In his “Revisionist History” podcast series, Malcolm Gladwell challenges us to think about educational philanthropy from a different perspective.  He reminded us that in the early ‘90s, Hank Rowan gave $100 million to a tiny public university in Glassboro, New Jersey: not Harvard, not Yale, not his alma mater, MIT.  Then Gladwell asks the question, “What was [he] thinking?  And why has it proven so difficult for other philanthropists to follow his lead?”  For Gladwell, Rowan was a “hero”, and he wonders if the rest of us might agree.  He suggests we might want to change the game of educational philanthropy.  More recently, MacKenzie Scott, appears to be following his lead. 

Group Relations conferences are high-impact, interdisciplinary, co-curricular experiential learning laboratories that provide a space for science and subjective experience to come together in ways that are illuminating and illustrative.  Conference participants take their newly developed skills and apply them in all sorts of ways from personal/organizational development to community research and action projects to finding a voice as a global citizen. The CSUDH Colleges of Natural and Behavioral Science and Arts and Humanities have partnered with Associated Students, Inc., the Toro Psych Club and the nonprofit Grex (the west coast affiliate of the AK Rice Institute for the Study of Social Systems) to co-create a sustainable container for an annual group relations event entitled, Leadership and Creative Expression. 

 

While gifts of all amounts are appreciated, we hope you will consider a gift of $500 or more in support of our efforts.  Contributions from supporters like you make it possible for CSUDH students to participate in engaging, interactive events such as this. Together, we will establish our University as a center of group relations innovation and community education. 

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This is a fundraising effort to ensure continued Group Relations experiential learning opportunities at CSUDH, a metropolitan university of about 15,000 students that is among the most ethnically-diverse universities in the United States.  The student population is 47.5% first-generation and 78.8% from underrepresented groups (African-American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and Native American), the majority of which are Hispanic/Latinx and female.  CSUDH ranks 1st among public universities in CA in awarding BA degrees to African Americans and in the top ten for economic and social mobility index scores. This is an institution born out of the vision to serve and transform an underserved community. 

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Gladwell makes his argument of revisioning the game of educational philanthropy through sports – some sports like soccer are weak-link games (i.e., the team is only as good as its weakest player) and others are strong-link games like basketball.  He explained that when Rowan donated 100 million dollars to a tiny public school in Jersey, he showed that he "thinks America is like soccer, not basketball.”  We think so too.

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Philanthropy “makes the wheels turn” in higher education.  We ask for your support both now and in the future.

HOW TO SUPPORT OUR WORK
Please make your contribution to our conference in one of the following ways:  

• Give online at our secure website  

• Mail in a check (made payable to “CSUDHPF” with a memo note indicating your support of the Group Relations Experiential Learning Fund) to: 

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California State University, Dominguez Hills
Office of Development; Attn: JC Bass
1000 East Victoria Street, WH 425
Carson, CA 90747