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Joining Forces for the Future

Exterior of Engineering VI building
An alumni couple’s gift names the communal space in Engineering VI and establishes a fellowship to support the growing student body.

UCLA builds bridges on campus and in the community. Sometimes it connects people for life. In 1962, two students met in the university’s engineering building. They married two years later, and they stay close to campus through their generosity.

“We do not consider our contributions as giving to UCLA,” says Robert Webb ’57, MS ’63, PhD ’67, whose education prepared him for work on the Pioneer 10 spacecraft, the first man-made object to leave the solar system. “We see it as paying back an enormous debt to UCLA.”

Supporting UCLA Students and Spaces

He and his wife, Dorothy ’64, are eager for students to meet in the Robert and Dorothy Webb Lobby. Their two planned gifts totaling $3 million have named the communal space in Engineering VI and established a fellowship to support the growing student body. Already a top institution, UCLA Samueli School of Engineering is recruiting more high-achieving, diverse students to conduct research and develop solutions that benefit society.

Sharing in Success

As decades-long supporters of UCLA Athletics, the couple recognizes the value of teamwork and believes UCLA Samueli cultivates the collaborative spirit that industry and society need. That challenge extends to donors: “If the school is going to be successful, all of us have to pitch in,” Webb says.

The Webbs’ gifts also support another shared effort: the UCLA Bequest Challenge. The campuswide initiative aims to identify 1,200 new bequest intentions during the Centennial Campaign, building a solid foundation for the university’s second century.

Connecting giving back with planning ahead, the Webbs are helping UCLA stay ahead.

To learn more, contact

Tessa Mazler310-780-7373

Published September 2018

Four female students discuss an engineering diagram over coffee.

Engineering students study together in the café.

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