Donation

From time to time, we like to highlight gifts to UCLA that don't involve brick-and-mortar construction. Here's an unusual one:

The UCLA Athletic Department is pleased to announce a commitment of $1,000,000 from Shelly Carlin to establish The Shelly Carlin UCLA Head Softball Coach Endowment, designed to make a major, ever-lasting, positive impact on UCLA softball and the student-athlete experience.

This pledge comes on the heels of UCLA's launch of Women of Westwood, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Carlin, an Academic All-American and a member of UCLA Softball's 1982 NCAA Championship team, has now made the largest gift ever by a former UCLA female student-athlete. A California native, Carlin earned both a bachelor's degree and an MBA from UCLA.

In honor of Carlin's gift, the head softball coaching position will now be known as The Shelly Carlin UCLA Head Softball Coach.

"It's an honor and a privilege to be part of the UCLA Softball family," said Carlin. "This gift reflects the special bond that all of us who played here have with the program. The tradition of excellence - not just on the field and in the classroom, but in life after college - is what makes UCLA Softball so special. I'm excited for our program and can't wait to see how future Bruins will make their mark on our legacy."

Carlin in 2012

In 2006, Carlin established the Michele Aguilar Carlin endowed scholarship for UCLA Softball. Six years later, she established a legends wall at Easton Stadium and helped to fund a leadership curriculum for members of the softball team. With this most recent monumental gift, Carlin is encouraging fellow former UCLA student-athletes, along with all alumni, fans and friends of UCLA to support UCLA Athletics' female student-athletes through the Women of Westwood philanthropic initiative. Women of Westwood was created to enhance educational and athletic-related resources at UCLA in support of the next generation of female leaders.

Carlin's philanthropy, particularly in support of women's athletics, goes beyond just UCLA. In 2021, Carlin committed $500,000 in support of women's athletics at California State University, Bakersfield. Carlin's gift established the transformative Athletics Director's Women's Excellence Fund at CSUB, which directly supports their 10 women's athletic programs.

"On behalf of UCLA, I would like to thank Shelly for her generosity and support of our softball program. As a former student-athlete, this level of commitment shows the immense pride our alumni have for the 'Bruin Bubble,' said Martin Jarmond, UCLA's Alice and Nahum Lainer Family Director of Athletics. "We are proud to name the head softball coach position after Shelly, and thankful she is the first, of hopefully many, to step up in support of our new Women of Westwood initiative."

"I would like to thank Shelly for her incredible contribution to our softball program and women's athletics at large. As a UCLA Softball alumna, she helped build this championship program and continued to succeed beyond the white lines," said Kelly Inouye-Perez, The Shelly Carlin UCLA Head Softball Coach. "Her most recent commitment speaks volumes about how our alumnae in the 'Bruin Bubble' continue to lift up the program to help carry on our unmatched tradition of success. I'm immensely proud and humbled to be the first Shelly Carlin UCLA Head Softball Coach."

Women of Westwood aims to honor 50 years of comprehensive excellence from UCLA female student-athletes and coaches since the creation of Title IX in 1972. UCLA remains committed to empowering female student-athletes and coaches both past and present. The Women of Westwood fundraising initiative will allow for alumni, fans and friends of UCLA Athletics to share in that commitment and help build a sustainable future for the women's athletics programs at UCLA.

Source: https://uclabruins.com/news/2021/12/21/ucla-athletics-receives-1m-gift-to-endow-head-softball-coach-position.aspx.