Cal State Fullerton Philanthropic Foundation

The mission of the Cal State Fullerton Philanthropic Foundation Board of Governors is to serve Cal State Fullerton by building and strengthening relationships with the communities we serve to encourage advocacy, investment, and support of the University, its mission, goals, and programs by remaining focused on student success and advancing the philanthropic endeavor.

Established in 1957, Cal State Fullerton (CSUF) is one of the largest of the 23 California State University campuses. CSUF has matured into a comprehensive university fulfilling a multitude of needs. Its eight colleges enroll more than 40,000 students. The university offers our students 110 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, including science, mathematics, engineering, business, nursing, performing arts, athletics, and teaching. CSUF has more than 4,100 full and part-time faculty members. Cal State Fullerton aspires to combine the best qualities of teaching and research universities where actively engaged students, faculty and staff work in close collaboration to expand knowledge. Our affordable undergraduate and graduate programs provide students the best of current practice, theory and research and integrate professional studies with preparation in the arts and sciences. Through experiences in and out of the classroom, students develop the habit of intellectual inquiry, prepare for challenging professions, strengthen relationships to their communities and contribute productively to society.

Cal State Fullerton, the largest university in the CSU and the only campus in Orange County, offers 110 degree programs, and Division 1 athletics. Recognized as a national model for supporting student success, CSUF excels with innovative, high-impact educational practices, including faculty-student collaborative research, study abroad, and competitive internships. Our vibrant and diverse campus is a primary driver of workforce and economic development in the region. CSUF is a top public university known for its success in supporting first-generation and underrepresented students, and preparing all students to become leaders in the global marketplace.

We see the future as an opportunity to provide a transformative educational experience, equip our students for the jobs of tomorrow, and enrich the communities we serve. Four strategic pillars provide a roadmap for our continued emergence as a leading university and an essential partner with Orange County and all of California:

Academic Innovation - Preparing students for a changing world
Our educational program is, of course, the foundation of our mission as a university. Emboldened by our legacy, we will not only evolve our academic programs for the benefit of our students, but build models of innovation that will have broad implications across academe. We will reimagine approaches to education and develop new best practices — ones that will have a cascading effect on our economic vitality, our quality of life, and the personal success of our graduates.

Student Empowerment - Increasing opportunities for Titans
Motivated by our mission and the principles of the CSU, we continue to strengthen programs that empower students on their way to a degree. As we lift up our students, we lift up not only their potential but their potential impact on our communities. Scholarships help open doors, advising brings the path forward into focus, and expanded immersive experiences deepen students’ scholarship and improve persistence.

Campus Transformation - Creating the ultimate learning environment
The next decades of Titan progress in academics, innovation and regional impact will be profound. But our campus learning environment — facilities, laboratories and technologies — must evolve with the pace and power of our ideas and the promise of our students. A strengthened infrastructure will become a more effective learning stage for Titans.

Community Engagement - Reaching out to Orange County
Cal State Fullerton has long been part of the community’s lifeblood — an intellectual and cultural hub for Orange County and beyond. We are a place of coming together, where minds expand, opportunities flourish, and ideas come to life. As our region evolves, so do we. This campaign will bolster our storied commitment and responsibility to the region.

Southern California

While philanthropy from all sectors is critically important, individual giving, or giving through a family foundation, is very special to institutions like ours. These are the people who have emotional ties to an institution — ties that don’t weaken with changes in the economy.

There are many giving options available to individuals, too. Annual gifts provide reliable operating support year after year that is so important to funding ongoing programs. Larger, special gifts allow donors to significantly impact an area of interest to them. These major gifts can be real game-changers. And planned gifts provide donors with the opportunity to truly leave a legacy. Many times, donors choose to endow these ultimate gifts — which could be funded with any number of different types of assets — so that the impact is felt by the institution in perpetuity.

The national data show that education is the second-largest recipient of philanthropic funds after religious organizations. It reflects the importance many Americans place on education to power social mobility and strengthen society.

For example, at CSUF we celebrate the fact that the majority of our bachelor’s degree recipients are first-generation university graduates. This means so much to the donors I meet who recognize the impact our university has, both on the individual, as well as the broader community. CSUF empowers graduates to build lives of purpose, while also making Orange County a better place to live and work. And philanthropy is a key component in making this happen.

Sincerely,
Kimberly Shiner
Vice President for University Advancement and
Executive Director of the Cal State Fullerton Philanthropic Foundation

I am honored to serve as president of California State University, Fullerton, the largest institution in the CSU and one of the most transformative universities in the country. Home to more than 40,000 students — the majority of whom are the first in their family to attend college — and the alma mater to nearly 300,000 graduates, Cal State Fullerton is consistently ranked among the top public universities in the nation for both its strength of diversity and academic excellence.

With tuition well below the national average, our 110 undergraduate and graduate programs are driven by innovative student support services and high-impact teaching designed to respond to California’s workforce needs. A preeminent pathway to upward social and economic mobility, Cal State Fullerton is ranked first in the CSU in graduating women, first in the state in graduating Hispanics, and fifth in the nation in conferring baccalaureate degrees to underrepresented students. It is also home to a collaborative team of educators who are at the top of their respective fields and committed to transforming lives and lifting communities.

Sincerely,
Ronald S. Rochon
President