Caltech Names Honorary Alumni

PASADENA, Calif.- Eligibility for membership in the Caltech Alumni Association is relatively difficult to obtain--if you didn't toil away for years on problem sets with elusive solutions, learn to build a robot from scratch, or take a series of courses on the physics of spinning planets, you're usually out of luck. However, a few non-Techers are admitted to this exclusive group every year with honorary membership; they earn it through years of dedication to improving the lives and well-being of Caltech students and alumni. This year's honorees are no exception.

They are Dr. William Caton III, chairman of neurosurgery and director of neurosciences at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena and Dr. Kevin Austin, director of health and counseling services at Caltech.

For the past 10 years, Caton has provided opportunities for Caltech premed students at Huntington Hospital; up to 20 students per year have participated in his clinical preceptorship program. For five intense weeks, students each log more than 250 hours in general surgery, neurosurgery, ER, pathology, cardiology, pediatrics, and anesthesiology under his guidance, and he often writes letters of recommendation for students as they apply for medical school. His dedication to Caltech students is particularly noteworthy because he is not a member of the Caltech faculty or staff.

Dr. Kevin Austin is the director of Caltech's Counseling Center and Student Health Center, and has been a core source of support for many within the Caltech community since arriving on campus in 1990. Caltech's undergraduate students are expected simultaneously to master a rigorous curriculum and to navigate the social and emotional transition into adulthood. Austin works closely with student leaders to develop programs spanning a range of issues, such as peer pressure, time management, substance abuse, and more. He works alongside staff to meet with students for individual counseling and therapy sessions and is dedicated to supporting the emotional, physical, and mental health of Caltech students.

The two honorees will be feted at the Honorary Alumni Dinner on June 9 at Caltech's Athenaeum where they each will receive a framed certificate of honorary membership in the Alumni Association. Including this year's honorees, 92 people have been named honorary members of the Caltech Alumni Association.

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Contact: Jill Perry (626) 395-3226 [email protected]

Visit the Caltech Media Relations website at http://pr.caltech.edu/media.