The Gift of Innovation
Establishing the Singelyn Graduate School of Business
In 2022, the Singelyn Graduate School of Business was established with a transformative gift from alumni couple David and Ruth Singelyn.
With the gift, the Singelyns, working alongside university leadership and faculty, are committed to sharpening the program that prepares young professionals for the challenges and opportunities that exist in today’s workplace. David (’84 accounting and computer information systems) says the expansion will emphasize public-private collaboration, storytelling and interdisciplinary synergies across colleges.
“We have the ability to innovate and elevate the business school experience,” David says. “Let’s change the mindset. Let’s promote curricular innovations. Let’s create a transformative, creative experience in business education that the business community and community at large not only support but desire to partner with.”
“This gift is a game-changer. David and Ruth’s generosity will make an immediate impact in expanding opportunities for students, fostering innovation in our academic programs and continuing to attract world-class teachers and scholars to our faculty,” says Cal Poly Pomona President Soraya M. Coley. “Visionary philanthropy has always been fundamental to Cal Poly Pomona’s success starting from the time of W.K. Kellogg, and it is even more important today. It gives us the freedom to imagine new possibilities and make them happen, and creates essential opportunities for growth and ambition.”
Today the Singelyn Graduate School of Business is home to several cutting-edge master’s programs and in 2024 had a record enrollment of graduate students.
Among the unique resources available to students are the Singelyn Center for Innovative Analytics, a high-tech lab harnessing the power of data visualization; the Dr. J. Douglas Ramsey Financial Markets Room, equipped with state-of-the-art Bloomberg Terminals that students use to manage an investment portfolio with more than $500,000 in assets; the Mitch Hill Center for Digital Innovation where students run a real-world data center; and the Center for Customer Insights and Digital Marketing that houses an accompanying biosensor research lab. Singelyn graduate students participated in the inaugural Avanade AI Hackathon on campus, championing innovative ideas to leverage the power of AI to create a better world.
