This fall, business students at two inland Southern California universities received welcome assistance with tuition and experiential educational expenses through grants from Small Business Development Corporation of Orange County.
The Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration at California State University, San Bernardino and the Tom and Vi Zapara School of Business at La Sierra University in Riverside received $2,500 grants each from the nonprofit corporation. The schools will use the funds this academic year to underwrite various aspects of their students’ education.
“We were excited to receive the news of the grant award in September and the money in October,” said Jack H. Brown College Marketing Department Chair Haakon Brown. “Tomás Gomez-Arias, dean of the Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration, myself, and Marketing Department Coordinator Lisa Gordon were all involved in the check presentation.
“Lisa was the driving force behind the grant,” Brown said. “She knows students are no strangers to high-stress situations and financial needs. The moment you step into the real world, it becomes evident that life will have its highs and lows. Lisa loves connecting our marketing students with opportunities and scholarships and regularly reaches out to organizations for support.”
The recent grant is the third received by the Jack H. Brown College from the Small Business Development Corporation. Previous grant monies were used to help subsidize student travel to the American Marketing Association student conference in New Orleans a few years ago, and the new funds will be used to help sponsor experiential events, Brown said.
“Sponsorship of these events is extremely important to our Sports and Entertainment Marketing students because it helps ease the pressure on the students to run a financially successful event, allowing them to focus more on the learning aspect of the experience,” he noted. “This year students will host the 9th Annual Coyotes of Comedy show on our beautiful San Bernardino campus on December 1st, 2022. More information about the event can be found at https://yotieentertainment.wixsite.com/yoties-lol
“We look forward to further developing the relationship between the SBDC-OC and the CSUSB Marketing Department to find new ways to help our students,” he said.
At the Zapara School of Business, the development corporation’s grant was divided into five student scholarships of $500 each which will be presented at a later date during a business colloquium. The outlay marks the second education grant the school has received from SBDC-OC.
“We will be allocating $500 scholarships for five students who are committed to creating value and making a difference,” said Zapara School of Business Dean John Thomas. “It is important for us that organizations in our community such as SBDC-OC are connected and feel vested in our university. In addition these scholarships will help students understand the meaning of community support in their educational journey. On a practical level, any funding assistance students receive is a leg up on meeting their financial obligations and is greatly appreciated.”
