News Release

Local angles: Palo Alto, Calif.

Photo: To download a photo, see end of story.

California couple honors Krasno
of Kenan trust with professorship

CHAPEL HILL - A California venture capital executive has endowed a distinguished professorship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in honor of Dr. Richard M. Krasno, executive director of the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust.

Krasno, who also is president of the four affiliated William R. Kenan Jr. funds, has helped raise private funds for faculty support at UNC.

Don and Betsy Dixon of Palo Alto, Calif., established the Richard M. Krasno distinguished professorship with a $666,000 gift. The gift will be matched by $334,000 in funds from the state's Distinguished Professors Endowment Trust Fund to create a $1 million professorship.

The professorship will support an outstanding teacher and scholar in the interdisciplinary curriculum in peace, war and defense in UNC's College of Arts and Sciences. The Dixons' son, Peter, graduated from UNC in May with a double major in peace, war and defense and political science.

"Through our long-term friendship, Dick Krasno has made me aware of the importance of endowed professorships, because they allow the university to attract and retain top-notch teachers and scholars," said Don Dixon. "Dick is in the business of giving away endowed professorships. I thought, what better way to honor my friend than endowing a professorship at Carolina in his name?"

Dixon is co-founder and managing director of Trident Capital, an equity and venture capital firm.

Before joining the Kenan Trust, Krasno was president of the Monterey Institute of International Studies in California and president and chief executive officer of the Institute of International Education in New York. He also was deputy assistant U.S. secretary of education and an officer of the Ford Foundation.

Krasno serves on a number of corporate and nonprofit boards and is a member of the board of directors of UNC Health Care. He is a former chairman of the Rhodes Scholarship selection committee in North Carolina and a trustee of the Eisenhower Fellowship Program.

The Dixons' gift counts toward the university's Carolina First Campaign goal of $2 billion. Carolina First is a comprehensive, multi-year, private fund-raising campaign to support Carolina's vision of becoming the nation's leading public university.

- 30 -

Photo: To download a photo of Krasno, visit http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/other/krasno_richard.jpg

College of Arts and Sciences contact: Dee Reid, (919) 843-6339, deereid@unc.edu
Office of University Development contact: Scott Ragland, (919) 962-0027, scott_ragland@unc.edu