President Jim Doti officially named Chapman University’s new Schmid College of Science on Thursday. Schmid College of Science was named after Don Schmid and Dick Schmid, a Chapman trustee. Both were sons of Walter Schmid, a successful farmer in Orange County and donor for Chapman’s Walter and Margaret Schmid Gate, Walter Schmid Center for International Business, and Waltmar Theatre.

“I’ve been president for 17 years now, and this is certainly one of the most significant things that has occurred during my presence,” said Doti.

The College of Science officially separated from Wilkinson College, now known as Wilkinson College of Humanities and Social Sciences, on June 1. Schmid College’s construction is still in the “concept stage,” according to Mary Platt, director of communications and news services. The naming ceremony was held at the historic Villa Park Orchards Packing Plant where the college will “likely go,” said Janeen Hill, interim dean of Schmid College.

Though both brothers earned their degrees in civil engineering from California Institute of Technology, they wanted to continue their father’s dedication and support for Chapman. They wanted to fund a college of engineering and to Dick Schmid, the College of Science was the closest college to engineering.

“We’re getting old, so [Don Schmid and I] thought we should do it while we could,” said Dick Schmid, 75.

According to Gary Robbins from the OC Register, the Schmids donated close to $2 million to the new college. The Schmids would not disclose the exact amount.

Schmid College will adopt the departments of biological science, chemistry, mathematics and computer science, physical therapy and psychology from Wilkinson College. Three departments in the works are physics, computational science, and engineering. So far, students may only minor in those fields.

A new team of five physicists and computational scientists will also be joining the faculty of the new college from George Mason University. They include renowned Wolf Prize-winning physicist Yakir Aharonov, and associate professor Jeff Tollaksen. Tollaksen will be the new chairman of the physics department, according to Platt. Aharonov and Tollaksen started teaching this fall.

“I’m so fine, very happy, I like the atmosphere, I like the climate, I like the people and I like the students,” said Aharonov.

Hill stated in her speech during the naming ceremony that, with this new team, she hopes the science department will “emit [a] national and international spotlight” especially in the areas of quantum physics and global patterns.

The head of the team is Menas Kafatos, who was named vice chancellor for special projects and director of the new Center for Excellence, according to Mary Platt. Kafatos is expected to join Chapman by January.

The Center for Excellence is a new department under Schmid College where faculty, researchers, and students of all fields can interact to solve global and environmental issues through remote sensing, computational science and engineering techniques.

Plans for a new science building were officially announced at Doti’s University Address last February. There is no clear date when renovation will begin. The naming ceremony took place in an empty lot next to the packing plant.

Hill hopes that Schmid College will make science an important component of Chapman. The new college will give the sciences “high visibility” necessary to get grants for research and tools, like biology labs for students, said Hill.

“Science requirement has diminished in the [general education]. So now [science] has a high profile that allows the faculty and students to promote sciences on par with the colleges of business, music, film, and law,” said Hill.

Because the science department is going through much change, Schmid College will not enroll students until about a year from now. New majors are being processed through the academic and budget counsels. Hill hopes the majors will be ready by then.

“That’s the goal,” said Hill.

For Tollaksen, the process of sorting through the “strengths and weaknesses” of the science department could not have been done if it were not for Chapman’s dedicated faculty and administration. Planning this new department is a “long story,” but Tollaksen is excited for this “starting from scratch” opportunity.

“When you’re plucked out of the East Coast and reside here in the West Coast, it’s really a pleasure,” said Tollaksen.


Contact these reporters:amanda.young@thepantheronline.com and anoushka.daska-coyle@thepantheronline.com