Still, a big gift

Is there something wrong when a $2-million gift doesn’t seem like so

much?

In the world of the Don Brens, Henry Samuelis and Paul Merages,

Fariborz Maseeh comes off almost as a small-time giver to UC Irvine.

But then you step back, ground your feet back into reality, and

realize: Wow, he just gave UCI $2 million.

That’s two million dollars.

Maseeh’s generous gift will go to the Dr. Samuel M. Jordan Center

for Persian Studies and Culture, which is set to open this fall and

will be the first center in the UC system devoted entirely to Persian

issues.

“A center like that is something the nation needs,” Maseeh said.

“As we’re getting more interdependent and more communicative with the

Internet and global travel, I thought we needed to catch up a little

bit on the cultural side. We need centers like this to acclimate us

with those cultures in other parts of the world.”

Maseeh’s gift comes soon after a $30-million donation from Merage,

the largest ever to the school, topping $20-million donations from

Bren and Samueli. Things must be going pretty well over there. And

with gifts like Masheeh’s, they’ll just keep getting better.