When California State University-Fullerton President Mildred García heads to Washington, D.C., to be the next president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, one of her biggest legacies will be the increased level of fundraising at CSUF.
García departs the campus at the end of January. The association she will lead is an organization of state-supported colleges and universities that offer degree programs leading to bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.
When García arrived on campus in June 2012, the school had raised $8.5 million. By June of this year, it had raised more than $21.5 million for the 2016-17 fiscal year, having recorded back-to-back years of more than $21 million in fundraising commitments, a first for the university.
“I think what made President García so effective in fundraising was her ability to tell the story of our students, mission, and the impact Cal State Fullerton has in our communities,” said Greg Saks, vice president of university advancement and executive director of CSUF’s Philanthropic Foundation.
“As a University that graduates over 11,000 students a year, and having over half of our 275,000 alumni right here in Orange County, she was able to articulate that a gift to Cal State Fullerton helps ensure that Orange County has a strong and prepared workforce.”
CSUF has more than 40,000 students. Typically, CSUF’s enrollment places it third in the state. That looks to be the case this fall compared to the perennially top-enrollment schools of University of Southern California at 45,500 and the University of California-Los Angeles at 43,301, according to a CSUF spokesperson.
Fundraising
García credits the jump in fundraising to the ability of faculty, staff and students to get their “amazing” stories to the public.
“It was very strategic, comprehensive and intentional,” she said. “It was part of the strategic plan. Everyone knew—the academic deans, the department chairs, myself. We all started telling our story and talking to alums and the community and anyone who would listen.”
That was imperative because the university only receives about 44% of its budget from the state, García said. The remainder comes from tuition and fundraising efforts. Undergrads attending full time paid $3,427 in tuition and mandatory fees for the fall 2017 semester.
Jeffrey Van Harte, chair of CSUF’s Philanthropic Foundation Board of Governors and chair of San Francisco-based investment firm Jackson Square Partners LLC, credits García for her fundraising prowess.
“These incremental dollars really count in an environment where all higher ed institutions face state budget constraints,” he said.
At a September reception in Laguna Beach, García waxed proudly on how improved graduation rates and the spike in annual giving keep CSUF affordable. “Our students leave with an average of $12,000 of debt. Not bad,” she told boosters.
“I’m sorry to see her go,” said Allen Boerner. The chief executive of Granite Investment Group, an Irvine-based investor in residential and commercial property, is a longtime supporter of CSUF’s Guardian Scholars Program. The program provides funding for foster kids to attend college.
“Mildred’s been at every Guardian Scholar graduation party,” said Boerner. The program enters its 20th year at CSUF with nearly 150 graduates.
Being Strategic
The university had never done a strategic plan—a blueprint for the future—until García came to campus, she said. Increasing graduation rates was one of the plan’s four goals, and targets were achieved ahead of schedule, she added.
The university has seen a 30% improvement in six-year graduation rates and a 65% improvement in four-year graduation rates for first-time freshmen—both university records, García said. The average time to graduate for first-time freshmen at CSUF is about five years since most students work and have other responsibilities, she said.
This spring CSUF had its largest graduating class ever: 10,617 grads.
Anil Puri, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, said García’s legacy was this “clear strategic plan focused on student success and diversity, her concern for underserved students and a sense of energy.”
Down to Business
Soon after García became president, the school purchased Banting Corporate Center—two buildings in Irvine for $30.5 million—solidifying CSUF’s South County campus. It’s now home to more than 4,500 undergraduate and graduate students, and CSUF’s second startup incubator.
García’s tenure is also marked by a near doubling of the school’s endowment, from $34 million to $64 million. Its Miyhalo College of Business and Economics has grown to be the largest accredited business school on the West Coast. In fall 2015, García helped start the Women’s Leadership Program at Miyhalo, which includes one-on-one training for a select group of students to help prepare them for professional careers.
Bittersweet
García said the decision to take the post in Washington, D.C., was not an easy one.
“I love CSUF and everything we’ve done together in almost six years, but at the same time, it’s an opportunity to represent all state colleges and universities in the country. That’s quite an honor.”
Under García’s leadership, the university became No. 1 in the state in graduating Latinos and women with bachelor’s degrees.
She said she will continue to advocate for CSUF, along with the more than 400 other schools and universities that are part of the national association.
“I will always be a Titan,” she said. “Fullerton will always have a special place in my heart.”
She said leading the campus “transformed” her.
“I worked with individuals that so deeply love the academic enterprise and love every student we serve,” she said. “Everyone … the staff, the janitors, plus the faculty, plus student support services, they transformed me to know there could be a place as special as this, that believes in [working collaboratively] and is prepared to work purposefully to meet our goals.”
García’s leadership was transformative for CSUF, said Emily Miller Bonney, immediate past chair of the Academic Senate and interim assistant vice president of the academic human resources diversity and inclusion division.
“One should expect that she will have a similar effect on the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, thereby energizing the member institutions,” Bonney said.
California State University Chancellor Timothy White, García, her leadership team and members of the Fullerton campus community will discuss the appointment of an interim president, according to the chancellor’s office. And the statewide system will conduct a national search for her successor.
Puri, a former Miyhalo college dean, wouldn’t say if he was interested in becoming president.
Legacy
García’s legacy is “clearly her energy and passionate advocacy for student success,” said Stephen Stambough, chair of CSUF’s Academic Senate and a political science professor.
“I am confident that she will take that drive to the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and be a tireless advocate for the collective mission of institutions like ours across the country,” he said.
Van Harte agrees. “Millie re-energized a university that already had tremendous assets and people but just needed to believe in itself. … I don’t think the university will ever go back to being a sleeping giant as a result of Millie’s directions and impact. It now has so many points of engagement with the private sector and its constituencies that will continue to grow over time.”
