Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Receives $110M Gift

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has received $110 million—the largest private donation in the history of California State University—from William and Linda Frost, Cal State alumni who have worked extensively with administrators for more than a decade “to transform science and mathematics education at Cal Poly,” school officials announced Wednesday.

Much of the donation will go toward a new multidisciplinary undergraduate research and technology center on campus. About $3.6 million annually is earmarked for student scholarships and research stipends, new lab equipment and the hiring of more instructors. Adding to the number of instructors will give faculty members more time to mentor undergraduate students in research—an experience that William Frost has expressed particular interest in supporting, officials said.

The gift was announced with great fanfare Wednesday in a packed campus auditorium, with students, faculty, administrators, alumni, former campus leaders, city leaders and a state assemblyman in attendance. As green and gold confetti dropped, the crowd stood to applaud a couple that has pushed for years to increase hands-on math and science education at the 21,000-student campus.