Tamsen Nichols Munger, a Fresno native, business woman and Fresno State alumna, pledged $100,000 to establish a scholarship endowment for the College of Science and Mathematics.

The Tamsen Nichols Munger Scholars Program will provide scholarships of up to $4,000 to Fresno State students majoring in geology, physics, mathematics or chemistry. Once the endowment is fully funded, scholarships will be awarded to one or two students each year.

Tamsen Munger said she was inspired to make the gift in part because of her experience as a student. “Fresno State is an outstanding institution that provided me an excellent education, and I would like to be of assistance in furthering those same opportunities to future students in the physical sciences.”

“It is vital that we advance our local knowledge of the physical sciences as we balance the needs of our Central Valley’s agricultural-based economy with the demands of our growing urban community,” she said. “For example, understanding the interaction between groundwater, air quality and soil will only become more important in the future. I believe the College of Science and Mathematics can play a crucial role in providing knowledge in this area.”

Dr. Andrew Hoff, dean of the College of Science and Mathematics, said the scholarship “is a wonderful opportunity for our students that will significantly lessen the burden of tuition and allow them to focus their attention on academics.”

Tamsen Munger graduated from Fresno State in 1968 with a bachelor’s degree in geology. After graduate study at the University of Colorado, she went on to own and manage Tamsen Munger Fine Gifts, a nationally recognized gallery specializing in aviation and maritime art. She retired three years ago.

The gift counts toward the Campaign for Fresno State, a campus-wide initiative to raise $200 million for scholarships, faculty, programs and facilities. As of May 2012 the campaign had raised more than $188.8 million. It is the first comprehensive campaign in the university’s history and among the largest in the CSU system.

For more information, contact Kathleen Schock, Fresno State’s campaign communications director, at 559.278.2756 or kschock@csufresno.edu.

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