Scholarships for Iraq War Veterans Established At UCR Palm Desert Campus

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – www.ucr.edu – Returning Iraq war veterans seeking a master’s degree in business administration can get a helping hand from the University of California, Riverside, which has established two scholarships for veterans seeking to attend the new Richard J. Heckmann International Center for Entrepreneurial Management at the UCR Palm Desert campus.

UCR officials announced the establishment of two $25,000 annual scholarships for returning Iraq war veterans during the dedication ceremony for the satellite campus at UCR Palm Desert, which is scheduled to open for classes in September.

“An anonymous donor challenged this campus to match their generous support and one of our own came through,” said William Boldt, vice chancellor of advancement at UCR. James Baker, the UC Riverside project manager overseeing the construction of the two-building campus in Palm Desert, with his wife Judy Field-Baker, matched the challenge.

“It’s a wonderful way to begin this beautiful new satellite campus,” said UCR Chancellor France A. Córdova. “I’m very pleased that one of the first gifts to the Heckmann Center is in the form of a scholarship. There’s no better way to start than to get scholarships for our veterans who have sacrificed so much. It’s an inspired gift.”

James and Judy Field-Baker are longtime supporters of the UCR campus. Judy is a UC Riverside pioneer class graduate, receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in art history in 1958. She is a visual artist, a trustee of the UCR Foundation Board and has made UC Riverside’s Sweeney Art Gallery the repository of all her artwork.

The Bakers are listed as Benefactors to UCR. Benefactor status is reserved for individuals or groups who, over the years, have given more than $100,000 to the campus. Through their estate planning, the Bakers have also made arrangements to endow two chairs in the College of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences – the Judy Field Baker Chair in Art History and the James D. Baker Chair in Politics and the Economy.

UC Riverside opened in 1954 to many veterans of the Korea conflict under the G.I. Bill. Since the 2003 outset of the war in Iraq, numerous scholarships have been established across the country, mostly for civilian students in the memory of fallen service members, but few have been established to benefit returning veterans of the Iraq conflict.



UCR Palm Desert is a satellite campus of the University of California, Riverside. UCR Palm Desert sits at the heart of the Coachella Valley offering a Master’s of Business Administration program in Entrepreneurial Management through its Richard J. Heckmann International Center for Entrepreneurial Management. The Educational Center offers a Master’s of Fine Arts program in Creative Writing & Writing for the Performing Arts. Visit www.palmdesert.ucr.edu or call 760-834-0800 for more information.