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UCLA alumni take a dash of inspiration and make a world of difference. Two second-generation Bruin sisters have done just that.
A Recipe for Support
Seasoned chef Marcie Rothman ’68 wanted to donate her collection of more than 1,000 cookbooks to the UCLA Library. As she explored options, Rothman discovered UCLA College’s Food Studies minor — and decided to make gifts to endow her cookbook collection and establish the Marcie Rothman Centennial Scholars Undergraduate Scholarship.
“What started with me wondering what to do with my cookbooks expanded to supporting students in the food studies minor,” Rothman says. “It was a perfect fit.”
A Commitment to UCLA
And it came at the perfect time. Rothman’s gift leveraged the UCLA Chancellor’s Centennial Scholars Match, an initiative that also motivated her sister. Rita Rothman ’70 has given to and served the university — including UCLA Athletics, UCLA College, and The UCLA Foundation — for more than 35 years, receiving the Alumni Association’s Award for University Service in 2010.
Taking advantage of the chancellor’s match, each of the sisters made new contributions to their family’s Academic Advancement Program (AAP) scholarship created by their father, Raymond ’43. “With the chancellor’s match, we saw an opportunity to extend and pay tribute to our parents’ legacy of giving,” Rita Rothman says. “It’s gratifying to know that the AAP scholarship makes a difference to so many outstanding students in pursuit of their goals of academic excellence at UCLA.”
A Bright Future Ahead
Dean Patricia Turner agrees: “Thanks to the generosity of Rita and Marcie Rothman, and their parents before them, generations of Bruins will earn UCLA degrees without the burden of crippling student debt, ready to make their mark straight out of college.”
The Rothman family has helped scholars from all walks of life satisfy their appetites for excellence in school and beyond.
Published June 2018
A food studies class in action
Donors Rita and Marcie Rothman in their UCLA gear
