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FRESNO, CA (Nov. 3, 2006) – California State University, Fresno
announced today a gift to create a $1.5 million endowment, which will be
used to establish the Arnold and Dianne Gazarian Real Estate Center in
the Craig School of Business.
Arnold Gazarian, a retired dentist, is an ardent supporter of education
initiatives in the Central Valley and is a member of the California
State University, Fresno Foundation Board of Governors. Dianne Gazarian
serves as chair of the Berberian & Gazarian Family Foundation.
The Gazarians’ generosity to Fresno State has included gifts to the
President's Fund, Smittcamp Alumni House, the Haig and Isabel Berberian
endowed chair in Armenian Studies, the Craig School of Business and the
Kremen School of Education and Human Development.
“We recognize and truly appreciate the vital function Fresno State
provides to the local community and to the Central Valley,” said Arnold
Gazarian. “We hope that this gift will assist the university in making
it a leader in educating real estate professionals, conducting
real-world research and promoting high ethical standards. We also hope
that the center will bring together members of the real estate community
to discuss issues of importance to the industry.”
This gift enables Fresno State to create a center that will support the
Craig School’s Real Estate and Urban Land Economics option and major for
students as well as the expansion of research by faculty and graduate
students. The center will provide invaluable community service as it
assesses trends in commercial retail, office, residential and investment
markets; analyzes land use planning; and conducts research in such areas
as single- and multi-family residential housing, commercial real estate
and real estate financial assets. In addition, the Gazarian Center will
sponsor conferences, seminars and workshops in real estate and land use.
“I am pleased that the Gazarian family recognizes the importance of
marshaling the resources of the university and the region to study and
address issues such as complex environmental impacts related to
increased population growth,” said John D. Welty, president of Fresno
State, who will seek approval of the naming from the CSU Trustees at
their January meeting in Long Beach. “This generous gift will position
the Gazarian Real Estate Center as an academic leader in real estate
market analysis and research and will help to further the university’s
goal of helping the economy grow.”
The Gazarian Real Estate Center will also provide students opportunities
to learn the business side of real estate and apply their academic
knowledge to real-world projects and experiences. The real estate
business community will gain a valuable informational resource relating
to the greater Fresno metropolitan area and Central Valley region, as
well as access to student interns and potential future employees.
“Smart-growth planning strategies are critical for coping with the
increasing challenges of accommodating and encouraging growth that
improves quality of life while preserving the economic, natural,
cultural and scenic resources of communities,” said Doug Hensler, dean
of the Craig School of Business.
“Arnold and Dianne Gazarian share our cause of taking responsibility for
the well-being of our community and training effective planning leaders
for the future. We are thrilled that they have chosen to establish the
Real Estate Center and we look forward to a long-term productive
partnership with the Gazarian family in the cause of real estate and
land use planning,” Hensler said.
Recently named by The Princeton Review as one of the top 282 business
schools in the nation, the Craig School of Business is one of the elite
eight percent of business schools worldwide to achieve accreditation by
the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business,
International. The Craig School prepares students for careers in the
regional, national and global business environments. The Real Estate and
Urban Land Economics Option provides the background for a wide range of
career opportunities in addition to residential and commercial real
estate sales. These areas include development, lending, banking,
appraising, escrow, property management and -construction. For more
information, visit
www.craig.csufresno.edu/
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The Campaign for Fresno State is the largest fundraising effort in the
university’s nearly 100-year history. Supporting the overall academic
excellence of the university, the campaign will raise new funds to
further faculty research and to build academic programs and facilities
that will provide greater learning opportunities for our students. To
learn more about the Campaign for Fresno State, visit
www.SupportFresnoState.com.
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