University of California President Janet Napolitano today (Feb. 25) announced the launch of UC Oakland Partnership, an initiative to strengthen ties between the Office of the President and the community by supporting local businesses and civic organizations and awarding scholarships to Oakland high school students committed to enrolling at a UC campus.
“I live and work in this community,” Napolitano said in describing the partnership during the Oakland Museum’s annual lunch celebrating leaders and leadership. “We at the Office of the President need to support and celebrate Oakland as our home. We need to be better, more engaged neighbors.”
The UC Oakland Partnership has three primary objectives: to build and enhance the Oakland community, to engage UCOP employees with the community and to fund the newly created UCOP Oakland Scholarship.
UCOP already has signed on as a charity partner for the Oakland Running Festival in March, and hopes to take part in Oakland Earth Day, Oakland cleanup days and the 2014 Economic Development Summit sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce.
As part of the effort to engage employees directly with the community, UCOP has teamed with the Oakland Sustainable Business Alliance to create the “Oakland Grown” gift card, which UCOP staff can use for purchases at Oakland independent businesses. A percentage of gift card purchases will be channeled to the UCOP Oakland Scholarship fund. Every purchase using the card also accrues reward points that can be redeemed for a variety of local goods and services.
The Oakland Partnership’s third objective, the UCOP Oakland Scholarship, will be available to graduating seniors from Oakland high schools who have committed to attending a UC campus and have demonstrated a commitment to community service or civic engagement in Oakland. In addition to proceeds from the Oakland Grown gift cards, the scholarship will be funded by staff-generated events and matching funds from the Office of the President. The program aims to award at least two or three scholarships a year.
The UCOP office has been at its current location on Franklin Street for about 25 years. With some 1,700 full and part-time employees, it is one of Oakland’s largest employers. But the University of California as a whole has a long history with the city of Oakland. UC was founded in 1868 at what is now the Downtown Merchants’ parking lot at 13th and Franklin. The early university remained there from 1869 to 1873 before moving to what is now UC Berkeley.