Radin Foundation establishes President’s Honors Scholarships

The Radin Foundation of Fresno recently pledged $500,000 over the next 10 years to establish President’s Honors Scholarships. Students awarded these scholarships will be known as Marc and Marge E. Radin President’s Honors Scholars.

President’s Honors Scholars are selected annually from among the highest-achieving students throughout the state to attend the Smittcamp Family Honors College at California State University, Fresno.  They participate as a group in a specially designed undergraduate program that includes extracurricular activities, community involvement, campus leadership, weekly colloquiums and general education classes taught by top faculty. 

The President’s Honors Scholars have raised the academic bar for the entire university and bring a great deal of academic distinction to the region through their personal achievements.  Of the first three classes, more than half the graduates were recognized with various academic awards and many have excelled at graduate schools such as the University of California, Berkeley, Yale, Johns Hopkins, Princeton and Rice.

The late Marc and Marjorie Radin were long-time Fresno residents and well-known philanthropists who funded many initiatives throughout the community.  Among other initiatives at Fresno State, the Radins established the Community Service Scholarship Program that has benefited over 800 students, who have collectively donated nearly 150,000 community service hours to the greater Fresno area. 

For more information about the President’s Honors Scholarships or how to establish a scholarship, please contact Paul DeRuosi at 559.278.5052.  For more information about the Smittcamp Family Honors College, please visit www.honors.csufresno.edu.

Larson joins University Communications team
Lanny Larson has been hired as senior writer/editor for the Office of University Communications, working on communications materials for the Comprehensive Campaign and the university’s general news communications.

Larson recently retired from McClatchy Co. after more than 35 years. He began as a news assignment editor at the company’s Channel 24, then worked 33 years for The Fresno Bee as a reporter, editor and broadcast columnist. Larson began his journalism career with United Press International and also worked for two Fresno radio stations, as a sports information specialist at Fresno State and with the Associated Press in Fresno, Los Angeles and Denver.

He came to Fresno originally to attend Fresno State and has lived in Clovis nearly 22 years. For the past three years, Larson has been a free-lance editing consultant for the Fresno State magazine.