The reception, which will take place from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Cleary Court on the west side of the Cal State Northridge campus near Etiwanda Avenue and Plummer Street, celebrates the selection of Northridge to oversee the SBA's small business development centers in Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

"By managing it locally, we can respond more quickly to the specific needs of small business in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties than when the program was managed statewide," said Northridge marketing professor Deborah Cours, co-director of the new network. "We're excited by the fit with the college's activities and its interests in small business. We have several programs in the college that work with small businesses to the benefit of both the businesses and our students."

Among those who are expected to be at the celebration are Cal State Northridge President Jolene Koester and Alberto G. Alvarado, district director of the SBA's Los Angeles District Office.

The SBA announced last June that Northridge would become the new Regional Lead Center for its Small Business Development Network in Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, and awarded the university's College of Business and Economics $2.9 million annually to administer and fund the network of small business development centers in the three-county region.

"We are delighted to have California State University, Northridge serve as our area's SBDC Lead Center," said Los Angeles SBA District Office Director Alberto G. Alvarado. "CSUN has a solid reputation in the academic community and the resources to effectively manage the program. The SBA looks forward to working with the university to foster small business growth and economic development in Southern California."

The small business development centers provide small business owners with one-stop access to free business consulting, planning, marketing and training programs.

The California Trade, Technology and Commerce Agency, along with the SBA, previously administered the centers, but severed its relationship with them because of the state's budget crisis. By federal law, the centers must be operated by institutions of higher education, either public or private.

The SBA's Los Angeles District Office ranked first in financing small business among all 70 SBA officers nationwide in 2003 with 4,500 loans for more than $1 billion. The Los Angeles District is also number one in lending in the country in providing access to capital to minority- and women-owned businesses. This past year SBA's Los Angeles District Office also provided technical assistance to 35,000 businesses and helped entrepreneurs access $500 million in federal procurements.

Cal State Northridge's College of Business and Economics is home to several nationally recognized programs where students gain valuable hands-on experience working alongside faculty members and business professionals in a variety of areas.

California State University, Northridge has 33,000 full- and part-time students and offers 61 bachelor's and 42 master's degrees as well as 28 education credential programs. Founded in 1958, it is the only four-year university in the San Fernando Valley and the fourth largest in the 23-campus CSU system. The university serves as the intellectual, economic and cultural heart of the Valley and beyond.