An individual gift of $5 million to Santa Rosa Junior College by an anonymous donor will be used to assist students in achieving their educational goals.

The donor hopes this gift will inspire others to support SRJC and its educational mission.

The $5 million endowment will generate approximately $175,000 annually in scholarship awards and will help hundreds of students each year with their education-related expenses.

In announcing the gift, SRJC superintendent/president Frank Chong said, “We are extremely grateful to this visionary donor for investing in the academic and professional future of our students.

“This historic gift will have a profound impact on our dedicated students and faculty. It comes at an important time when many students are motivated to get a college education, but lack the financial resources. The entire college community is thankful and will benefit from this generosity.”

The endowment will offer annual scholarships to students who show potential to become future teachers; to challenge students to finish their education; and to provide assistance to SRJC students who need financial help.

This donation is the largest single outright gift to SRJC in its 94-year history, and is one of the largest gifts from an individual within the California Community College system of 112 colleges.