Barbara Brink, Director of Major Gifts at the UCR Office of Development, and UCR alumna, is being honored for her gift of $10,000 to the Art History department to establish the Barbara B. Brink Graduate Travel Award in Art History. The fund serves as an annual travel award for graduate students in Art History who would like the opportunity to deepen their scholarship and visit primary resources associated with their coursework or thesis research.

Brink received her B.A. in Art History from UCR in 1973. Brink discussed how her academic experience and traveling experience after graduation greatly influenced her contribution to the fellowship. “My academic experience was exceptional, partly due to the expertise and dedication of the art history faculty and partly due to the camaraderie and academic excellence shared by my student colleagues. I believe that today’s art history faculty and students exemplify this same level of excellence and I am pleased to be able to contribute to their success,” Brink commented.

“My choice of a travel award is based on my own personal experience.” Brink emphasized the importance of travel in conjunction with academic study, “When I graduated from UCR, the first thing I did was take a trip to Europe to see the works of art I had studied. This was a life-changing experience that deepened my love and appreciation of the field. Art history is an interdisciplinary study, but to do it well, one must have the opportunity to see primary resources first-hand.”

In addition, the Art History department has launched a campaign in support of the Richard G. Carrott Memorial Scholarship Fund, which will provide a second travel award available to both undergraduate and graduate students. Currently, the department of Art History has raised $35,000 for the fund, including a $10,000 leadership gift from the Carrott family. To reach a minimum endowment goal of $75,000, an additional $40,000 needs to be raised.

Brink hopes her award will increase the level of scholarly research in art history and also give financial assistance to a graduate student who otherwise would not have the financial resources to travel. “It’s important to make a difference in one’s life. This is one small way I can contribute to the success of UCR and its students,” Brink added regarding her gift.

Applications for the Barbara B. Brink Graduate Travel Award in Art History and the Richard G. Carrott Memorial Scholarship will be available through the Art History department in Winter, 2005. To contribute to the Richard G. Carrott Memorial Scholarship Fund, please contact the UCR Office of Development at (909) 787-4511.