Cal Poly Pomona Benefits From Unprecedented Gift From W.K. Kellogg Foundation

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Jul 26, 2010, 12:09 ET

Challenge Grant Honors W.K. Kellogg's Legacy on 150th Anniversary of His Birthday

POMONA, Calif., July 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has awarded $42 million for an endowment at Cal Poly Pomona to increase access to educational opportunities, the largest cash gift in the history of the California State University system.

"In celebration of the 150th anniversary of the birth of our founder, W.K. Kellogg, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation is proud that this grant will benefit Cal Poly Pomona in its efforts to extend and bolster educational opportunities for current and aspiring students," said Sterling K. Speirn, the foundation's president and CEO. "Mr. Kellogg was a strong believer in higher education, and his vision of 'investing in people' has translated into the foundation's fundamental belief that access to a high-quality education is vital to enhancing the lives of vulnerable youth."

This challenge grant, to be given over five years, significantly bolsters the university's ability to reach out and serve underrepresented communities in Southern California, including first-generation college students and their families, military veterans and emancipated foster youth.

"This will be transformational," University President Michael Ortiz said. "With these resources we will be able to change lives and contribute to the economic growth and prosperity of the region. The CSUs have long been the gateway to opportunity for generations of Californians, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation is helping to ensure that the gateway remains open."

The gift comes at a challenging time for public universities in California, with state support shrinking and concern over the future of higher education growing. With this contribution to the university's endowment, the foundation is making an important investment in expanding access to education for all students.

"The W.K. Kellogg Foundation's mission is to support children, families and communities as they strengthen and create conditions that propel vulnerable children to achieve success as individuals and as contributors to the larger community and society," Speirn said. "As the 12th most ethnically diverse university in the United States, Cal Poly Pomona's deep commitment to and track record of providing access to quality college education for students of color strongly aligns with the foundation's work to support racial healing and to remove systemic barriers that hold some children back."

Cal Poly Pomona has long strived to reach out to young people who have grown up thinking that college is for other people. University-sponsored programs in neighboring multiethnic communities help families understand the pivotal role they play in their children's academic success. Other efforts focus on teaching elementary school teachers how to tap their students' interest and potential in science, engineering and math. One of the university's most significant outreach efforts, the Renaissance Scholars program, nurtures its most at-risk students, recently emancipated foster youth.

"Cal Poly Pomona became my home," said Stephanie Serrano, a Renaissance Scholar who graduated this spring. "It was the most stable place I had."

Serrano saw many youth fall through the cracks during her time in the foster care system. Now, she plans to make a career helping young people overcome obstacles that cause them to lose hope.

"Hopefully," she said, "I'll inspire other youth to stop that cycle."

Military veterans will also benefit from the endowment gift.

The Troops to College initiative, instituted last year, helps veterans navigate what can be a very different and at times intimidating culture. Cal Poly Pomona has made a commitment to serve what is expected to be a growing number of veterans returning from Iraq, Afghanistan and other postings.

"Veterans have earned their right to an education, and we embrace their growing numbers on campus," Ortiz said. "The Kellogg Foundation gift will enable us to better meet their needs."

The gift will also benefit faculty by ensuring that more students are prepared to thrive in the classroom and in their many learn-by-doing opportunities. Such students add to the university's learning community, joining with teacher-scholars to advance knowledge.

"The Kellogg Foundation has been a remarkable benefactor for Cal Poly Pomona and the CSU," said Chancellor Charles B. Reed. "This gift will make an extraordinary difference in the lives of countless students, and we are extremely grateful that they have chosen us for this unprecedented showing of generosity."

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Kellogg's family share a rich history with Cal Poly Pomona. In the 1920s, the breakfast cereal pioneer established a winter home in the rolling hills of what is now the northern edge of the campus. He invited the public to the ranch to enjoy performances by his prized Arabian horses, which he lent to Hollywood for use in movies. In 1949, two years before Kellogg's death, the foundation deeded the land to California's state college system for use as a campus, reflecting his belief that "education offers the greatest opportunity for really improving one generation over another."

The university, originally an extension of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, became an independent campus in 1966, and over the years the W.K. Kellogg Foundation has supported numerous endeavors, including scholarships, enhancement of the university's Interdisciplinary General Education department, and support for the study of emerging technologies that address issues related to food systems, the environment and other natural resources.

"The W.K. Kellogg Foundation is proud to honor the memory of our founder with this historic grant to Cal Poly Pomona," Speirn added. "We are deeply committed to advancing opportunities for vulnerable youth, and with this grant we will extend educational opportunities for students from underrepresented communities for years to come."

About the W.K. Kellogg Foundation

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, established in 1930, supports children, families and communities as they strengthen and create conditions that propel vulnerable children to achieve success as individuals and as contributors to the larger community and society. Grants are concentrated in the United States, southern Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. For more information, visit www.wkkf.org.

