Largest Single Cash Gift Arrives at CSUSB

SAN BERNARDINO >> Jack H. Brown, executive chairman of Stater Bros. Markets, has pledged to make a personal record cash gift to the California State University, San Bernardino’s College of Business and Public Administration. It marks the largest single cash gift in university history, arriving as CSUSB culminates its 50th anniversary. “This is truly a remarkable day for CSUSB and the entire Inland Empire,” said university President Tomás D. Morales. “Words cannot express our deepest appreciation. Jack Brown’s generosity and legacy is transformational, enabling countless students for generations to come to benefit from his visionary leadership.” The endowed funds 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. "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. "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. He 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; helping to found the Boys and Girls Club of San Bernardino; 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. His leadership and philanthropy have been a benchmark for others to follow, creating untold opportunities for economic and social growth at every level of his organization. His commitment to the values and sacrifices of those that served the United States in the military is unwavering. He has championed education, children’s well-being, hunger relief, health and the well-being of veterans. “The College of Business and Public Administration is honored to be the recipient this extraordinary gift,” said Lawrence Rose, dean of the college. “This will provide a transformational experience for our students and the college family forever, creating untold opportunities that will elevate the skill sets of our graduates.”