May 23, 2019

Naming gift for UCI Applied Innovation

I am delighted to announce that Donald Beall and his family, longtime and passionate supporters of this university, have made another multimillion-dollar gift to UCI, bringing their total giving to the campus to nearly $30 million. The largest portion of the new gift is dedicated to UCI Applied Innovation, headquarters of our entrepreneurial and technological advancement efforts, which will be renamed UCI Beall Applied Innovation in honor of the Bealls.

Don and Joan Beall first began giving to UCI in the late 1970s when he was president of aerospace giant Rockwell International. Among the family’s notable gifts was $1 million donated in 2000 to the Beall Center for Art + Technology, which was established in 1998 through funding from Rockwell and spinoff companies such as Conexant. And in 2007 the Bealls pledged $5.8 million to the Paul Merage School of Business to launch the Beall Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which has since been redirected to establish UCI Applied Innovation.

Don Beall was a driving force behind the creation of UCI Applied Innovation. He served as the founding chair of its board and was instrumental in recruiting the founding board members, who have supported this vital organization at a high level. His son Ken has also been an important leader from UCI Applied Innovation’s beginning and has now succeeded Don as chair, although he remains an active member of the board.

Over the past 30 years, Don Beall has served on many university boards and committees, including the UCI Foundation board of trustees, the Chief Executive Roundtable, the Paul Merage School of Business Dean’s Advisory Board, and the Henry Samueli School of Engineering Dean’s Leadership Council. He was awarded the UCI Medal in 2001.

Please join me in expressing our deepest gratitude to Don and Joan Beall and their family for their continued philanthropy and friendship.