photo of Hayden White and Andrew Baird

Darren Shou of Mountain View-based security and storage leader Symantec had a simple explanation for his company’s $500,000 contribution toward a $1 million endowment to establish a chair in storage and security at UC Santa Cruz.

“It’s a virtuous cycle,” said Shou, a senior director of Symantec Research Labs, who played a decisive role in making this gift happen. “We support the School of Engineering so they can support the best and brightest students from around the world.”

Meanwhile, the chair, the first at UC Santa Cruz to be endowed with matching funds from UC’s Presidential Match for Endowed Chairs, will give Symantec “access to a pipeline of world-class talent.”

The Symantec Presidential Chair in Storage and Security at the Jack Baskin School of Engineering supports research and teaching in the engineering school’s Department of Computer Science.

Ethan Miller, professor of computer science and director of the Center for Research in Storage Systems at UC Santa Cruz, has been appointed as the inaugural holder of the chair.

Symantec’s gift is a significant contribution to the Data Science Leadership Initiative of the $300 million Campaign for UC Santa Cruz.