Building Bonds Between Science and Social Responsibility

A gift from the family of the late alumnus Jim Preer helps strengthen the Caltech Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering's efforts to support extraordinary scholars from all backgrounds and perspectives.

After Jim Preer (PhD '70) passed away in July 2020, the Preer family knew they wanted to honor his life of service. Civil rights protests, including Black Lives Matter demonstrations, were happening around the globe, and many institutions were reevaluating their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

"Jim's death gave us a chance to reflect on his life and what had been important about what he had done," says his wife, Jean Preer, who, along with their children, Genevieve and Shelly, has made a gift of $100,000 to advance DEI in Caltech's Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering (CCE). "There were conversations everywhere about racial justice, and we wanted to honor the ways in which Jim's work had fit into that effort."

Inspired by the Institute's initiatives to bring a more diverse group of exceptional students to campus, the Preer family decided to fund nine WAVE fellowships that will enable chemistry majors from historically Black colleges and universities to spend a summer working in a Caltech chemistry lab.

With Assistant Professor of Chemistry Scott Cushing, the Preers also helped fund a "near-peer" mentorship and outreach program called Caltech Connection. The program pairs graduate students and postdoctoral scholars with undergraduates from local minority-serving colleges who are interested in attending Caltech.

"What I found most inspiring was that Caltech already had a structure to support diversity," Preer says. "Instead of starting from scratch, we are building on something the Institute is committed to doing."

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