Cal State East Bay receives $50M gift from philanthropist Mackenzie Scott

By CBS Bay Area

Philanthropist Mackenzie Scott donated $50 million to Cal State East Bay, and the community is thrilled and grateful for the opportunities this funding will bring.

The university is the first Bay Area school to receive a grant from Scott. 

“Speechless and elated, and jumping for joy,” Cal State East Bay President Cathy Sandeen told CBS News Bay Area. 

“We’re likely to put a majority of it into our permanent endowment that will be there into perpetuity and we will spend the earnings from that endowment on programs that support students. One example might be expanding our scholarship and grant program for brand new entering students. We have been giving limited number of $1,000 scholarships for students when they commit to Cal State East Bay and it would be wonderful to expand that,” she added. 

Sandeen said they plan to also allocate some funding towards creating new programs, as well as student jobs on campus. 

“Many of our students need to work at least part-time in order to fund their education… but we’re limited in the funding we have to hire for various jobs. So, I’m very excited at the opportunity to expand on that,” she said. 

The donation all came as a surprise to the university when they got a call from the Mackenzie Scott Foundation. 

“They work very quietly and confidentially in the background. They’re looking for organizations that support populations that are underserved and underrecognized,” Sandeen said. 

She added that most of the student population on campus is first-generation. 

“I’m a first-generation college graduate myself. So, I can really relate to these students. I was them, 50 years ago. And to be in a position where I can help students understand that it is possible, for you to come to a four-year university, it is possible for you to earn that degree and have that great career that supports you and your family for generations to come,” the president said. 

Faculty like Professor Derek Jackson Kimball are also grateful for the gift. 

“We do have some savings and funds in an endowment, and this gift is approximately twice what we’ve been able to save and get through donations in the entire history of Cal State East Bay,” Jackson Kimball told CBS News Bay Area. 

He has been teaching physics at the university for the past two decades. 

“It just means a lot to be part of this team every day. I just love it. Having the best time,” he said. “Every single student has an amazing story of overcoming hardships, taking care of family, doing a different million things in addition to being students.”

Jackson Kimball said that the gift will be transformational for generations to come.

“We really encourage students to get involved in research from day one here at Cal State East Bay, so this kind of gift will hopefully open up those opportunities to even more students,” he said. 

The Mackenzie Scott Foundation said the funding is a “testament to President Sandeen’s vision and unwavering dedication to the students and the community we serve.”