By EILEEN CONRAD

RICHARD A. AUHLL, a successful entrepreneur, has made a $500,000 contribution to renew and expand his support for the College of Engineering. The recent gift will increase the endowment for the Richard A. Auhll Professor and Dean of Engineering to $1 million, and also provide $100,000 in unrestricted support for priority initiatives.

“We are grateful to Richard Auhll for his tremendous leadership and ongoing support, particularly in these challenging times,” said Larry Coldren, acting dean of engineering and Kavli Professor of Optoelectronics and Sensors. “The Auhll Professorship for the Dean of Engineering will now be endowed at the $1 million level, which will be instrumental in the recruitment of a new, permanent dean for the college. Richard’s generous, unrestricted gift will also allow the college to support innovative educational programs and pioneering areas of research.”

The College of Engineering seeks to raise $10 million in philanthropic support over three years to help address current needs brought about by the huge reduction in state funding for the University of California. Fund-raising priorities for engineering include support for faculty retention, graduate student fellowships, entrepreneurial research and education, and classroom facilities. With Auhll’s leadership gift, which helped launch the effort, more than $3.5 million has been contributed toward the goal to maintain and enhance the overall excellence of the college.

Founder, president, and chairman of the board of Circon Corporation for 30 years before his retirement in 1998, Auhll has been a generous benefactor and volunteer leader at UCSB since 1994. He is a member of the Dean’s Cabinet in the College of Engineering and a trustee of the UC Santa Barbara Foundation.