About us

Brief History And Background

About the Founder. Dr. Lennon “Lenny” Goins, was born October 11, 1953, in Tifton, GA. One of 12 children, his parents eked out a living as sharecroppers. He worked hard in school and became the first in his family to attend a university, UCSD, and the first to receive a graduate degree, a DDS from the University of Southern California. Lenny then served four years in the United States Navy as a lieutenant, following which he opened his dental practice in La Jolla, California, near UCSD. As his practice flourished, he became the driving force behind the establishment of a scholarship fund which now bears his name and is known as the Lennon Goins Alumni Scholarship Fund (GASF). Lenny also served on the Board of Trustees of the UCSD Foundation, organizing numerous fundraising efforts in support of the Scholarship Fund. He maintained his dental practice for more than 27 years until his retirement in 2004.

Regrettably, Lenny passed away on July 16, 2017, but his legacy lives on with the hundreds of students who have benefited in the past and the thousands who will benefit in the future from the Lennon Goins Alumni Scholarship Fund.

Dr. Goins moved the scholarship fund off campus into an endowment at The San Diego Foundation (TSDF) in 1998. In 2016, the scholarship’s alumni board upgraded the scholarship into an enriched scholarship program to ensure full engagement of its Scholars with campus academic and student support resources available to all students, but often not utilized by those who need them the most. Meanwhile, the endowment has gradually grown to approximately $3 million divided between two funds: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Math, Science & Engineering. In keeping with our founder’s dream, the GASF Board seeks to grow the endowment to $10 Million over the next 5 years.

Key Defining Features Of GASF Program

MISSION

Enhancing the UCSD community and the San Diego region by attracting outstanding service and leadership-oriented students to UCSD through scholarships, along with enrichment programs tailored to the interests and needs of students that need the most support to feel a strong sense of belonging at UCSD.

SELECTIVITY

Scholars are competitively selected from applicants who have (a) been admitted to UCSD, (b) engaged in volunteer service to socioeconomically disadvantaged communities and/or individuals, (c) served in leadership roles, (d) demonstrated the ability to overcome major challenges, (e) demonstrated a keen awareness of the most glaring socioeconomic disparities impacting our society and an intention to help address this issue, and (f) planned to be an engaged student at UCSD. Financial need is another consideration.

PARTICIPATION

The scholarship strongly encourages and supports participation in academic and other enrichment activities (e.g., summer transition programs, living on campus for 2 years, experiential learning activities, alumni mentoring and faculty engagement, mentor contact).

REGIONAL IMPACT

As it grows, the GASF Program will significantly increase enrollment of high-achieving, service-oriented students at UCSD and add vitality to the San Diego region though increasing numbers of outstanding, skilled, civic-minded UCSD graduates ready for careers in research, technology, education, business, the arts, non-profit organizations, and public service.