The Cal State San Bernardino Palm Desert Campus has created a new opportunity for Coachella Valley students to realize just how accessible a college education is, thanks to the support of community members.
“The purpose of the University Legacy Scholarship is to attract some of the ‘best and the brightest’ of our local high schools students to select the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus as their university of choice,” said Priscilla Porter, chairperson of the University Legacy Scholarship Committee.
The first class of University Legacy Scholars will be welcomed in fall 2017 and include:
- Nicholas Conway – La Quinta High School;
- Adrian Martinez – Rancho Mirage High School;
- Maria Morales – Shadow Hills High School;
- Kayla Roberts – Palm Springs High School;
- Stephanee Sandoval – Indio High School; and
- Janelle Vidal – Rancho Mirage High School.
The scholars were selected on the basis of their academic achievement, leadership and service to the community, and financial need. The University Legacy Scholars will be awarded a four-year scholarship to support full tuition and fees for an undergraduate degree at the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus.
The program was established for deserving local students who are graduates of high schools from the Coachella Valley Unified School District, Desert Sands Unified School District and Palm Springs Unified School District. In addition, students graduating from accredited private and online schools in the Coachella Valley are also eligible for this scholarship program.
“We have been so pleased to receive so much support already,” said PDC Dean Sharon Brown-Welty, “But we want to continue to build the resources that make it possible to keep our academic talent local and be a part of lessening our ‘brain drain.’”
On March 2, the campus will host the second annual “Keeping Our Brightest Stars” Scholarship Dinner at the home of Ogniana Masser and will honor Ward and Pat Fredericks and Allison “Al” Jones for their vision and support of higher education in the Coachella Valley and across California.
This annual event will raise the corpus of funds needed to support the scholarships for deserving students, according to Brown-Welty.
Tickets to the event are $250 per person or $2,000 for a sponsored table of eight guests and can be purchased by calling Michelle Newman at (760) 341-2883, ext. 78140.
On a mission to transform CSUSB’s Palm Desert Campus into a destination for students near and far, the Fredericks’ have made its expansion the centerpiece of their retirement.
Their interest in the campus traces back to 2007 when Pat Fredericks, a retired real estate agent, enrolled to pursue a master’s degree. She became a founding member of the Cal State University Associates, and drew her husband, Ward, a retired international business executive and university professor, to the cause. He’s now the board president of the Palm Desert Campus Advancement Board.
Together, they rally support for the campus master plan, which calls for new academic buildings, a library and student housing.
“A fine university will make a huge difference in this community,” said Ward Fredericks, who also donated money to build an iconic clock tower on campus. “We hope the clock tower inspires students. This could become a destination campus, something really extraordinary. We want to expand the opportunity for students who love the area and would like to stay here.”
Jones began his career in higher education administration in 1970, and began his employment with the California State University in 1985 and the Office of the Chancellor in 1988. He has coordinated support to CSU's 23 campuses in the areas of K-12 academic outreach, admission, enrollment management, financial aid, educational opportunity programs, student services, student health, transfer services, disabled student services, and remediation; and has served on several system-wide, statewide, and national advisory committees that address outreach, admission, enrollment management, transfer, financial aid, and remediation issues.
Jones has served as the chair of the governing boards of the Articulation System to Stimulate Inter-institutional Student Transfer (ASSIST) and California Articulation Number (CAN), as well as the chair of the Intersegmental Coordinating Committee (ICC), which is composed of faculty, staff and student representatives from all sectors of California education. He has also served on numerous educational boards and councils including the Scholarshare Investment Board, the Governors Interagency Coordinating Council on the Prevention of Alcohol and Other Drug Problems, and the P-16 Council and the California ACT Advisory Council.
Jones was appointed by the CSU Chancellor to the task force charged with implementing the provisions of the Governor's California Veterans Education Opportunities Partnership in spring 2006. Given his extensive experience and knowledge, in June 2007, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings appointed Jones to the federal Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, which provides advice and counsel to the Secretary of Education and Congress on student financial aid policy issues.
Jones is currently a higher education consultant.
Located in beautiful Palm Desert, the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees, a doctorate in educational leadership, and teacher credentials and certificates. With more than 1,400 students, it is the Coachella Valley’s four-year public university and plays a vital role in educating and training the region’s growing population.
For more information about the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus, contact Mike Singer in the campus’s Office of Public Affairs at msinger@csusb.edu or (760) 341-2883, ext. 78107, or visit the campus website.