The Caltech Associates Centennial Celebration

"The generous contributions of our Associates founders helped Caltech to thrive through the difficult years of the Great Depression and emerge as a world leader in scientific discovery," said Betty Huang, Associates Centennial Advisory Committee member at their celebration on April 10 at The Huntington in San Marino. "Today, a new generation of Associates is stepping forward to help the Institute negotiate new challenges and opportunities as we begin our second century."

At a sold-out event that echoed the founding of the Caltech Associates in both location and intent, 212 attendees celebrated the centennial anniversary of the Associates and reaffirmed their commitment to the future of the Institute. Those in attendance included Caltech leadership, faculty and staff, Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo, and more than 150 members of the Associates.

Bruce Nickerson, president of the Caltech Associates Board, addressed those in attendance, sharing his reflections on the important role the organization has played since its founding.

"We are only a few steps from where our founders first met a century ago. Their aim was to help Caltech become one of the world's leading centers for engineering and scientific research and education," said Nickerson. "Over the last century, the Associates organization has grown to more than 1,600 members, who have given more than $75 million in unrestricted funds to the Institute."

The Celebration

After a lively welcome reception culminating in a champagne toast, guests enjoyed a formal dinner in Haaga Hall before being addressed by Caltech President Thomas F. Rosenbaum, the Sonja and William Davidow Presidential Chair and professor of physics.

Turning from the last century to the next, Rosenbaum then led a panel discussion entitled Science in the Century Ahead, with Hannah Druckenmiller, assistant professor of economics, Georgia Gkioxari, assistant professor of computing and mathematical sciences and electrical engineering, and Karthish Manthiram, Bren Professor of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry and executive officer for chemical engineering. All three are Hurt Scholars, a program created by a gift from late Associates member William H. Hurt that supports young faculty as they collaborate across disciplines and pursue research that can define new fields and technologies. The panel discussed their research and the potential for transformative discoveries.

"There are theoretical solutions that we have known about in environmental policy for decades but have always been off the table because we don't have the data or measurement tools we need to implement them. We are at this critical point where for the first time we do actually have the data and tools to implement those first-best solutions," said Druckenmiller. "It's a challenging time to be in science in many ways, but I also think it's an incredibly exciting one. The opportunity for scientific breakthroughs is just growing exponentially."

An Ongoing Legacy

In the last 100 years, Associates members have contributed funds toward more than 50 campus buildings—including a $500,000 donation from Mr. and Mrs. Allan C. Balch in 1929 to build The Athenaeum—52 endowed professorships, and countless fellowships and scholarships. These investments have yielded powerful returns, helping the Institute recruit and retain the brightest minds and provide the footing for bold research ideas that have earned national and international recognition, including 48 Nobel Prizes awarded to Caltech alumni, faculty, and postdocs.

To mark the centennial, a new group of 100 philanthropists called Legacy Circle members—matching the number of original Associates—have come together to replicate the power of philanthropy that set Caltech's distinguished trajectory. Their collective investment will help fuel the continued ambitions of the next generation of students and faculty.

"Since its founding, the Associates have always been focused on the future—and on the belief that the people of Caltech can help shape it. That's why we give," said Tracy Fu (BS '92), Centennial Advisory Committee member. "To a new century of discovery and impact together!"