About Cal Poly Pomona

Striking a balance between urban excitement and rural charm, Cal Poly Pomona is nestled in 1,438 rolling acres in the heart of Southern California. With 3,000 faculty and staff to serve more than 20,000 students, Cal Poly Pomona's mission is to advance knowledge by linking theory and practice while preparing students for leadership and careers in a multicultural world. The university seeks to place learning at the center of every program, course, and activity on campus. Students can apply their knowledge through hands-on projects, collaborate with faculty members on research, and participate in valuable internships and service learning programs. Eight colleges (agriculture; business administration; education; engineering; environmental design; hospitality management; letters, arts and social sciences; and science) offer 56 undergraduate and 23 graduate degrees, as well as 8 credential programs.

FAQs

What is the connection between W.K. Kellogg and Cal Poly Pomona?

In 1925, breakfast cereal magnate W.K. Kellogg established his winter home in the rolling hills of what is now the northern edge of campus. He invited the public to his horse ranch to enjoy performances by his prized Arabian horses, which he lent to Hollywood for use in movies. The university is privileged to carry on monthly Arabian horse exhibitions, a tradition Kellogg started 84 years ago. Two years before his death, Kellogg deeded the land in 1949 to the state of California for use as a college campus, reflecting his belief that "education offers the greatest opportunity for really improving one generation over another." The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has since provided significant support, including scholarships, refurbishing of Kellogg House Pomona and building the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center.

When did the university move to its current campus in Pomona?

In 1949, Kellogg deeded 825 acres — the university's main campus — to the State of California. In 1956, 550 students and 30 faculty members moved from the Voorhis campus, about three miles north, to the Kellogg campus. The university, originally the Southern California extension of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, became independent in 1966. Today, Cal Poly Pomona encompasses 1,438 acres and is the second largest in area in the California State University system.

What is a challenge grant?

A challenge grant is a gift that is awarded with the understanding that the recipient organization will meet a goal. In this case, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation has challenged Cal Poly Pomona alumni and supporters to rally behind the university's upcoming $150 million comprehensive campaign. This challenge will key the launch of the public phase of the campaign this fall.

Is this similar to a matching gift grant?

No. In a matching gift grant, the recipient organization often must reach a set financial goal or meet other requirements before the gift is awarded. Gifts that are inspired by this challenge grant are not matched by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Rather, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation wishes to inspire additional giving and philanthropy. The funding will be provided on the foundation's timeline, over five years, independent of the university's progress in the comprehensive campaign.

How will the gift be applied?

The funding will be placed into an endowment.

An endowment is a gift that keeps giving because interest is allocated while the principal remains intact, generating interest for use in subsequent years.

How will the money be used?

The gift will help ensure that Cal Poly Pomona continues to serve underrepresented communities. The university's efforts begin in elementary school by improving teacher education in science and math and encouraging children to apply classroom lessons to fun, real-life activities. Other efforts include helping former foster youth succeed in college, transitioning military veterans to civilian and university life, and providing mentoring and advising to first-generation college students from all disciplines.

Specific programs include Renaissance Scholars, the Parent Institute for Quality Education, the Kellogg Honors College and various service-learning projects. Funding may be used to continue supporting, improving and expanding those programs as well as establish new ones. Guided by campus priorities and need, the university president will make decisions on how the gift will be allocated.

The Kellogg Foundation has highlighted service to underrepresented communities and first-generation college students. What is Cal Poly Pomona's demographic makeup?

Latinos constitute 31% of the university's total enrollment of about 22,000. Asians and Pacific Islanders make up 26%, non-Hispanic whites 25% and blacks 3%. (The remaining number is divided among Native Americans, foreign students and those who decline to state their ethnicity.) These percentages are based on fall 2009 data.

How does this gift compare with other major gifts in the CSU?

This is the largest cash gift to a CSU campus. The system's second largest cash gift came in 2000 when PepsiCo pledged $40 million to the Save Mart Center at Fresno State. In 2008, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo received a $60 million bequest for its architecture department. In a bequest, donors designate real estate, stock or other assets to be given to the university once they have passed. The value of the bequest is determined when the gift is formalized and may increase or decrease in value over the years.

W.K. Kellogg's Famous Quotes

"I know how to invest my money. I'll invest it in people."

"I never, at any period of my life, aspired to become wealthy, but the fierce competition perhaps developed a fighting spirit, and in the effort to secure our share, the business has succeeded. It is my hope that the property that kind Providence has brought me may be helpful to many others, and that I may be found a faithful steward."

"Relief, raiment and shelter are necessary for destitute children, but the greatest good for the greatest number can come only through the education of the child, the parent, the teacher, the family physician, and the community in general. Education offers the greatest opportunity for really improving one generation over another."

SOURCE W.K. Kellogg Foundation