Annual Dinner featuring the Head of NASA's Kepler Mission & the former Under Secretary of Education

Thursday, June 9th
6:00pm
University Club
800 Powell Street, SF 94108

The HCSF Annual Dinner usually sells out two weeks before the event. Please register ASAP to save your spot. 
Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate any additional registrations after tickets have sold out.

On February 2nd 2011, NASA answered a question that humankind has pondered for centuries: "Are there other Earths?" The Kepler Mission, an orbiting telescope launched less than two years ago, has already discovered 1,235 new planets around other suns, and in February, NASA announced that five of these planets are rocky earth-sized worlds in the habitable zone of their suns, where liquid water could exist.

The HCSF 2011 Public Service Leader of the Year Award will be presented to Kepler Mission Head Scientist, William Borucki. Mr. Borucki was not only the scientific visionary behind Kepler, he also lobbied for decades to get the project off the ground while others dismissed the possibility of discovering extrasolar planets as science fiction. Every new planet discovered by Kepler is a vindication of his life's work, and thanks to him, we are lucky to be in the first generation of humans to know that our solar system is not alone.

William Borucki is based at the NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley. He began his career with NASA in 1962 and has contributed to a long list of scientific advancements, including heat shield design for the Apollo Missions. As Principal Investigator of the Kepler Mission, he oversees all scientific aspects of the program.

Mr. Borucki will discuss the astonishing discoveries that Kepler has already made and what's coming next. In the meantime, here's a pre-liftoff clip from The Science Channel featuring the Kepler Mission and Mr. Borucki: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ba4LnxwBgjw

The HCSF 2011 Education Leader of the Year Award will be presented to Sara Martinez Tucker, who most recently served as Under Secretary of Education (appointed by George W. Bush and confirmed by the Senate) where she was the nation's top higher-education official overseeing all policies and programs related to postsecondary education, adult education and federal student aid. Earlier, Mrs. Tucker worked for nine years as the CEO and President of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) where she raised $280m for scholarships and launched programs to raise college expectations in Latino communities. Prior to her work in education, Mrs. Tucker spent 16 years at AT&T where she led a $400m division to its highest profit levels and became the first Latina to reach the company's executive level. Among her many awards and honors, Mrs. Tucker was named Hispanic of the Year in 2000 by Hispanic magazine, and, in 2005, Time magazine named her one of the 25 most influential Hispanics in the United States.

Mrs. Tucker has worked with the HCSF in support of the club's Early College Awareness Program in recent years. She will speak about the role the federal government plays in balancing the needs of a nation working to raise the readiness of its citizens in an increasingly competitive global market with the autonomy required for implementation at state and local levels.

Thursday, June 9th, 2011
6:00pm
University Club
800 Powell Street, SF 94108

5:30pm Private Reception with Honorees for Lifetime, Benefactor and Sponsor HCSF Members
6:00 pm General Cocktail Reception (no-host bar)
7:00 pm Three Course Sit-Down Dinner with Wine Service
9:00 pm Mixer and discussion (no-host bar)
NO refunds after June 1st.

Cocktail or Business Attire

Ticket Prices:

Member and one guest $114 each

Harvard graduate non-members $154 (includes 2011 membership) (represents a 33% discount on regular membership price)

Harvard recent graduate member (graduating classes '05-'11 from any Harvard school) and current Students $89
Harvard recent graduate non-member (graduating classes '05-'11 from any Harvard school) (includes 2011 membership) $119

Non Harvard guests $154

GOLD CIRCLE - $350 (one reserved seat) (Private Reception)

Crimson Sponsor Table - $9,900 (table of 10) (Private Reception)
Platinum Sponsor Table - $4,900 (table of 10) (Private Reception)
Silver Sponsor Table - $2,900 (table of 10) (Private Reception)
Sponsor Table - $1,900 (table of 10) (Private Reception)