Walter and Shirley Wang have donated $2M to the UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry to establish two new endowments.
This transformative gift will establish The Walter and Shirley Wang Endowed Chair in Drug Discovery and, in honor of Shirley’s mother, the Evelyn Pan Scholarships and Fellowships (for graduate students).
Thanks to Physical Sciences Matching Gift Funds resulting from Xtandi royalties and the Chancellor’s Centennial Scholars Match Initiative, an additional $3 million will be endowed for our department, bringing the total impact of the Wang donation to $5 million.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Wangs for making this stunning gift to our department,” said Department Chair Professor Neil Garg. “The endowments will have a transformative impact on our drug discovery efforts and the success of our graduate program.”
Walter and Shirley Wang (UCLA)
Shirley Wang received her bachelor’s degree in communications from UCLA in 1990 and is the Founder and CEO of Plastpro Inc. Her husband, Walter, is the President and CEO of JM Eagle, the world’s largest manufacturer of plastic and PVC pipe.
The Wangs are wonderful supporters of the Bruin community and decided to support the department after hearing a presentation by Professor Michael Jung about his drug discovery efforts. Jung holds the UC Presidential Chair in Medicinal Chemistry and has developed two drugs, Xtandi and Erleada, which are being used to treat thousands of men who have a serious form of prostate cancer.
Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penny@chem.ucla.edu.
