$10 million gift to university from Greg Hunter and family
California State University San Marcos has received a $10 million donation from one of its most essential benefactors, Hunter Industries, to support the construction of a significant new Integrated Science and Engineering Building.
The gift, among the largest in the university’s history, will anchor CSUSM’s ambitious “Blueprint for the Future” campaign, which seeks to raise $200 million to expand facilities, programs, and opportunities for students.
The new building, pending approval by the CSU Board of Trustees, is already under construction following a groundbreaking earlier this year and is slated to open in fall 2027. It will carry the Hunter name, cementing the company’s long relationship with the university.
Hunter Industries, founded in San Marcos in 1981 and now a global leader in irrigation, lighting, and manufacturing technologies, has been closely tied to CSUSM since the campus’s early years.
The company’s name is enshrined on the founders’ seal as one of the original donors that helped shape the university.
Over the decades, Hunter has consistently provided financial support, funding the student union, the Clarke Field House, the Hunter Design Lab, and physics labs, while also supplying internships, mentorships, and career opportunities for CSUSM students.
Many graduates have found professional homes at Hunter, deepening the bond between the local company and the growing university.
The $10 million donation is being hailed as transformational not only for what it will build but for the signal it sends to other donors and to the region.
CSUSM President Ellen Neufeldt described the gift as an extraordinary investment in the community’s future, while Hunter Industries CEO Greg Hunter said the company was proud to help create a facility that will empower students and foster innovation for decades to come.
The building will enable CSUSM to nearly quadruple its engineering enrollment, helping to address regional workforce shortages in science, technology, and engineering fields.
The Hunter gift also comes at a time of heightened philanthropic momentum for CSUSM. Earlier this year, Daniel and Phyllis Epstein pledged a $10 million matching gift aimed at multiplying donor impact, while the Price Philanthropies Foundation committed an additional $10 million toward behavioral and mental health education.
Together, these contributions have generated $30 million in major gifts in just a few months, accounting for more than 70% of the “Blueprint for the Future” campaign’s goal. The convergence of these commitments underscores a new era for CSUSM, one in which private philanthropy is helping to drive public higher education’s ability to scale and innovate.
By anchoring its name on a building that will define the next generation of science and engineering education in North County, Hunter Industries has not only deepened its legacy as CSUSM’s most crucial corporate benefactor but also demonstrated the power of regional companies to shape the trajectory of higher education and workforce development.
This latest act of generosity, built on years of steady partnership, represents a bold affirmation of the university’s mission and a decisive vote of confidence in its role as a driver of opportunity for the region.