A Letter From the President

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Helping To Make CSU, Chico Better

Stan McIntyre always wanted to visit the Amazon, but school, work, and building his consulting business took time. When he finally decided to tour the Amazon, his life took a romantic turn as he was smitten with the lovely tour guide, Valene Smith. Smith laughs at McIntyre's recounting of the beginning of their relationship, commenting, "It worked! It's good for future spouses. You find out if you can solve the problems. The following year, he went on a tour to Africa that I led. That was the one that really did it."

In their years together, McIntyre and Smith have shared a commitment to education. "Education is the solution to so many of the world's problems," said Smith. Unfortunately, barriers to education abound. Women in some countries find it difficult to complete a high school education, and even more difficult to find their way to a university. Also, the rising cost of education makes the search for funds increasingly difficult for many young men and women. Some might wring their hands at such dilemmas and give up hope. McIntyre and Smith did no such thing. This couple saw the conditions that created barriers to education and established scholarships to lower them.

McIntyre and Smith each established individual charitable remainder unitrusts. The trusts provide McIntyre and Smith with an annual income during their lifetime and provide students with scholarships in perpetuity. Smith, professor emerita of CSU, Chico, has long been involved with the Soroptimist Club. Over a decade ago, the group established the International Goodwill and Understanding Fellowship, a scholarship fund to help women from other countries come to Chico for graduate work. Her trust will augment this fund and the President's Scholars fund. "I think my interest lies predominantly in assisting people of high academic achievements....We often fail to provide for the individual of superior ability," she said.

Smith, an anthropologist, traveled to many places where she saw the difficulties women faced in their attempts to obtain an education. Additionally, she believes it is essential to bring people from other countries to the United States to build international and cross-cultural understanding. Her gifts to the university will make this important goal a reality.

McIntyre recalled his youth during the Depression. "My mother had one objective in life and that was to have my brother and me go to college," he said. When his father was killed in a streetcar accident the year McIntyre entered high school, he thought higher education would not be possible. An active student, he participated in school athletics and was the student body president. His senior year, he was called into the principal's office. The principal had nominated him for a Kiwanis Club scholarship. McIntyre won the scholarship and attended the University of California, Berkeley, finishing his work in economics and engineering in three and a half years.

McIntyre had worked various jobs during college and thought it was time to get a full-time job when he graduated, but an adviser convinced him to apply to graduate school. He did, receiving a scholarship to attend Stanford University. Later, he also attended management courses at MIT. A Kiwanis Club scholarship success story, McIntyre caught the eye of the U.S. State Department. "I became the star for a movie made by the State Department, called A Way of Life, showing what the service clubs had done," he said. McIntyre remained an active member of Kiwanis until recently.

He established a management consulting firm, Stan McIntyre and Associates, in the Bay Area. A friend's request for help with hospital administration led to decades of consultation with large hospitals, such as UC Medical Center and Stanford Medical Center.

He decided to establish a scholarship for two reasons. "I felt so strongly about the need for scholarships for students who could not afford college," he explained. He believes that helping young men and women the way he was helped is a worthwhile investment. His other reason is that investing in a unitrust is a way to provide income and financial protection for Smith should he die first.

"All I've done is pay back what I've been given," McIntyre said of his gifts to his alma maters, although his generosity certainly exceeds what was given him. Even though he is not a Chico State alum, McIntyre feels that Chico State has a great need for funding because it has fewer large endowments than most larger universities. Smith's long association with the university certainly influenced her decision to contribute, but, more important, she feels that the need is greater for a smaller university. Smith extends her plea to others, "Support your institution. The need is here."

To learn more about how you can participate in the Scholarship Campaign, or to learn more about charitable trusts, contact Ed Masterson, 530-898-5297.

Barbara Alderson, University Publications