Endowments in Action
The focus of San Diego State University’s endowment is to enable sustainable advancement in four key areas: support for students, faculty development, program innovation and our learning environment.
Please take a moment to read the inspiring profiles below which detail the extraordinary investments two of our endowment donors, Conrad Klement and Roel Construction Company, Inc., have made in SDSU’s academic excellence—they’re making a difference.
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By establishing the Conrad Klement Memorial Scholarship in his estate plan, Conrad Klement created a legacy of enabling talented and financially deserving students, like Vanesa Arredondo, to receive a premier college education. Read Providing Superior Educational Experiences |
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Through their creation of the Roel Chair in Construction and Engineering Management, Roel Contruction Company, Inc., enabled SDSU to recruit a highly regarded professor, Dr. Ken Walsh, to head up the Construction Engineering Management program, thereby driving it into high gear. Read Endowing the Future. |
Providing Superior Educational Experiences
Growing up in Chula Vista, Vanesa Arredondo knew she’d earn her college diploma. As one of three children raised by a hard-working, single Mom, the importance of a higher education was emphasized in her household. Now Vanesa, Class of 2007, is pursuing her dreams at SDSU, where she majors in liberal studies in preparation for a career as an elementary school teacher.While Vanesa was accepted to three schools within the University of California system, she chose to enroll at SDSU because she felt our curriculum and environment better suited her aspirations. “As soon as I came onto campus, it was clear that San Diego State was a diverse community that offered more opportunities to become involved in campus life,” Vanesa said. “I really believed that SDSU could offer me a more dynamic and comprehensive college experience than other universities.”
Vanesa was concerned about her ability to take advantage of the opportunities SDSU offered when she also needed to finance the cost of her education. “I applied for roughly 40 scholarships because I wanted to be involved on campus and within our community. I was incredibly lucky to be selected as one of the recipients for the Conrad Klement Memorial Scholarship, and now I have fewer worries and can work less—which really motivates me to keep my grades up and stay focused on school,” Vanesa said.
The Klement Scholarship, designed to cover tuition, fees, books and on-campus room and board for accomplished, involved and financially deserving students, was established in 1999 with a $1.2 million bequest from Conrad Klement. Klement, a retired quality control inspector for Convair who possessed a fascination for aviation, bee-keeping and wood working, never attended college, but he always believed that education was the great equalizer.
According to Kathy Rahilly, one of his three children, “Dad was very proud that his children graduated from SDSU—he felt that our degrees helped us obtain good jobs, which enabled us to buy homes and provide a good life for our families,” said Kathy. “By establishing a scholarship fund at the university, he knew he could make a difference by supporting a diverse group of worthy students who were trying to help themselves, but desperately needed an extra push to attain their degree.”
Vanesa has proven herself to be precisely the caliber of student Klement envisioned assisting. To immerse herself in student life and meet new people, Vanesa is now involved with a number of organizations on campus including the Freshman Leadership Connection, which mentors incoming students by showing them how to get involved and teaching them leadership skills and Aztec P.R.I.D.E. (Philanthropic Role in Development and Education), a student organization that supports the Office of the President at University Advancement events by promoting SDSU to the community. What’s more, Vanesa is a member of SDSU’s Cheer squad, where she offers undying school spirit in support of Aztec athletic teams. “I love SDSU,” Vanesa exclaimed, “It’s important to give back to the university that has made my college experience so fulfilling.”
For Klement’s children, being a part of the selection process for their father’s scholarship is incredibly fulfilling. “We reminisce about special family moments while we honor Dad’s memory. Not only do we have a great time reading the applications, but it’s also rewarding to know that his legacy will live on,” reflected Kathy. “Supporting dynamic students like Vanesa would make our father very happy.”
Endowing the Future
More than ocean breezes attracted Ken Walsh, Ph.D. to San Diego to head the new Construction Engineering and Management (CEM) Program at SDSU’s College of Engineering. "There’s such a strong sense of community in San Diego," said Walsh. "Most people in San Diego embrace SDSU as ‘their’ university, and the building industry has embraced this program so strongly. I saw the value of being part of a program with such a close connection to the community." In the mid 1990s, the San Diego Chapter of Associated General Contractors (AGC) initiated discussions with SDSU regarding their industry’s need for managers with a solid engineering and business management education. Together AGC and SDSU devised a solution, resulting in a partnership between the two organizations. To date they have raised more than $1.5 million through AGC member companies to launch the CEM program and endow its director, ensuring the recruitment of sought-after talent such as Walsh to develop and run the program. One AGC member, Roel Construction, made a leadership pledge of $500,000 to drive the program’s development into high gear.
"The building community of San Diego is always looking for young and talented people who want to pursue careers in construction and engineering," said Kevin Elliott, president of Roel Construction. "We relish the idea of finding homegrown San Diego-educated quality talent. Under the leadership of Dr. Walsh, we’re excited about the caliber of graduates SDSU will produce. It is also personally gratifying that SDSU, my alma mater, and Roel are partnering to satisfy the needs of our industry."
This engagement between SDSU and the community is what brought Walsh from the Del Web School of Construction Management at Arizona State University, currently the largest program in the U.S. "The construction industry is such a huge and vibrant part of San Diego, providing more than $3 billion annually to the local economy," Walsh said. "So many people are already aware of the program due to the enthusiasm of industry partners."
Fully staffed, the program will eventually employ four full-time faculty, and accommodate 200 undergraduate students and a graduate program supporting industry research. Students are able to pursue a degree in either construction engineering or construction management, and the program will be certified by both the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and the American Council for Construction Education (ACCE).