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VOL. 26. NO.13 APRIL 25, 2006

BRIEFS ONLINE

A dancer’s legacy

Thanks to a donor, the UCLA Library has acquired the largest private collection ever assembled of rare materials by and about modern dance pioneer Isadora Duncan, who died in 1927. Built by Los Angeles attorney Howard Holtzman over 30 years, the collection of some 1,500 items includes manuscripts, artwork, correspondence, photographs, artwork, contracts and box office statements and ephemera. “Isadora Duncan is one of the most important artistic figures of the twentieth century as well as a native Californian, and this collection, one of the most extensive in the world, will be invaluable to students and scholars in a variety of fields,” said University Librarian Gary E. Strong. “A mere 18 days before her recent death, longtime donor Joan Palevsky made an extraordinary gift of the funds to acquire it. We are deeply saddened by her passing, but we hope this collection, and the many others whose acquisitions she made possible, will form a lasting tribute to her exemplary generosity.” UCLA acquired the collection for slightly less than the $1.1 million seller Gordon Hollis of the Golden Legend bookshop in Beverly Hills had asked for it.

New aquatic center

Thanks to a generous lead gift from former student-athlete Tod Spieker and his wife Catherine, a new aquatic center, to be called the Spieker Aquatic Center, will be ready for UCLA athletes to use by fall 2008. To be built at the Sunset Canyon Recreation Center, the facility will house a 52-meter x 25-yard deep-water pool, a diving well, clubhouse with locker rooms, coaches’ offices and meeting rooms and grandstand to hold 800 spectators. Spieker, who swam for the Bruins in 1968-71, is president of a multi-family and apartment complex company located in Palo Alto, Calif. The center will not only host swimming, diving and water polo competitions, but Master’s swimming events and individual and club swim meets. Construction will begin in 2007.

UCLA on TV

If you’re looking for programs from UCLA that have run or are currently airing on UCTV, go to www.uctv.tv/ucla. Included is a section on all the UCLA-related programs that are archived and available for viewing on-demand. The Web site will be updated monthly. Coming up this month, for example, is a presentation by Visiting Professor Thomas Rimer of Asian Languages and Culture. In a show hosted by the UCLA Center for Japanese Studies, Rimer talks about cross-cultural adaptation and exploration.

More freshmen on the way

The UC admitted a record number of freshmen for Fall 200 -- all who were eligible as every UC campus increased the number of students each admitted. UC Merced, for example, admitted an additional 118 students while UC Davis made 3,507 additional offers. A total of 55,242 California freshman students were offered admission for the fall, an increase of 5,225 students compared to the previous year. Overall, 78.2% of those applying for the fall have been admitted. The growth rate in admissions exceeds the growth of California’s public high school graduating class. Universitywide, all racial and ethnic groups registered increases in the number of admitted students. Students have until May 1 to make their enrollment decision for fall.