Koret Foundation Commits $5 Million to Benefit USF Campus and Community
The Koret Foundation, a private foundation focused on strengthening the Bay Area community, has committed $5 million in new grants to benefit students, programs, faculty, and facilities at the University of San Francisco.
The grant supports renovations for the Harney Science Center Innovation Hive, an initiative for transfer students, scholarships for veterans, scholarships for students with demonstrated need, programs for college readiness for first-generation students, improvements in athletic facilities, and faculty research.
A History of Generosity and Impact
The University of San Francisco and the Koret Foundation as anchor institutions in San Francisco have a longstanding history of partnership and collaboration. Dating back to the early 1980s, the Koret Foundation has granted USF more than $15 million in support of several important initiatives. Most recently, in 2016, the Foundation provided grants for the new construction of the Lone Mountain Dining Commons, and scholarships.
“We at the Koret Foundation are very proud of our long relationship with USF and look forward to being a partner in the future to continue advancing our missions and improving outcomes for students and the broader Bay Area,” said Dr. Michael Boskin, president of the Koret Foundation. “It is our goal to try to find and partner with important institutions like USF and figure out ways to help them improve students' opportunities, and to help make these students more successful moving throughout their lives.”
Earlier this month USF’s $5M grant was reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, as part of the Foundation’s announcement of grants totaling $50 million for Bay Area colleges and universities as part of its Higher Education Initiative.
Putting People First
The current Koret grant supports the ongoing comprehensive campaign at USF and focuses on strengthening student persistence and providing resources for the USF community including both students and faculty.
The Koret Scholars, Transfer Pathway Initiative, and Make It Happen programs are designed to create a seamless pathway for students. The grants will expand outreach and provide resources for current students, transferring students, and for first-generation students. The extended support for the Veterans’ Scholarship Program grant recognizes USF’s commitment to serving this important population and bolsters the funds available to veterans.
“It’s important to make sure students understand their choices and know what they have to do to fulfill requirements, while also understanding what is needed and expected for the future in their areas of study,” Boskin said. “The Koret Foundation is focused on trying to make the experiences of students moving through their educational careers more seamless, and supporting that journey with scholarships as well.”
In addition to scholarships, the Foundation is supporting needed improvement to the War Memorial Gymnasium at the Sobrato Center and to Innovation Hive, an important component for USF’s new engineering program.
Beyond, students and facilities, the Koret grant is also providing support for faculty research. Dr. William (Bill) Bosl, associate professor of Health Informatics and Clinical Psychology, is a prime example of a faculty member who has benefitted from the support.
Bosl’s research has yielded important findings on the utilization of data as a means for early detection of autism. Recently, Bosl had his research manuscript titled, “Nonlinear Analysis of Visually Normal EEGs to Differentiate Benign Childhood Epilepsy with Centrotemporal Spikes (BECTS)” published in Nature, the world's leading multidisciplinary science journal.
“We are grateful for the longstanding collaboration and partnership with the Koret Foundation,” said Peter Wilch, vice president for development at USF. “The impact of our partnership and the generosity of the Foundation has benefitted generations of Dons and the current support of our comprehensive campaign will allow USF to continue to fulfill our mission of educating students to craft a more just and humane world."
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This gift was made in support of Changing the World from Here: Campaign for the University of San Francisco.
