California State University, Northridge (CSUN) is on a mission to transform the lives of students today and for generations to come. We are breaking down the barriers of racial inequality, blazing fresh trails in social justice, and uniting the community to promote diversity and inclusion. When our students achieve their dreams, they create a better world for us all.
The CSUN Foundation announced the Matador Match Challenge in January 2022, an exciting opportunity to magnify the impact of gifts made to university. The Foundation pledged $5 million in funds to match eligible new donations dollar-for-dollar, doubling donor-directed support.
New and longtime donors stepped up to help the Mike Curb College leverage these additional funds in support of student, faculty members, and programs. We want to share some stories about generous benefactors who donated to the Matador Match Challenge and doubled their impact.
Carson Schreiber is a member of the CSUN Foundation Board of Directors and the Curb College Dean’s Circle, an accomplished radio personality and music industry exec, and one of our college’s most generous supporters. He created scholarships to support students pursuing degrees in Cinema and Television Arts and Music Industry Studies. His new funding pledge increases those scholarship awards while providing a large gift to support CSUN’s 88.5FM radio station.
Two other members of the MCCAMC Dean’s Circle, Laura Gold and Jerry Rishe, also deepened impact through this campaign. Graduates of CSUN’s Department of Political Science, Laura and Jerry met as CSUN students participating in the Forensics (Speech & Debate) Team housed in the Curb College’s Department of Communication Studies. They credit participation on the team for helping them develop the skills needed to succeed at the highest levels of the legal field, working for the California Attorney General’s Office and the Department of Homeland Security, respectively. With their gift they created a new fund to help transform the Forensics team, providing resources to recruit and support stellar local debaters to build the program’s roster.
Another longtime supporter of the Curb College increasing support through this matching campaign is the Rising Star Music Fund. Directed by Kathy Hale, the Rising Star Music Fund supports music education, music studies, music creation, and opportunities for children with special needs or in under-served communities to access balanced, comprehensive, high-quality music instruction programs. Kathy and Rising Star have long supported the Rising Star and Asteroids Choirs in our Music Therapy Wellness Clinic. Both groups engage neurodiverse youths and teens in music-making in a social and collaborative space that allows for personal and creative growth. With increased support from the Rising Star Music Fund we are able to eliminate fees for participants to ensure access at all socioeconomic levels.
The Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation was created and funded in 1993 by Ella Fitzgerald, the First Lady of Song, to help people of all races, cultures, and beliefs engage the power of music through high-quality instruction. The Fitzgerald Foundation has been a regular supporter of the Curb College, providing $14,000 in scholarship funds to attract and retain talented musicians in our Jazz Studies option. With the Matador Match Challenge, the Foundation is doubling the number of scholarships provided to talented musicians for many years to come.
Nearly every student who has come through our art and design programs at CSUN has known one of our longest-tenured professors, Dave Moon. In addition to being an effective administrator and teacher, Dave is considered by many to be a builder, connector, and restless creative, and he funnels his entrepreneurial mindset, knowledge, skills, and relentless energy to help those who want to start or maintain a business. To further these goals and help students succeed, Dave took advantage of this campaign to double the impact of his donations in support of our student-led, faculty-advised creative agency IntersectLA and the ARTpreneur scholarship program he founded.
Friends, alumni, faculty, and community foundations rose to the call of the Matador Match Challenge to help transform our programs and support systems for the future. With their generosity and kindness we are that much closer to realizing the future we envision. We are deeply grateful to these and many other donors who responded to this campaign campus-wide. If you’d like to explore how you can help, please feel free to contact us at mccamc@csun.edu or at 818-677-2246.