Four staff members at the Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering (BCOE) are the first recipients of the Mitchell Boretz Engineering Excellence Award Fund, which provides incentives and recognition to outstanding BCOE staff members. The fund was established in November 2020 on Giving Tuesday in honor of Mitch Boretz’ 25 years of service to the college. This year’s award recipients include:

• Jun Dizon | Student Services Advisor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Bourns College of Engineering
• Brandon Reese | Research Administrator, Dean’s Office, Bourns College of Engineering
• Steve Rightnar | Research and Development Engineer, Mechanical Engineering, Bourns College of Engineering
• Kim Underhill | Student Services Advisor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Bourns College of Engineering  

“It feels good to see the first round of these awards going to my former colleagues at BCOE. Professional development opportunities were important to my success and I am honored to be recognized in this way,” said Mitch Boretz.

The award will support various professional development activities, including but not limited to training sessions and workshops, conferences, professional organization membership dues, books, and periodicals. Awards may also be used for bonuses, retention packages, or other staff incentives.

Before retiring, Mitch Boretz served as the Technical Communication Specialist for BCOE and lead the Contracts and Grants (pre-award) group for the college. Boretz was instrumental in connecting faculty and researchers to funding opportunities, developing pursuit plans, and writing and submitting winning proposals, including UCR’s first successful bid for a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center. Boretz’ team managed approximately 600 proposals per year and generates about $50 million per year in grant and contract awards for BCOE.

To give to the Mitchell Boretz Engineering Excellence Award Fund in support of BCOE staff professional development, visit here.