By Jonathan Morales

2025年1月24日

迈克尔·雷扎（Michael Reza）经历了惨痛的教训，明白了高等教育中的慈善事业如何使学生受益。

在长滩州立大学（Long Beach State）读本科时，他从奥兰治县（Orange County）的家出发，每天通勤45分钟，并通过工作来支付学费。 He didn’t have time – or resources – for a more “traditional” college experience.

“I'm still driven by the idea of wanting to have a different experience and now truly allowing for students to have the choices I didn’t, the opportunity to have that experience,” Reza said. “My only choice was to work and do the things to pay for and get through school. I always think about what my experience could have been like if I had the opportunity that I now know philanthropy creates for students.”

Reza is working to provide precisely that kind of support, and much more, to 萨克拉门托 State students as the University’s new vice president for Advancement. In this role, which he began in September, he oversees 囊状态’s fundraising efforts and alumni relations.

Reza之前曾担任俄勒冈大学波特兰发展和校友参与副校长，以及俄勒冈州纽伯格的乔治福克斯大学发展副校长。

In addition to coming home to California – his wife is from the Bay Area – Reza says he was attracted to 囊状态 because of the University’s position in the state capital of the fifth-largest economy in the world as well as it’s potential for growth and the pride the community has in the institution.

“The opportunity we have to grow our philanthropic contributions, enhance our community impact, support a growing student body, and to truly transform the lives of such a diverse group of students is incredible,” he said. “The trajectory of this institution is off the charts.”

萨克州立大学拥有近30万名校友。 萨克拉门托地区每17个成年人中就有一个毕业于博彩平台。 Reza也加入了Sac州立大学，因为该机构已经建立并保持了大量的筹款势头，包括慈善家Ernest E. Tschannen为两个最先进的科学设施捐赠的1900万美元，以及一个成功的全面活动，筹集了近2.4亿美元用于支持Sac州立大学的学生。

现在，他已经在萨克州立大学待了整整一个学期，花了很多时间与学生、教职员工和社区成员会面，雷扎说，萨克州立大学有能力在这种势头的基础上继续发展。 他补充说，作为推进部负责人，他的职责是将自己学到的东西转化为与捐赠者产生共鸣的优先事项和外展活动，帮助他们了解他们的捐赠如何使学生受益。

雷扎说，通过这种讲故事的方式，加上透明度和明确的制度优先事项，Sac州立大学可以建立信任和能力，吸引更多的投资。

雷扎还注意到自己作为有色人种在先进性领导中的地位，他说，在他开始职业生涯并逐步晋升的过程中，他没有看到这一点。 他也明白，作为一个群体，大学生正变得越来越多样化，为了应对这种变化，高级职业必须做出调整。

"How do we build a pipeline of future philanthropists that, quite honestly, have similar experiences to me that are more diverse, that expect different things from our institutions and expect different things from the philanthropic relationship?” he said. “I positioned myself to be able to take advantage of that shift and pursue roles and positions that allowed me to lead."

In his current role, he can now work to provide the type of support for 囊状态 students that he didn’t have when he was in college, the type that provides them greater choice in what they want out of their higher education experience.

雷扎说，筹款的成功不仅要以总金额来衡量，还要看它对学生的影响。 有时，这种影响远远超出了奖学金支票上写的数字。

“A student who received a gift from a donor said to me, ‘That gift was important, it helped me, but what helped me more was knowing there was someone who believed in me.’ ”