Mabel Beckman

Did President Clinton earn passing grades for his first year in office? About 200 Orange County business people will have an opportunity to register their opinions at "Bill Clinton's First Anniversary Report Card," sponsored by UCI Graduate School of Management. The event will be Thursday, one year after the President's inauguration. Richard McKenzie, a UCI economist who specializes in government policy, will open the program with his own evaluation.

IRVINE 5:30pm Music Pacific Symphony's Copland Festival officially opens with a reception, dinner, panel discussion and screening of William Wyler's 1949 film "The Heiress." Copland won an Academy Award for his score for this film. The panel discussing the film and the music will include composer David Raksin, music scholar David Schiff, festival advisor and author Joseph Horowitz, and Pacific music director Carl St.Clair. * Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center, 100 Academy, Irvine. 5:30 p.m.

The newly constructed West Coast headquarters of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering will be dedicated at 11 a.m. Saturday. The 48,000-square-foot facility, which will provide space for national scientific conferences, has been named the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center in honor of the founding chairman of Beckman Instruments and his wife, who, through a foundation, have given $20 million to finance the project.

The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation of Corona del Mar has pledged $1.5 million to a UC Irvine laser-research facility named in their honor. The $1.5 million will be used by the Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic at UCI to attract additional research scientists, university officials said. "This gift from the Beckman Foundation is particularly meaningful at this stage of development in laser research," said Dr. Michael Berns, professor of surgery and director of the institute.

UC Irvine has received $3.7 million in grants and donations for research on oral cancer and brain research equipment, a university spokesman said. A five-year grant for $2.7 million from the National Cancer Institute will go to the Chao Family Clinical Cancer Research Center for a clinical trial to evaluate a new treatment for the prevention of oral cancer.

The Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic, one of the first facilities in the world where the laser will play a primary role in research and medical treatment, will open its doors to the public today. Located at UC Irvine's College of Medicine, the 25,000-square-foot building is expected to attract patients from throughout the country for treatment of cancer, cardiovascular disease, eye disorders and other ailments.

Inventor Arnold O. Beckman was eulogized Friday for his generosity and intellect during an amazing life that spanned 104 years, from his childhood on an Illinois farm to his scientific discoveries to his enduring philanthropy.

Thursday was the first day of class, but instead of giggling schoolchildren, these were mid-career managers hoping to gain greater understanding of and control over the technological genie that is constantly reshaping international business. The new masters program in technology management, offered by the Pepperdine School of Business and Management, held its first class at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center of the National Academy of Sciences and Engineering in Irvine.

A sold-out education forum tonight at UC Irvine will be the first in a series of free public panels co-sponsored by the university and The Times Orange County. The joint series, called "Getting Smart on the Issues," starts with a discussion on education issues affecting the state and Orange County. The Times and UCI aim to host four forums each year, addressing key issues in Orange County including crime, child care, drug abuse and transportation.