Involvement and investment by alumni and friends in the College of Engineering & Computer Science are essential to our ability to move forward with our mission. The generosity of others enables the college to provide the learning opportunities and spaces that future engineers and computer scientists need to graduate ready to embark on graduate studies or careers in industry and government.
Our generous donors now have a new way to make their contributions to support the college and its students go further, thanks to an unexpected $40 million gift bestowed upon Cal State Fullerton by philanthropist and author MacKenzie Scott and her husband, Dan Jewett, in the summer of 2021.
Using $11 million of the gift, the University is offering a 50 percent match on cash or cash pledges to endowments or capital projects through June 30, 2022. The program aims to double that $11 million value and build capacity throughout the University.
“The MacKenzie Scott-Dan Jewett match provides a unique opportunity to greatly expand the impact philanthropy will have on generations of students in the College of Engineering & Computer Science through investments in endowments and capital projects,” says Mike Karg, executive director of development at Cal State Fullerton. “The match provides a springboard to amplify the impact philanthropy has on our students, programs, and research.”
Cal State Fullerton President Fram Virjee, his cabinet, and campus stakeholders allocated Scott’s and Jewett’s $40 million gift based on Scott’s expressed intention to support programs at the University that lift up and successfully educate students from communities that have been chronically underserved. They also sought to align the allocation with the University’s strategic plan and social justice principles while balancing Cal State Fullerton’s current and future needs.
In addition to the $11 million gift matching program:
- $15 million creates the MacKenzie Scott & Dan Jewett Endowed Fund for Excellence, which will provide annual funding that allows campus leadership to take advantage of opportunities that support Cal State Fullerton’s mission.
- $5 million creates the MacKenzie Scott & Dan Jewett President’s Initiative Endowed Fund, which will provide funding for unique opportunities and initiatives that support the Titan community.
- $3 million will recognize and fund extraordinary activities and programs in the Cal State Fullerton community.
- $2 million will support initiatives to grow diversity, equity, and inclusion within the campus community.
- $2 million will further develop Cal State Fullerton’s academic offerings, including enhancing faculty-mentored undergraduate research and recruiting and retaining diverse faculty.
- $2 million will be used to enhance the Titan student experience at Cal State Fullerton.
For more information, please contact Michael Karg, executive director of development.
