Actor Dileep Rao, a 1995 graduate of UC San Diego, will serve as keynote speaker at the Welcome Week Convocation and Dinner.

University of California, San Diego alumnus and actor Dileep Rao, who played key roles in the blockbuster movies “Avatar” and “Inception,” is helping the campus kick off its 50th Anniversary celebration. A 1995 graduate of UC San Diego, Rao will serve as keynote speaker at the Welcome Week Convocation and Dinner on Sept. 21, the inaugural academic event of the year that marks the formal entrance of new students into the university community.  

From September 2010 through June 2011, UC San Diego will celebrate 50 years of historic milestones, remarkable achievements and innovative firsts with a variety of events. 

“Fifty years ago, the founders of the University of California, San Diego had one criterion for the campus — it must be distinctive,” said Chancellor Marye Anne Fox. “This year’s Convocation will welcome new students into our community of young scholars and mark UC San Diego’s milestone celebration of achieving the extraordinary in education, research, innovation and patient care.” 

Rao will address some 5,000 incoming freshmen and transfer students at Convocation. Other speakers include Chancellor Fox, Associated Student President Wafa Ben Hassine and UC San Diego alumnus Rachel York, daughter of founding Chancellor Herbert York.

Thousands of new students will attend Convocation Sept. 21, the inaugural academic event of the year that marks the formal entrance of new students into the university community.

Rao currently can be seen on the big screen as scientist Max Patel in “Avatar,” which was just re-released in theaters, and in the role of Yusef in “Inception,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio.  He graduated with a B.A. in political science and discovered a passion for acting after enrolling in several of the university’s theater classes. Rao has been working steadily in the theater and film industry for almost a decade and had feature roles in three notable movies in the past year, all directed by leading filmmakers.  

“As a proud alumnus, I’m honored to address UC San Diego’s new students,” he said. “UC San Diego has a lot to celebrate this anniversary year. The university was founded with a strong commitment to science, but the college’s arts and humanities and social sciences departments are incredibly strong with exceptional faculty, some of whom greatly impacted my life.”  Rao added, “The theater department is one of the best in the country.  I got to take the highest level of acting classes as an undergraduate.”

Steven Adler, a former professor of Rao and co-chair of the campus Convocation Committee, noted, “We’re thrilled that Dileep is taking this opportunity to connect with UC San Diego’s new students and provide an intelligent and passionate welcome to our community of young scholars. He is a very smart and articulate speaker with a great sense of humor and deep convictions about both the power of an education and his own experiences at UC San Diego.”

Convocation is the first event launching UC San Diego’s 50th anniversary, which will officially conclude June 17-19, 2011, with Alumni Weekend and Celebration. On Sept. 26, UC San Diego staff, students, alumni and friends are invited to celebrate the 50th anniversary with UCSD Day at the Padres. Chancellor Fox will be throwing out the first pitch of the game and a video played in the stadium will commemorate the university.

The public also is invited to join in celebrating the university’s landmark anniversary at these signature events: 

• Nov. 13, 2010 — Celebrate50
  Expect an evening of the unexpected. More than 700 UC San Diego community supporters and leaders will attend a reception and dinner to experience — through music, environment and images — the historic events and people that marked the university’s transformation from ship to shore. Tickets are $250 per person.
• Nov. 18, 2010 — Founders’ Day
  Celebrating 50 extraordinary years! Founders’ Day will celebrate and commemorate the date — Nov. 18, 1960 — on which documents were signed to establish officially the University of California, San Diego. This free public event, which will honor the history and traditions of UC San Diego, will take place in the heart of campus at Town Square. KFMB-TV News 8 anchor Dan Cohen will serve as master of ceremonies.
• Feb. 22-25, 2011—IDEaS (Innovation Day Expo and Symposia)
  Engage and network with leading innovators. IDEaS features a week of high-profile events for the campus and community highlighting the exciting innovation happening at UC San Diego. The Innovation Symposia take place Feb. 22-24; on Feb. 25, UC San Diego will host an engaging expo featuring live demonstrations, hands-on exhibits and face-to-face interaction with the innovators themselves.
• April 16, 2011—Green Open House
  UC San Diego celebrates “Healthy People, Healthy Planet.” The university will reach out to the San Diego community by opening national Earth Week with a “Green” Open House, showcasing the campus as a living laboratory of green innovation.  Attendees will enjoy interactive demonstrations of environmentally friendly cars, healthy living and sustainable cooking.

As part of its 50th anniversary activities, the university is launching Volunteer50: Chancellor’s Call to Service, encouraging all members of the UC San Diego community to perform at least 50 hours of volunteer service during the anniversary celebration. In addition to supporting the university’s mission of service, Volunteer50 will showcase the widespread and diverse contributions of the university’s faculty, staff, students and alumni.  Chancellor Fox will launch the initiative with clean-up and beautification projects at Scripps Beach on Sept. 25. 

“Invent the Future” will be the fundraising beneficiary of 50th anniversary events including the Celebrate50 reception and dinner.  The goal of the university’s student support campaign is to raise $50 million to help fund scholarships and fellowships, ensuring that talented students of all backgrounds have access to a world-class education at UC San Diego. Through this student support campaign, the campus will continue to sustain and educate the leaders of tomorrow — students who will become the next generation of innovators, trained to lead the region and nation in extraordinary achievement.

The Visionary Sponsor for UC San Diego’s 50th anniversary celebration is Sempra Energy, which also is helping to support Invent the Future. Other sponsors include Clark Construction, Steelcase/BKM, Swinerton Builders, Time Warner Cable San Diego, Turner Construction and Webcor Builders. Media sponsors include the San Diego Union-Tribune and KFMB-TV/CBS 8 San Diego. 

Also, UC San Diego alumni and Chuao Chocolatier founders, the Antonorsi brothers, will join in the celebration of their alma mater by hosting a “winning wrapper” contest. From September 2010 to May 2011, 20 winning tickets will be hidden in Chuao chocolate bars. Each finder of a winning wrapper and their guest will be invited to tour the Chuao Chocolatier facility; after the tour, they will participate in a chocolate and wine pairing party. In addition, a portion of proceeds from the sales of Chuao chocolate bars will benefit Invent the Future, UC San Diego’s student support campaign.  

Vintage 50th anniversary gear is available at the UC San Diego Bookstore on campus. The bookstore will donate 10 percent of all 50th anniversary merchandise sales to Invent the Future, the fundraising initiative associated with UC San Diego’s milestone celebration.

UCSD-TV will broadcast six installments of “UCSD@50,” a magazine-style program that will also air nationally on University of California Television (UCTV) and be available on the channel’s websites, as well as UCTV’s iTunesU and YouTube channels. To view the series premiere, guest hosted by Chancellor Fox, and find broadcast dates for future episodes, visit www.ucsd.tv/50th.

“Our many 50th anniversary events and activities honor our founders and the people who shaped this university, as well as our historic achievements,” said Fox. “This will also be a time to share the positive impact of our campus on our community and world — now and in the future.  As we celebrate the past, our sights are set on the next half century.”

To learn more about UC San Diego’s 50th anniversary including events, history and background, visit www.50th.ucsd.edu.