Cal State San Bernardino’s College of Business and Public Administration will be named for businessman and philanthropist Jack H. Brown, executive chairman of Stater Bros. Markets, who last month generously pledged the largest single cash gift in university history to the college.
The newly named Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration was approved by the California State University Board of Trustees at its July 19 meeting in Long Beach.
CSUSB President Tomás D. Morales, who spoke to the trustees prior to the vote, called Brown a visionary “whose generosity will positively impact CSUSB and our students for generations to come.”
“CSUSB is extremely fortunate to have Jack Brown as a friend and supporter, someone who for nearly seven decades has championed efforts to elevate and strengthen the communities of the Inland Empire,” Morales said. “The most immediate benefit to our university is the continuing association with Jack Brown. His name is more than recognizable; it conveys success, dedication and integrity, and is highly respected locally, regionally and nationally.”
Brown’s endowment, which was made as the university completed its 50th anniversary year-long celebrations, will go to support academic enrichment and student scholarships in the College of Business and Public Administration, helping to attract and retain faculty, facilitate student enrichment, provide for new programs, and supplement research in perpetuity, said Lawrence Rose, dean of the college.
“Mr. Brown’s generosity will benefit students, creating untold opportunities that will elevate the skill sets of our graduates,” Rose said.
'I am very honored and proud to have my name associated with the College of Business and Public Administration at CSUSB,” Brown said. “I was raised in San Bernardino, attended Washington and Lytle Creek elementary schools, Richardson Junior High, San Bernardino High School, and San Bernardino Valley College. Also, Stater Bros. Markets is headquartered in San Bernardino and is the largest private employer in the Inland Empire of Southern California with nearly 18,000 members of the Stater Bros. Supermarket Family. I consider this personal gift as an investment in the Inland Empire's future success, which will provide many educational opportunities for current and future students at the Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration and give them an opportunity to live their dreams. Education matters.”
A U.S. Navy veteran, Brown has earned many significant honors, including being named one of ten 1992 Horatio Alger Award winners in Washington, D.C. In 2005 he was given the Sidney R. Rabb Award, the supermarket industry's highest award, from the Food Marketing Institute, and in 2011 he received the prestigious “PATRIOTS AWARD” from the Medal of Honor Society of the United States.
Brown has always been a passionate supporter of education and enrichment at all levels, from his involvement as the founding chairman of Children’s Fund of San Bernardino County, a public/private agency devoted to protecting abused and at-risk children, which to date has helped over 1.4 million children; mentoring work with students at his alma mater, San Bernardino High School; the creation of the Rose Brown Scholarships at CSUSB, named in honor of his mother; his support of college scholarships for employees of Stater Bros.; and his contributions toward building Jack H. Brown Hall at CSUSB.
His leadership and philanthropy have been a benchmark for others to follow, creating untold opportunities for economic and social growth at every level of his organization. His commitment to the values and sacrifices of those that served our country in the military is unwavering. He has championed education, children’s well-being, hunger relief, health, and the well-being of our nation’s veterans.
CSUSB’s College of Business and Public Administration is a nationally and internationally respected program that creates a student-centered learning community, preparing students to become productive members in business, government, and global society. The college enjoys Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation, which represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide. Less than five percent of the world's 13,000 business programs have earned AACSB accreditation. In addition, the Masters in Public Administration program is proud to be accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration (NASPAA).
California State University, San Bernardino is a preeminent center of intellectual and cultural activity in Inland Southern California. Opened in 1965 and set at the foothills of the beautiful San Bernardino Mountains, the university serves more than 20,000 students each year and graduates about 4,000 students annually.
CSUSB reflects the dynamic diversity of the region and has the most diverse student population of any university in the Inland Empire, and it has the second highest African American and Hispanic enrollments of all public universities in California. Seventy percent of those who graduate are the first in their families to do so.
To speak to Jack Brown, contact Marissa Kutansky at Stater Bros. Markets, (909) 733-5436.
For more information, contact the CSUSB Office of Strategic Information at (909) 537-5007 and visit news.csusb.