University Advancement

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NEWS RELEASE

Whitsett Foundation to Make Final Gift, $180,000, to CSUN’s History Dept.

(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., March 1, 2007) — Over the course of more than 20 years, the philanthropic Whitsett Foundation has changed the way history is taught at Cal State Northridge, and in many ways across the country.

Since 1986, the foundation has generously supported a unique program that focuses on the rich history of the state of California—from its people to its politics—and encourages the study of the state’s past through classes, lectures, special programs and research by students and faculty.

"Today, we have one of the most active programs in California," said Thomas Maddux, chair of Northridge’s Department of History. "We owe a lot of that to the Whitsett Foundation."

After more than 50 years of contributing to non-profit organizations in Southern California, including Northridge, Valley College’s Historical Museum and the Boy Scouts of America, the Whitsett Foundation’s trustees have decided to cease the organization’s operations and has made its final gift, $180,000, to the university.

"The Whitsett Foundation has been an outstanding partner in our mission in our college to educate students to thrive in a constantly changing world," said Stella Theodoulou, dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. "The foundation has played a significant role in shaping the course of the history department, and the college as a whole, over the last 20 years. We’ve viewed it as a partnership in which the Whitsett Foundation’s ongoing support has helped ensure the college is what it hopes to be in its vision—relevant."

The Whitsett program at Cal State Northridge started with an initial gift of $500,000 to establish the W.P. Whitsett Endowment. The gift was intended to honor the memory of Van Nuys founder W. P. Whitsett and his pioneering role in San Fernando Valley history. Over the years, the endowment has grown to more than $1 million.

The history department already had a well-respected program in the history of California and the West. The additional funding from the Whitsett Foundation provided rare opportunities that a cash-strapped state university might not otherwise be able to pursue. It also presented a great opportunity to put a special focus on the richness of the Valley’s history.

Among the first projects supported by the foundation—which was led by Whitsett’s three granddaughters Myrtle Harris, Eleanore Robinson and Sarah Ann Siegel and family friends Mary Jane Petit and Sara Baur—was the publishing of an essay by late history professor John Baur on W.P. Whitsett. In his essay, Baur noted that Whitsett, a mining, irrigation and real estate entrepreneur, found land in the San Fernando Valley "among the richest and best in California."

Throughout the past 20 years, the endowment has supported workshops and seminars that have brought together scholars—students and faculty—from across the United States to discuss a broad range of topics, from architecture and tourism to race relations and free speech.

The endowment also has facilitated faculty and student research efforts as they traveled across the country to present papers, visit archives and gathered data about the region.

In 1994, the endowment established the first endowed chair at Northridge and one of the first in the California State University system. The first Whitsett Chair in California History was Gloria Ricci Lothrop, who spent more than 20 years at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona before joining CSUN’s history department to teach California history, promote California studies and to publish in the field. Lothrop retired in 2002. Historian Josh Sides was named the Whitsett Professor in 2005.

The endowment also started CSUN’s W.P. California Lecture Series, which since 1987 has brought academics from across the county to discuss topics related to the history, development and future prospects of California. The series encourages an interdisciplinary approach to subjects related to the state.

With the support of the endowment, the history department also started the Valley Pioneer Lecture Series in 1991. The series consists of occasional lectures pertaining to topics of current interest to the community.

Last year, the endowment established the Whitsett Graduate Seminar in California History which brings together graduate students from across the country to discuss a broad range of issues that affect the state.

Maddux noted that while the Whitsett Foundation no longer exists, it laid a strong foundation at Cal State Northridge for the continued study of California and of the Western United States.

"The Whitsett trustees have established a praiseworthy model of supporting the community, including the Historical Museum at Valley College and the Boy Scouts of America’s Camp Whitsett in the Sierra as well as CSUN’s Whitsett program," Maddux said.

California State University, Northridge has 34,500 full- and part-time students and offers 62 bachelor’s and 50 master’s degrees as well as 28 teaching credential programs. Founded in 1958, CSUN is among the largest single-campus universities in the nation and the only four-year public university in the San Fernando Valley. The university serves as the intellectual, economic and cultural heart of the Valley and beyond.