The Cal Poly Architecture Department received a $60-million pledge from an alumni who wants to remain anonymous, university officials announced last week.

The pledge represents the largest single-gift commitment ever made to a California State University campus and one of the largest gift commitments ever made to an architecture department at a public university, Cal Poly officials said.

“We are extraordinarily appreciative of this magnanimous gift,” said Thomas Jones, dean of the Cal Poly College of Architecture and Environmental Design. “It is something that represents extreme confidence in our program and approach to architectural education.”

The donor requested that his name remain private, according to school officials. The person is a successful entrepreneur who “clearly translated the perspectives and skills he learned (from) our Cal Poly approach to education,” Jones said.

The donor studied architecture at Cal Poly, but did not complete the program.

“For me it has been a great pleasure to engage with the donor, a man who - despite not practicing architecture today - remains so firmly committed to its impact on society,” said Henri T. de Han, architecture department head. “Throughout our conversations (the donor) has reiterated his belief in the importance of an architectural education. The donor has told me time after time that his professional success is a measure of his early architectural education - one which is humanistic, visionary, and informed.”

The Cal Poly Architecture Department offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. The undergraduate Bachelor of Architecture program leads to a five-year accredited degree. The Master of Science in Architecture (MS-Arch) is not an accredited professional degree program. It is a second degree for those who already have a bachelor's degree.

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“I think this is a great moment, not just for our department but for our school as well,” said Rachel Glabe, fourth-year architecture student. “(The pledge) is an opportunity for those in the public to learn about the impact that this program has on people and vice versa. This pledge will make a huge difference for the school and for us as students.”

Glabe was one of several students displaying some of their architectural work to the public at Wednesday's event. The school's Architecture Department is a nationally recognized program that has received several awards at the state and national levels.

September 29, 2007