We're No. I! CSUB celebrates after fundraising goal is met
Bakersfield Californian 1/18/07
Murdock and Thomas co-chaired the final push of the campaign to raise funds for CSUB's move to Division 1. The $6 million target has been met and surpassed.
University officials, Bakersfield Mayor Harvey Hall, retired Rep. Bill Thomas and billionaire David Murdock entered the ballroom at Seven Oaks Country Club to the cheers of student-athletes and campus donors.
President Horace Mitchell said the school had met the challenge and thanked Thomas for using "his influence to secure key gifts that brought us down the home stretch."
Donor Chuck Haddad gave $250,000 to the campaign to thank the patronage of Bakersfield and Kern County customers. He usually keeps his donations anonymous but made it public at Thomas' urging.
Thomas said he wants to stop exporting all the county's talent elsewhere; he believes the university's transition from a Division II to Division I program will attract students and enrich Bakersfield and Kern County.
The school will add baseball to its athletics program; the team is expected to play its first game in 2008-09.
Murdock, the chairman and chief executive of Castle & Cooke and CEO of Dole Foods Co., pledged $1 million to the campaign, matching donations dollar for dollar since Oct. 20, 2006.
Although he dropped out of school in the ninth grade, he's passionate about education and never stopped learning. He reads four hours a day.
Murdock likes to win, and he encouraged the student-athletes to "set an example they will talk about for years to come."
He encouraged the crowd to define opportunities, come up with solutions and execute.
School officials view reaching the $6 million milestone as a crucial beginning and said the university needs to continue fundraising to pay for scholarships and upgrade facilities.
Murdock said people in the community who may not have donated to CSUB should.
"It's the people in the community that create a community," he said, noting citizens' work, effort and financial support "creates a city that they are proud of."