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Office of Donor Relations

Welcome

The Office of Donor Relations celebrates and cultivates meaningful, personable, and lasting connections with CSUSB donors to strengthen the relationships donors have with the CSUSB people, programs, and places they champion.

The Office of Donor Relations is here to assist with any questions, thoughts, or ideas related to your giving and stewardship experience. We look forward to hearing from you!

Donor Highlights

James R. Watson and Judy Rodriguez Watson
James R. Watson and Judy Rodriguez Watson

“We have enjoyed our experience here for over 20 years,” says James R. Watson. “We have been blessed more than the university has been blessed by what we have been able to provide financially and in our involvement. It’s truly been a wonderful experience for Judy and I. We understand the value of education, and the vital role Cal State San Bernardino has in the Inland Empire in providing an affordable and world-class education.”

Since 2003, the Watsons have been contributors to and advocates for CSUSB, in particular for the College of Education and its literacy center, which both hold their name. They are also proponents of public art and have been instrumental in partnering with San Bernardino to display CSUSB student art citywide.

Ellen and Stan Weisser
Ellen and Stan Weisser

“If you walk around that campus and you see the students, what you see is gratitude," says Ellen ’68. "They are grateful students who are so pleased to be able to have the opportunity to go school there.”

“Cal State is committed to these students and committed to their success," says Stan. "And that is one of the main reasons that we are happy to support Cal State San Bernardino.”

The Weissers are longtime supporters who gave the seed donation for CSUSB's new Performing Arts Center. In June 2016, Stan surprised Ellen, who is also a founding member of the university’s Philanthropic Foundation Board, with The Ellen Weisser Endowed Theatre Showcase, which supports a CSUSB theatre arts production each year.

Shelby and Charles Obershaw
Shelby and Charles Obershaw

“Our goal in giving this gift to CSUSB is to directly support students through the DEN and Renaissance Scholars programs. The young men and women in these programs have been dealt unimaginable challenges, yet they continue to persevere in their educational goals. ... This commitment is not only for scholarships but to help keep students in school, especially foster youth, many of whom lose their support system at age 18. … We are proud to help students achieve their goals through education.”

Shelby and her late husband, Charles, established an endowment that supports the social and academic success of students in CSUSB’s Educational Opportunity Program’s Renaissance Scholars program, the DEN Food Pantry and the entrepreneurship program in the Jack H. Brown College. 

Ingeborg Schuler
Ingeborg Schuler

Ingeborg Schuler, who retired from Redlands High School in 2008 after nearly 45 years of service to the Redlands Unified School District, established an endowment at CSUSB in memory of Laverne Grace Schulz. The endowment provides four scholarships each year to students interested in journalism who are enrolled in the M.A. in English and Writing Studies program or M.A. in Communication Studies program. Ingeborg has a desire to encourage community investigative journalism as local news is rapidly disappearing.

Dr. W. Benson Harer
Dr. W. Benson Harer

Dr. W. Benson Harer, a longtime supporter of CSUSB and the university’s Robert & Frances Fullerton Museum of Art, established a visiting faculty position on campus that focuses on the teaching of Egyptology and early Egyptian art history. The W. Benson Harer Egyptology Scholar in Residence brings to the campus one of the world’s preeminent experts in this field, serving as a part-time visiting faculty position in the history department of the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences. In 2014, he and his late wife, Pamela, created the Pamela and Dr. Benson Harer Fellowship specializing in Egyptology, CSUSB’s first-ever fully endowed faculty fellowship. The Harer Family Trust has also provided a substantial collection of Egyptian antiquities as gifts and on permanent loan to RAFFMA. The collection has become the centerpiece for several educational programs.

The Impact of Scholarships

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/M_auHnttPeg?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0">Watch The Scholarship Impact at CSUSB YouTube Video</a>

 

Your Gift Makes a Difference!

Eric Tafoya
Eric Tafoya

After an accident at work, sociology major Eric Tafoya worried about paying his rent. CSUSB’s Basic Needs program helped him with an emergency grant. “That grant was able to lift me, to pay my rent, to get me over the hump that I was going through. It really was an emergency in my mind, in my heart. I was stressing on it. It allowed me to get passed it,” he said. “That emergency grant money that they have … helped me in that time of need.” Since the launch of the CSU Basic Needs Initiative in 2016, CSUSB has taken strategic steps to ensure students have access to a variety of campus resources, such as the Obershaw DEN and emergency grants.

Alessandra Ramos
Alessandra Ramos

Alessandra Ramos, nursing major at the Palm Desert Campus, received a University Legacy Scholarship that covers her full tuition and fees for four years. “I am truly blessed and honored to have been granted the University Legacy Scholarship. This has granted me the opportunity to acquire a bachelor’s degree without a financial cost, but most importantly, it has granted me the opportunity to be a part of the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus community,” she says. “I will use this opportunity to pursue my goal of becoming a registered nurse to help serve our public with care and close connections.”

The scholarship was created for Coachella Valley students to realize just how accessible a college education is, thanks to the generous support of community members.

Cherae Hunt
Cherae Hunt

A scholarship is more than just a financial award. It is also an affirmation of a student’s potential. Cherae Hunt, communication studies major, admits she has struggled with imposter syndrome, and that the Laveryn Grace Schulz Endowment provided her with a sense of validation. “You are doing good work. The things that you are doing here are important,” Cherae said. “Other people from the outside that have no idea who I am see that, too. It was the most incredible feeling ever!” The Laveryn Grace Schulz Endowment helped to give Cherae the confidence she needed to achieve her goals.

Samantha Gallardo
Samantha Gallardo ’23

Samantha Gallardo ’23, who majored in psychology, fell on hard times when her husband was laid off and she had just begun school. She turned to the Obershaw DEN in her time of need. “My husband had been laid off and I was barely starting school. When I came back to campus, I saw a lot of information about the DEN, and I went in and was able to grab a couple of things for a couple of meals for a week,” she said. That one week of assistance from the DEN helped her and her husband immensely. After that experience, Samantha felt comfort as a student, knowing that this on-campus resource was available to her if she ever fell into a moment of need again.