Learn 4 Life Charter School and Choices in Learning National Foundation will donate $108,000 to the Fresno State Alumni Association, the largest donation given to an alumni association scholarship fund in the 23-campus California State University system.
The donation benefits the new Dante Simi Scholarship Fund, a soon-to-be-established endowed scholarship that will be presented by representatives at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, March 3 during a private reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Smittcamp Alumni House.
Simi, a career business executive who graduated from Fresno State in 1963 with a degree in Social Science. While attending Fresno State, Simi was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity. He is the founder of Learn 4 Life Charter School that addresses high school dropout issues.
The school’s foundation is making the gift in Simi’s honor: $100,000 will benefit an endowment to fund scholarships in the future and $8,000 will support eight scholarships now — four $1,000 scholarships in 2016-17 and four in 2017-18.
The previous largest gift to a CSU alumni association also involved Fresno State — a $100,000 bequest from William Beck to the FSAA’s Bulldog Pride Fund in 2008, said Peter Robertson, Fresno State Alumni Association director of development.
The Fresno State Alumni Association leads all 23 CSU alumni associations in annual student scholarship giving, with more than $146,000 in awards for the 2015-16 academic year.
INFO: Robertson at 559.278.4669 or probertson@csufresno.edu.
