February 10, 2013 | Read Time: 1 minute
Amount donated in 2012: $50-million
Beneficiary: University of California at Los Angeles School of Public Health
Background: Jonathan Fielding is director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and an investor.
Jonathan Fielding, 69, and Karin Fielding pledged $50-million worth of investment assets to the University of California at Los Angeles School of Public Health, where Dr. Fielding has worked as a faculty member since 1979. The assets are from holdings in Dimensional Fund Advisors, a private investment firm.
The Fieldings placed no restrictions on the gift but said some of the money will go toward financial aid for students, faculty salaries and professorships, and other programs.
The university will receive annual earnings from the investments and eventually the full amount.
Dr. Fielding is also currently a professor of health services and pediatrics, and co-directs the university’s Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities.
The couple made the donation because of the financial pressures California and its university system are facing.
“We were well aware of the increasing tuition students are facing, particularly in tough economic times, and support for students became a key component,” Dr. Fielding told The Chronicle. “Our gift to UCLA is a once-in-a-lifetime gift for us.”
