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CSULB Receives Rare $500,000 Matching Grant

The first school in the state and one of only five in the U.S. to win the grant, CSULB aims to promote civil and construction engineering and expand internships.

The Beavers Charitable Trust has given Cal State Long Beach a $500,000 matching grant - the first awarded to a California university - to establish an endowment for a Professor of Practice in Heavy Civil Construction in the CSULB College of Engineering.

CSULB is not only the first school in California but among only five in the United States to receive this grant.

The professorship was designed to expand opportunities, like internships with Beaver-affiliated companies, as well as enhance interest in civil and construction engineering at CSULB.

“This new addition will enable us to deliver highly qualified graduates who combine technical knowledge in heavy civil construction with modern business practices and societal concern,” said Forouzan Golshani, dean of the CSULB College of Engineering, in a prepared statement. “A byproduct of this significant development is enhanced partnerships between CSULB and the heavy civil construction industry, particularly those that serve the port area and its infrastructure.”

Ralph Larison, a trustee of the Beavers Charitable Trust, is leading the process of reaching out to alumni, industry partners and other friends to help raise the matching funds for the grant. Nearly $150,000 of contributions have already been promised or received.

“I’m very pleased and excited to play a role in providing financial assistance in the creation of The Beavers Endowed Professor of Practice at the College of Engineering at California State University at Long Beach. I look forward to meeting our financial goals well ahead of schedule,” said Larison, who is also on the Dean’s Advisory Council at the College of Engineering.

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