By Gail Mallimson
September 2024
When Adrienne Le (B.S., ’17; M.S., ’19) was in high school and searching for a cell and molecular biology undergraduate program, she was particularly drawn to the Department of Biology at SF State. She felt that the faculty and academics were excellent, but the program’s emphasis on inclusivity was what really drew her in: “One of the main reasons why I chose SF State was their emphasis on community-building and diversity.”
Emeritus Professor John Hafernik, Jr., Ph.D.
Nurturing diversity, equity, inclusion, and feelings of belonging are core values of the department. According to John Hafernik, Jr., Ph.D., an emeritus professor of biology who taught at SF State for 40 years, those values have defined the department for decades: “It's a much more cooperative culture at San Francisco State among young faculty, among different groups of graduate students. I think that makes for a much better way to learn and to interact.” Adrienne concurs, and feels that she was surrounded by positive energy in the Department of Biology, as well as “a lot of constructive criticism” that pushed her and allowed her to become a great scientist.
It is their feeling towards the biology department that inspired John and his wife Johnnie Hafernik, Ed.D., to make a major gift to establish the John and Johnnie Hafernik Endowed Scholarship in Biology this year. The scholarship will support graduate students in biology studying Ecology, Evolution and/or Conservation Biology.
“Graduate students often bring expertise and a world view to science,” says Johnnie, who is an emerita professor in the Department of Rhetoric and Language at the University of San Francisco. “I think it's important to support those students and help them to help the rest of us.” John agrees and feels that donating to SF State graduate students can make a huge impact in students’ lives and the intellectual vitality of a department: “You're investing in a student who might not otherwise have the ability to make it through a graduate program. A scholarship can pay dividends for a lifetime.”
The warm atmosphere of the biology department is also felt by the faculty, many of whom stay in the department for decades despite opportunities to teach elsewhere. “Graduate students become colleagues as they go through their experience working closely with faculty members,” says John. “They're part of the generation of new ideas that is so important to promoting science.”
The Haferniks
Doug Ripley, Ph.D. (B.A., ’67; M.A., ’69) and his wife Arlene Ripley (Musso) (B.A., ’69) (pictured at left) also felt the uniqueness of the biology department at SF State when they were students back in the 1960s. The two met on campus and married after they graduated. The Ripleys kept in touch with some of their professors after they left and have been longtime donors to the Department of Biology.
This year, they also became legacy donors, establishing the Ripley Endowment in Biology with a generous planned gift. The Ripleys’ donations are directed to the Department of Biology itself, with the funds under the discretion of its Chair. Dr. Vance Vredenburg has been Chair of the Department of Biology since 2023 and has already earmarked the Ripleys’ current donations to projects that the department would not be able to fund otherwise. One focus has been the University’s conservatory, which is home to numerous threatened, endangered, and/or rare species of plants. This year, due to the support of the Ripleys and other donors, new energy-saving LED lights were installed – a $30,000 expense.
Doug Ripley
Doug, who is president of the Arizona Native Plant Society, is happy to hear of the ways his and Arlene’s funding has been helping the department. Doug’s military career brought the couple to nine locations (including Europe and Asia) and a ten-year teaching assignment to the Department of Biology at the U.S. Air Force Academy, where they would study and enjoy local natural habitats. Arlene was able to pursue a career for a time in medical technology and develop her skills as an accomplished wildlife photographer. The two are ardent environmentalists, and ultimately Doug was able to combine this passion and his SF State education with his military career in his last job before retirement. Based at the Pentagon, he was involved with the management of the natural resources conservation programs for the nine million acres of Air Force land.
He and Arlene are pleased to have the good fortune of donating and leaving money to SF State’s Department of Biology and were excited to tour the conservatory and the Harry D. Thiers Herbarium on a visit to campus. “It's nice to know that we'll leave some money for the future, that I think will be well spent there,” says Doug. “And that it will go to things that we really care a lot about.”
