Architecture Receives $60 Million Gift -- Largest in CSU History

THE ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT has received a pledged bequest of $60 million, the largest single gift commitment ever made to a campus in the California State University system.

Nationwide, it is also one of the largest gift commitments ever made to an architecture department at a public university. Cal Poly is respecting the donor’s request that his name not be announced.

“Even as we respect the donor’s desire for anonymity, we are honoring his wish to share his story,” said Cal Poly President Warren J. Baker. “Although he was unable to complete his degree due to financial hardship, it is especially inspiring to know that the architecture program resonated with a student and inspired him to make it possible for generations of students to en joy one of the finest architectural educations and experiences.”

While attending Cal Poly as an architecture major, the donor learned “a fundamental approach to seeing the world differently.”

As a successful entrepreneur, the donor now has the opportunity, through his gift commitment, to fulfill his desire “to engage in creating a vision of how architects can contribute socially and culturally to our environment.”

Dean R. Thomas Jones

“Our students and alumni value the high quality of learning that we provide,” said College of Architecture and Environmental Design Dean R. Thomas Jones, “and the donor’s generosity emphasizes the life-long impact this education offers. A gift of this magnitude to the department helps fulfill dreams of a future beyond any of our lifetimes.”

In discussing his decision to make the gift, the donor said it all started with a letter from Architecture Department Head Henri T. de Hahn.

Sent last fall to all architecture alumni, the letter described de Hahn’s enthusiasm about his role as the new department head and extended an invitation asking alumni to play an important role and continue to be part of the Cal Poly experience.

De Hahn believes that the donor’s passion for architecture validates his department’s mission, and it has inspired him to think about the enriched opportunities they can offer students.

“This gift will allow us to foster interdisciplinary education that will enable our graduates to contribute alongside other professionals – engineers, city and regional planners, landscape architects, construction managers – to ensure a better environment,” he said.