SAN JOSE, Calif. \u2014 San Jos\u00e9 State Athletics announced today a transformational multimillion-dollar estate gift commitment from longtime Spartan supporters Diane and Chris Gordon. The commitment represents the largest estate gift in San Jos\u00e9 State history, creating an enduring legacy that will provide transformative support for generations of Spartan student-athletes.<\/p>\n
The future gift, made through the Gordons\u2019 estate plans, will support women\u2019s athletics at SJSU, with half of the commitment designated for the women\u2019s golf program and the remaining half dedicated to enhancing opportunities for Spartan women\u2019s sports.<\/p>\n
\u201cDiane and Chris Gordon\u2019s extraordinary commitment will create opportunities for generations of Spartan women to compete, lead and succeed,\u201d said SJSU Director of Athletics Jeff Konya<\/a>. \u201cAs the national landscape of college athletics continues to evolve, investments like this are essential to positioning SJSU to compete at the highest level.\u201d<\/p>\n The Gordons have been steadfast supporters of San Jos\u00e9 State Athletics for many years, investing in the success of Spartan student-athletes while serving as passionate fans and longtime premium football season ticket holders.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have always believed in the power of athletics to change lives and create opportunities,\u201d said Diane and Chris Gordon. \u201cSan Jos\u00e9 State and its student-athletes have meant so much to us over the years, and we are proud to make this commitment to support future generations of Spartans. Women\u2019s golf has achieved remarkable success on the national stage under the leadership of head coach Dana Dormann<\/a>, and we are equally excited to help strengthen opportunities for women competing across all sports at SJSU.\u201d<\/p>\n The gift reflects the Gordons\u2019 longstanding commitment to the women\u2019s golf program, which has established itself among the premier programs in the nation. The Spartans have consistently competed among the country\u2019s elite teams, captured conference championships, earned national tournament appearances, and developed numerous professional golfers while competing successfully against many of the nation\u2019s top programs.<\/p>\n Among the program\u2019s recent success stories are Natasha Andrea Oon<\/a>, who currently competes on the LPGA Tour, and Kajsa Arwefj\u00e4ll<\/a>, who plays professionally on the Ladies European Tour and made the cut at a pair of major championships on the LPGA Tour, The Amundi Evian Championship (T41) and the AIG Women\u2019s Open (T58). The Gordons\u2019 estate commitment will help ensure that future generations of Spartan golfers have the resources and opportunities to compete at the highest levels while receiving a world-class student-athlete experience.<\/p>\n \u201cThis historic commitment from Diane and Chris represents a powerful investment in the future of Spartan Athletics,\u201d said\u00a0Scott MacDonald,<\/a> Senior Deputy AD at SJSU. \u201cTheir generosity over the years has been incredible, but even more meaningful is how deeply invested they have been in our programs, our student-athletes, and their success. The Gordons are tremendous champions of San Jos\u00e9 State, and their legacy will positively impact Spartans for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to elevating women\u2019s golf, the portion of the estate commitment designated broadly for women\u2019s athletics will provide flexibility to address the evolving needs of Spartan women\u2019s sports programs, helping student-athletes excel academically, athletically, and in the community. Their\u00a0generosity continues a legacy of philanthropic leadership that has helped strengthen San Jos\u00e9 State Athletics and position Spartan student-athletes for success in competition, in the classroom, and beyond.<\/p>\n \u201cChris and Diane\u2019s commitment to our student-athletes and their vision for the future of women\u2019s athletics at San Jos\u00e9 State will have a profound impact for many years to come,\u201d said Dormann, SJSU women\u2019s golf head coach. \u201cThey deeply care about SJSU and what we are building here, and it shows through their love and support. I am so thankful for both of them and for the mentorship they have provided to our young women.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs the largest estate gift in San Jos\u00e9 State University\u2019s history, this extraordinary commitment from Diane and Chris Gordon represents a milestone for our university and for Spartan Athletics,\u201d said Judy Nagai, Ph.D., Vice President for University Advancement and CEO of the Tower Foundation. \u201cTheir generosity reflects the growing momentum behind our efforts to provide transformational opportunities for Spartan student-athletes. More importantly, it creates a lasting legacy that will strengthen women\u2019s athletics and positively impact generations of Spartans.\u201d<\/p>\n Fans, alumni, and supporters can join the Gordons in investing in the future of SJSU Athletics by making a gift to support Spartan student-athletes. Every contribution helps San Jos\u00e9 State Athletics continue to build champions academically, in competition, and in the community. To make your gift today, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n #AllSpartans<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAN JOSE, Calif. \u2014 San Jos\u00e9 State Athletics announced today a transformational multimillion-dollar estate gift commitment from longtime…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":432059,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[88,90,89],"class_list":["post-432058","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-jose","tag-san-jose","tag-san-jose-headlines","tag-san-jose-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/432058","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=432058"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/432058\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/432059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=432058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=432058"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=432058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}