Gift Lifts Alumni Center Off Drawing Board

By EILEEN CONRAD

UC Santa Barbara has received a $3 million gift for the construction of an alumni center from The Samuel B. and Margaret C. Mosher Foundation.

The new building will be named the Mosher Alumni House in honor of the contribution from the Mosher family foundation. The Mosher Alumni House will serve as a focal point to welcome returning graduates who want to renew their association with the campus. It will also be a gathering place for other visitors, with a comfortable "living room," public meeting facilities with outdoor terraces, galleries, and a library.

UCSB alumnus Barry Berkus, a distinguished architect and a trustee of the UCSB Foundation, is designing the three-story, 14,000-square-foot building. It will feature exhibits highlighting the contributions of graduates of UCSB and the Riviera campus.

For the first time, the UCSB Alumni Association will have a prominent campus presence, with enhanced facilities to support expanded programming and services. (It is now located off-campus in a university-owned building in Goleta.) The Mosher Alumni House will be located in parking lot 12 at the University Plaza entrance to the campus, north of Campbell Hall.

"This project will be a most appropriate way to honor the memory of Maggie Mosher, as it so well reflects her interests and her love," said Edward Birch, president and CEO of the Mosher Foundation.

Margaret Mosher, who died last year, was an honorary alumna of UCSB and a generous benefactor. She became involved with the campus through her late husband, Samuel, a UC Berkeley graduate and former UC Regent who founded the Signal Oil Company and was chairman of the Flying Tiger Line.

"The Mosher family has been instrumental in the development of UCSB, and the Mosher Foundation's leadership gift is nothing less than extraordinary," said Chancellor Henry T. Yang. "Maggie was a dear friend who loved the campus. She provided financial aid for countless deserving students who could not otherwise afford an education. Through numerous, generous gifts and support for academic and athletic programs, she helped shape UCSB. Naming the Alumni House after Sam and Maggie Mosher is a wonderful way to honor their legacy."

A total of $9.5 million in private support is being sought for the Mosher Alumni House, which is expected to break ground next year. To date, alumni and other donors have contributed $7 million. Approximately 23,000 of UCSB's 140,000 alumni are members of the association.

"We are extremely grateful to the Mosher Foundation for this generous gift," said Peter Steiner, executive director of the Alumni Association. "We will seek additional support from alumni and friends to make this vision a reality."