Dear Students, Colleagues, Advisory Board Members, and Supporters,

I am pleased to announce the inaugural Dean’s Investment Group (DIG). A flyer presenting the group is attached. This team will be in charge of the investments in the Dean’s Investment Fund for 2020-2021. The program will launch at the beginning of fall quarter. 

Competition for a spot in DIG was extremely competitive – we had 25 highly qualified applicants.

I particularly want to thank the members of the DIG Advisory group for helping us plan for the program and serving on the selection panel. Many extremely busy people donated many hours to meetings and discussions. We could not have accomplished this without you!

I would also like to thank Susan Grover for stepping up to help run the program and serve as an advisor to the students next year. I would also like to thank Suzanne Dougherty for being our administrative rock during the launch of the Strategic Investment Program (which has already enrolled more than 120 students) and setting up the Dean’s Investment Group. Dan Oh, Brian Boyer, and Melissa Gough, our Development team, also deserve much thanks for helping get this up and running, and helping to connect us with experts in the field.

Finally, I want to thank Dean Hale for his support and leadership for this venture. The fund will be located in the Division of Social Science and operated by the Department of Economics. Proceeds from the fund will be used to support student programs within the Division, with a particular emphasis on supporting in-need students and programs consistent with the Division’s effort to enhance diversity and inclusion.

I have no doubt DIG will have an incredible first year that will build momentum for all the years that follow. Stay tuned for updates on the successes our students achieve in the near future.

Sincerely,
Kelly Bedard

Kelly Bedard
Department of Economics
University of California, Santa Barbara