Date: 04/06/2009

San José State Alumni Give $1 Million to Support New LGBT Center

Contact:
Pat Lopes Harris, SJSU Media Relations, 408-924-1748

SAN JOSÉ, Calif., -- San José State University has received a $1 million gift commitment for its new Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Center from alumni and longtime Los Gatos residents, businessmen and philanthropists Larry Arzie and David Stonesifer. This is the first major gift commitment to San José State's Division of Student Affairs, under which the LGBT Center operates.

"We are immensely grateful to Larry and David for making this gift," San José State President Jon Whitmore said. "Their generosity will go a long way toward supporting our efforts to build upon one of SJSU's greatest assets, our diverse student body, and to provide students with more leadership opportunities, which we know will help them thrive after graduation."

San José State's LGBT Center was established in fall 2008 under the leadership of Assistant Director Bonnie Sugiyama. Sugiyama hit the ground running, and in the past seven months launched many endeavors including a campus discussion group, Peers in PRIDE mentor group, and the first ever leadership retreat for LGBT students. The center is also expected to grow into a hub for scholarship and research.

"Establishing this center is a huge step forward because it pulls together in one place the support services San José State has provided its LGBT community for many years, services we expect to grow in support of all LGBT students, friends and families," said Wiggsy Sivertsen, an SJSU counselor and respected longtime activist who in the 1970s founded the Gay People's Union, the first student group of its kind in California.

Stonesifer and Arzie met in 1962 while students at San José State, graduating with bachelor's in art degrees in 1965 and 1966, respectively. They went on to leverage their education and creativity to launch what became one of Northern California's most prestigious interior design and home stores. A cherished Los Gatos institution for three decades, the Los Gatos Porch played a leading role in fostering the vitality and quality of retailing for which Los Gatos is known today.

Arzie and Stonesifer are also the owners of La Estancia, the historic estate where they reside. They have lent their time, resources, and home as a fundraising event venue for many philanthropic organizations, including The Health Trust, San José Symphony and Los Gatos Police Auxiliary. This is Arzie and Stonesifer's first major gift to San José State.

"We want today's students to have all the support and assurances they need so that they know with certainty they are valued members of our community," Arzie said. "We made this gift because we want to foster a movement important to all San José State students, and because we want the center to become a home in every sense of the word, a place to grow and learn together."

San José State -- Silicon Valley's largest institution of higher learning with 32,700 students and 5,000 employees -- is part of the California State University system. SJSU's 154-acre downtown campus anchors the nation's 10th largest city.