Family gives Fresno State $29.4 million

 
University expected to rename ag school following its biggest cash gift.
 

A friendship that began at motor home rallies has produced a $29.4 million gift to Fresno State -- the largest single cash donation in California State University history.

University officials on Thursday unveiled the eye-popping gift to the College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, which will use the money for research and facilities. The college is expected to be renamed the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology in honor of the donating family.

Charles Boyer, dean of the ag college, said the money will help generations of students and improve the college's ability to perform research and develop partnerships with the ag industry.

"What had been dreams will now come true," he said.

President John D. Welty expressed gratitude, calling it "a historic day for our university."

It also may be an improbable one. The Jordans are from the East Bay and two of the driving forces behind the gift -- Hanabul "Bud" Jordan and his brother, Lowell -- never set foot on the Fresno State campus.

Dee Jordan, Bud's widow, said that didn't matter. She and her husband, who owned a construction business in Hayward, were introduced to Fresno State's ag programs through retired professor Bob Glim and his wife, Dorothy.

The couples were "motor home buddies," Jordan said. At a rally in 1995, the retired ag professor gave a talk about Fresno State's ag programs and the Ag One Foundation -- even passing out raisins and other fruit from the campus farm.

At the next rally, Glim said, Bud Jordan invited him to his motor home and presented a $20,000 check for Ag One. It was the first of many checks.

Thursday, Glim said he was amazed at how a friendship could snowball into such a massive donation.

"It's hard to realize," he said.

The relationship between the university and the Jordans also was cemented by Alcidia Freitas Gomes, executive director of Ag One and the college's director of development.

Gomes said she made a trip to Hayward to thank the Jordans for that first check. She continued to visit, sharing information about the faculty and students and bringing products from the campus farm, including one of the first student-produced bottles of wine.

Gomes also met Lowell Jordan, who worked cattle and lived on the family ranch in Dublin. Over the years, the Jordan family contributed $130,000 to an endowment supporting ag student scholarships.

Dee Jordan said the family always appreciated the importance of agriculture in California and believed it needed to be preserved through education.

Neither Bud nor Lowell had any children. Bud died in 2002, and Lowell died three years later.

The Fresno State gift comes from the sale of the Jordans' Dublin ranch, which spanned about 200 acres. Proceeds were divided between several charities, and Dee Jordan said the Fresno State share -- $29,442,516 -- actually is short 17 cents.

"But there was no room on the check," she said with a smile.

Several Fresno State officials said they've known about the donation for months. But the exact amount only recently became clear.

Lori Redfearn, assistant vice chancellor for advancement for the CSU system, said individual campuses have received larger pledges or noncash gifts.

For example, the Northridge campus was given $38 million in Chinese antiquities. The San Luis Obispo campus is due a $60 million bequest, but the money hasn't yet arrived.

"The Jordan check is the largest check ever received by the CSU system," she said. The next largest was $16.4 million to the Long Beach campus for a conservatory of music.

Speaking at Thursday's ceremony, CSU trustee Carol Chandler thanked the Jordan family for its tremendous generosity.

Eleven Fresno State students known as ag ambassadors made a point about the size of the gift. Each carried a digit, dollar sign or comma and the magnitude of the gift became apparent as they stood side by side.

Boyer, the ag college dean, said officials will begin developing a plan to use the gift. A portion of the money will go to build a research facility; some cash also will be invested to provide ongoing support for graduate students and research projects, he said.

"Everyone in the college will benefit," Boyer said.

Several students said they hoped the money would be used to upgrade aging ag buildings. Senior Nancy Loza, 25, said that it could help attract more students and show "what Fresno State is all about."

Freshman Jordyn Weeks, 18, said the size of the gift is so big that "it's hard to comprehend what it will do for us."

Meanwhile, Welty joked about embracing a new development strategy based on Glim's hobby.

"We need to get word to all the faculty to get an RV and get on the road," Welty said.