two years and remains a foundation trustee. He will be among the speakers at an open house celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Baskin School of Engineering on Friday.
In addition to these latest gifts to the campus, the Baskins have supported instruction in the arts, the Institute of Marine Sciences, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, an endowed chair in psychology, a scholarship in literature and other departments.