CSU Establishes Jack H. Brown College at CSUSB

SAN BERNARDINO >> California State University, San Bernardino’s College of Business and Public Administration will be named for businessman and philanthropist Jack H. Brown, executive chairman of Stater Bros. Markets, who last month generously pledged the largest single cash gift in university history to the college. The newly-named Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration was approved by the California State University Board of Trustees at their July 19 meeting in Long Beach. CSUSB President Tomás D. Morales, who spoke to the trustees prior to the vote, called Brown a visionary, whose generosity will positively impact CSUSB and the students for generations to come. “CSUSB is extremely fortunate to have Jack Brown as a friend and supporter, someone who for nearly seven decades has championed efforts to elevate and strengthen the communities of the Inland Empire,” Morales said in a press release. “The most immediate benefit to our university is the continuing association with Jack Brown. His name is more than recognizable; it conveys success, dedication and integrity, and is highly respected locally, regionally and nationally.” Brown’s endowment, which was made as the university completed its 50th anniversary year-long celebrations, will go to support academic enrichment and student scholarships in the College of Business and Public Administration, helping to attract and retain faculty, facilitate student enrichment, provide for new programs and supplement research in perpetuity, said Lawrence Rose, dean of the college. “Mr. Brown’s generosity will benefit students creating untold opportunities that will elevate the skill sets of our graduates,” Rose said. Brown said in a press release he was delighted to make the gift, which will ultimately serve as an investment in the inland region’s future success by offering educational opportunities for students at the Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration. "I was born and raised in San Bernardino and our company, Stater Bros. Markets, is the largest private employer in the Inland Empire of Southern California, so the future success of this area is, and always has been, very important to me," Brown said in a press release. "That is why I am extremely pleased to make this personal gift to Cal State San Bernardino to provide untold educational opportunities for many current and future College of Business and Public Administration students, especially those in my Stater Bros. ‘family,’ at this great public university." A native of San Bernardino and U.S. Navy veteran, Brown has served Stater Bros. Markets, the only Inland Empire Fortune 500 company, for over 36 years. He has built the company into Southern California's only locally owned supermarket chain, as well as one of the largest in America. Stater Bros. provides employment to approximately 18,000 people throughout the Inland Empire and Southern California and is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year. Brown has earned many significant honors, including being named one of 10 1992 Horatio Alger Award winners in Washington, D.C.; in 2005 the Sidney R. Rabb Award, the supermarket industry's highest award, from the Food Marketing Institute and in 2011 the prestigious “PATRIOTS AWARD” from the Medal of Honor Society of the United States. Brown has always been a passionate supporter of education and enrichment at all levels, from his involvement as the founding chairman of Children’s Fund of San Bernardino County, a public/private agency devoted to protecting abused and at-risk children which to date has helped over 1.4 million children; mentoring work with students at his alma mater, San Bernardino High School; the creation of the Rose Brown Scholarships at CSUSB, named in honor of his mother; his support of college scholarships for employees of Stater Bros.; and his contributions toward building Jack H. Brown Hall at CSUSB. CSUSB’s College of Business and Public Administration is a nationally and internationally respected program that creates a student-centered learning community, preparing students to become productive members in business, government and global society. The college enjoys Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business accreditation, which represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide. Less than 5 percent of the world's 13,000 business programs have earned AACSB accreditation. In addition, the Masters in Public Administration program is proud to be accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration.