Connie Perez-Andreesen and Joel Andreesen give $150,000 to university

Funds to support Center for Social Justice and Roadrunner Scholarship Fund over five years

By California State University, Bakersfield

March 19^th, 2021

Connie Perez-Andreesen and Joel Andreesen recently donated a combined gift of $150,000 to support the Center for Social Justice and the Roadrunner Scholarship Fund at California State University, Bakersfield, to be distributed over five years.

This gift, together with their previous giving to the university, brings the Andreesens' total lifetime giving to more than $250,000.

“It means a lot to me that I'm able to not only contribute of my time, but also our resources to CSU Bakersfield,” said Connie Perez-Andreesen.

“This generous gift from Connie Perez-Andreesen and Joel Andreesen brings to light two different avenues CSU Bakersfield provides to students to transform their lives. Through our Center for Social Justice, students learn that they have a unique role to play in advancing the fight for equity and inclusion for themselves, their communities, and the world. And through Athletics, our scholar-athletes bring distinction to our university while developing discipline, perseverance and teamwork, winning characteristics that will lead to success in their careers and lives. Thank you, Connie and Joel, for remembering how your college experiences shaped you and for giving that same opportunity to so many others,” said CSUB President, Dr. Lynnette Zelezny.

The Andreeesen family with Dr. Kenneth "Ziggy" Siegfried.

Center for Social Justice

The Center for Social Justice at CSUB addresses issues tied to social justice through programming and documentaries. It tells the stories of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students and helps bring those stories to life.

The gift will allow the center to continue creating quality content, such as documentaries like “American Migrant Stories” and other programming, such as the bilingual musical production, “Mariachi Girl,” which has stopped at the university.

The funds for the Center for Social Justice will also allow the team to move forward with projects they have wanted to pursue, such as stories about human rights abuses. The center has paid former students to help with those stories and aims to continue to explore those ideas.

Due to COVID-19, the center has not been able to bring anyone to campus, nor have they been able to go out, so they wanted to do more. That is when the Virtual Center for Social Justice webpage was born.

“The reason the department of social justice is important to me is because it provides an avenue to children living in communities like where I grew up to access stories about the contributions that people have made in our community,” said Connie Perez-Andreesen, a graduate of CSUB in business administration with an emphasis in accounting.

Perez-Andreesen, the current United Farm Workers Chief Administrative Officer, is a daughter of farmworkers, who worked to be able to provide the basic needs for their family of five.

Growing up at the Woodville Labor Camp in Tulare County where there was a small library, she remembers walking across the street to check out books to access information – it was a way of getting a hold of stories about different community leaders, places and was even a way to travel, since her family did not have the resources for that.

“In a few words, the gift helps the CSJ and CSUB tell stories about issues tied to social justice that need to be told. Transparency and sunlight are the best ways to fight abuses at any level, which is why having the resources to get the stories we pursue out to the public is so important,” said Dr. Mark Martinez, professor and chair, political science.

Connie Perez-Andreesen and Joel Andreesen give $150,000 to university

Roadrunner Scholarship Fund

Joel Andreesen’s gift for the Roadrunner Scholarship Fund will help student-athletes to pursue their passion for sports while also obtaining their degrees.

“I want to thank both Joel and Connie for their generous gift. Their tremendous support of the Roadrunner Scholarship Fund, combined with the outstanding education at CSUB, will no doubt have a huge impact on our student-athletes and our future successes,” said Director of Athletics/AVP for Student Affairs Dr. Kenneth “Ziggy” Siegfried.

While Andreesen is not a graduate of CSUB, his love of sports fueled his support for the athletics program after moving to Bakersfield from Iowa. Andreesen currently serves as the president of the Roadrunner Scholarship Fund Board which is the fundraising board for university’s student-athlete scholarships.

“Being a resident of the Bakersfield community means taking part in the community, whether that's through church, through a civic organization or through serving on a community board. My community involvement through the Roadrunner Scholarship Fund allows me to help a Division I sports program move towards becoming one of the best in the nation,” said Joel Andreesen, senior partner at the Bakersfield law firm Rodriguez & Associates.

“The Roadrunner Scholarship Fund is a difference maker to student-athletes who receive those scholarships, many of whom are first-generation family members attending college,” Andreesen added.

Andreesen has seen first-hand how CSUB coaches emphasize to their student-athletes the importance of obtaining their degrees and getting involved in the community through community service projects.

Andreesen added that once the Roadrunner student-athletes complete their eligibility and finish their degrees, many choose to remain in Bakersfield and Kern County and become a permanent part of the community through their employment.

“Joel is the President of our Roadrunner Scholarship Fund Board and I have seen first-hand how much he cares about our student-athletes, our university, and the community. He is someone who leads by not only giving generously, but also asking others in the community to do the same. Our community is a better place because of Joel,” said Dr. Siegfried.