Academics and athletics are on the rise at California State University, Bakersfield, thanks to generous supporters such as businessman and CSUB alumnus Chris Hayden, who has provided a $250,000 gift to the university.
Hayden has donated $150,000 toward athletic scholarships and $100,000 that will support the creation of a Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation on campus.
“Entrepreneurship is vital to our local economy, and this program plays a new and exciting role in developing young entrepreneurs for Bakersfield and Kern County,” he said.
Of the $150,000 committed to athletic scholarships, $100,000 will go toward the wrestling program and $50,000 will support golf students.
“The young athletes in these programs are our future leaders, so both the coaches and the athletes deserve our community support,” Hayden said. “I want to support those young student-athletes who have found a positive outlet for themselves while representing our community. I appreciate the self-discipline these young people are developing.”
Dr. Kenneth “Ziggy” Siegfried, director of Athletics and associate vice president of Student Affairs at CSUB, said the gift will have a significant impact on student-athletes at the university.
“We are extremely grateful for Mr. Hayden’s generous gifts to support scholarships for our wrestling and women’s golf scholar-athletes,” he said. “These two sports are on the rise, and Mr. Hayden’s gift will allow these two programs to continue to grow both in the classroom and in competition.”
Dr. John Stark, interim dean of the School of Business and Public Administration, said the gift will assist in CSUB’s existing efforts to expand its business and entrepreneurship programs and course offerings, which in turn will help boost small business growth in the community.
“But beyond this classroom learning, we need the capacity to find internships in this area, to support student efforts, to start and grow businesses and to provide support to local start-ups and small businesses,” he said. "This gift is critical in getting this work started to actually develop, and later build, an Entrepreneurship Center on campus. It is this center that will provide the infrastructure for our efforts and facilitate our work in the important area of business start-ups and growth."
The gift will help fulfill two of the priorities that CSUB has established with its first-ever comprehensive fundraising campaign, which was announced on Oct. 1. It will support future leaders by providing scholarships to student-athletes and build the community by assisting with the creation of the Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation.
The goal of the campaign is to raise $55 million by July 2024 to transform the university.