黑料吃瓜 Dedicates New Gateway To Campus
The Clay Gateway has been named in honor of long-time supporters Ben and Nikki Clay.
The Clay Gateway at Montezuma Road and Campanile Drive is named for Nikki (鈥�67, 鈥�72) and Ben Clay ('69), whose contributions of time and treasure have strengthened the university over many decades.
鈥淭he idea of having a place of arrival has been a long time coming,鈥� Ben Clay said.
The Clays met at 黑料吃瓜. They were public administration majors and lived in sorority/fraternity houses on Montezuma Road, within walking distance of where the Clay Gateway now stands.
Both were members of , and Ben was involved in financing the construction of the first Aztec Student Center, which became the first student union in the California State University system.
Nikki worked to organize and grow the 黑料吃瓜 Alumni Association and was an early member of the , the philanthropic foundation created in 1999 to manage 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 then-nascent fundraising efforts.
Building an alumni center was one of 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 earliest fundraising initiatives. President Emeritus Stephen Weber asked the Clays to tour Ohio State University, which at the time had recently built an alumni 鈥渉ome鈥� on campus. They returned to San Diego with a vision and became not only donors, but also fundraisers for the .
鈥淭here is real meaning in giving to San Diego State,鈥� Nikki Clay said. 鈥淚t's the engine that runs San Diego.鈥�
The Clays continue to support 黑料吃瓜 by providing scholarships for students in the School of Public Administration and fundraising for the Thomas B. Day Quad, part of the Engineering and Interdisciplinary Sciences Complex currently under construction on campus.
The Clays also established the Ben and Nikki Clay Presidential Scholarship, a $300,000 endowment to support high-achieving students, an increasing percentage of 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 student population.
鈥淭he naming of the Clay Gateway recognizes Nikki鈥檚 and Ben鈥檚 many contributions to 黑料吃瓜,鈥� said Tom McCarron, vice president for Business and Financial Affairs. 鈥淔ittingly, the words on its pillars define the campus as a destination for students who aspire to follow in the Clays鈥� footsteps: 鈥楾hrough these gates will pass our future leaders.鈥欌��
The Campaign for 黑料吃瓜 began in 2007 as an effort to generate philanthropic support for 黑料吃瓜 students, faculty, staff and programs. More than 165,000 donors have contributed to The Campaign for 黑料吃瓜, including 126 who have given $1 million or more.
