Vivien Chen’s early years as a Biology teacher at Hong Kong Christian College inspired her to create a new endowment to support UNM-LA Faculty. Photo courtesy of Vivien Chen
LACF NEWS RELEASE
Vivien Chen, MPH, PhD, is no stranger to life as a university instructor. During her accomplished career in epidemiology, Chen served the faculties of Tulane University and as a department head at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans.
Chen’s teaching career began in her home of Hong Kong after earning a biology degree, but
she soon realized she wanted to continue her studies in public health, with an emphasis on cancer, which would become the focus of her career. She moved to the US, and after earning advanced degrees from the University of Oklahoma, she joined the faculty at Tulane University, and shortly thereafter, she also joined the faculty of Louisiana State University in New Orleans, where she eventually became a department head.
“One of the differences I saw in my career working at both a private and public university,” says Chen, “was how much more funding, support, and other resources were available to \ Tulane faculty than at LSU. I appreciated that government jobs come with a certain amount of bureaucracy, but the differences were startling.”
Living in Los Alamos since 2016, Chen is a strong supporter of public education locally. Last year, she funded an endowment to support the UNM-LA welding program in honor of her deceased husband, Richard Swenson, whose whimsical metal sculptures are enjoyed throughout the community.
More recently, and reflecting on her own career, Chen decided she wanted to find ways to UNM-LA faculty as a whole, so she approached Dean of Instruction Brent Pickett. The result of their discussion and collaboration with the Los Alamos Community Foundation is Chen’s gift to provide seed funding toward the establishment of the UNM-LA Faculty Professional Development Fund through the Community Foundation. Chen will also provide an immediate gift to support faculty until the endowment is fully funded and operating.
Chen’s gift and the endowment fund will support UNM-LA faculty in several ways, including professional development and training, collaboration with external researchers through professional organizations, networking of scholars, acquisition of resources to support instruction, and faculty networking and working lunches. Chen’s instructions are that the endowment not be used to replace or supplement salaries covered by the university. Rather, she says the funds must be used to keep faculty connected, engaged, and excited to teach, which will help with retention and augment the quality of education at UNM-LA.
“Teachers teach because they have a passion, not because of the pay,” says Chen, “And I want
to help ensure this passion is supported by the community for as long as the university is here.”
How You Can Help
The Endowment for UNM-LA Faculty Professional Development must reach a balance of $10,000 before it can start making annual grants to UNM-LA faculty programs. The ultimate goal is for the fund to reach $100,000, supplying a significant disbursement annually. Chen’s gift provides seed money, but the community’s help is needed to reach the funding goal. If you wish to support our UNM-LA faculty in an enduring way, please contact the Los Alamos Community Foundation, visit the website https://losalamoscf.org, or designate “UNM-LA Faculty” on a check to the Los Alamos Community Foundation.
About the Los Alamos Community Foundation:
Established in 2015, the mission of the Los Alamos Community Foundation is to build enduring philanthropy to empower our community’s nonprofit organizations. LACF stewards 24 permanent endowment funds and supports local nonprofits through training, initiatives, and
grantmaking. For more information about the Los Alamos Community Foundation, visit https://www.losalamoscf.org.