College Donors

Re “The Big Business of College Naming Opportunities,” Nov. 30: Thousands of donors contribute to UCLA each year for a variety of reasons. These gifts support scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students, purchase journals for libraries, equipment for laboratories and provide the funds for repair and construction of buildings that house classrooms and offices. Most of these gifts, large and small, are made anonymously or receive no public acknowledgment. In some cases, the university recognizes the gift with an appropriate naming (e.g., of a scholarship, professorship or building).

The article misrepresents the intentions of the Gonda family, whose unflagging dedication to helping people afflicted with life-threatening diseases guided the establishment of the Gonda (Goldschmied) Neuroscience and Genetics Research Center at UCLA. Far from desiring that their name be affixed on an existing building, the Gonda family worked tirelessly with the university to create a state-of-the-art research facility. This very private family initially expressed great reluctance to place their name on the center. To degrade the philanthropy of donors is a thoughtless disservice to the Gondas and to the rest of the UCLA family.

ALBERT CARNESALE

Chancellor, UCLA

GERALD LEVEY

Provost, UCLA Medical Sciences