By generously providing millions of dollars in scholarships, California State University donors help students break down economic barriers that prevent them from achieving academic success.
Donor support provides critical resources that open doors for deserving students from all socioeconomic backgrounds to attain their degrees and strive for a better life for themselves and their families.
Scholarships provide a remarkable return on investment, ensuring students have the support they need to achieve their goals and assume leading roles in our state's economic future.
Educator Supports Aspiring Teachers
Reinforcing her unwavering commitment to support aspiring teachers, Jeanne Adams is leaving a portion of her estate to CSU Channel Islands.
The longtime educator founded the University Preparation Charter School at CSU Channel Islands in 2002. Nearly two decades later, the school has trained more than 700 student teachers who provide a high-quality education for thousands of pre-K through eighth-grade students across Ventura County.
Adams' estate bequest will provide a continuing source of backing for the CSU Channel Islands School of Education and contribute to the construction of a new performing arts center on campus.
Destroyed Piano Hits High Note With Music Scholarships
After the 2018 Camp Fire destroyed the ebony 1899 Model O Grand Steinway piano owned by legendary Chico State music professor C. Robert Laxson, his children, Andrea Banks and Rob Laxson, filed an insurance claim.
The resulting settlement allowed them to make a generous donation to a Chico State music scholarship established in their father's name to ensure future generations of students will have the support they need to pursue their dreams. The donation funds scholarships for upper-level or graduate students majoring in music, with preference given to those studying keyboard performance or music education.
Laxson, for whom Chico State's historic auditorium is named, taught on campus for 22 years before passing away in 1968 at the age of 55.
Honoring his legacy of community service and charitable outreach, the donation will also assist students who have performed community service in a musical capacity, including volunteering in schools or churches and participating in community music performances.
Donation Supports STEM Students
A $200,000 donation from retired Boeing executive John Tracy ('76) and his wife, Katherine, supports low-income students studying computer science, physics, chemistry or mathematics at CSU Dominguez Hills.
The new Takeshi Katsumata Endowed Scholarship is named in honor of Katherine's father, who was placed with his family in one of the internment camps that imprisoned Japanese Americans during World War II. The fund provides scholarships of at least $5,000 annually to full-time students from low-income households studying in the College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences, to help propel them into successful careers in the booming STEM industries.
New Scholarship Helps Nursing Students
With a $150,000 gift, alumna Robin Smith ('78) created a scholarship endowment to support a new nursing program at Humboldt State, helping students to become the next generation of public health care leaders.
The Robin M. Smith RN to BSN Nursing Scholarship Endowment helps fill gaps in the current health care system by preparing nurses to take lead roles in community health settings and develop programs to better serve their communities.
The scholarships helps students who may not qualify for financial aid, but who struggle to support their families because they are not yet able to work full time.
Estate Donation Marks Largest Single Gift In CSUMB History
In the largest single gift in the history of CSU Monterey Bay, author and longtime Monterey Bay resident Robert Darwin has pledged his multimillion-dollar estate to provide scholarships for deserving students with the greatest financial need.
The gift will provide an estimated $1 million annually for scholarships.
Darwin, a child of immigrant parents from eastern Europe, said his gift was inspired by his desire to see hardworking, determined students from immigrant families succeed in life, just as he did.
He believes that higher education provides the best path toward achieving success.
$1.2 Million Commitment Supports Students Studying Abroad
Acting on their firm belief in the extraordinary value of a high-quality education that transcends the classroom experience, Michael C. and Kathryn M. Grischy support San José State students studying abroad through a $1.2 million gift commitment.
The Grischys firmly believe immersive educational experiences in different cultures provide students with new perspectives that can change their worldviews and lives.
The Michael C. and Kathryn M. Grischy Study Abroad Fund in the College of Professional and Global Education establishes an endowment for scholarships that cover one semester of tuition and fees for students studying abroad.