Cal State Long Beach celebrated the grand opening this week of its new 5,500-square-foot alumni center, which will showcase the university’s history and notable graduates.
CSULB officials, alumni and others gathered at the Brotman Hall South Lawn this week to inaugurate the Anna W. Ngai Alumni Center, which will provide students and alumni with career development, networking and mentoring opportunities, according to a recent press release.
The alumni center’s namesake is a 1974 graduate and 2015 distinguished alumni, whose financial contribution helped pay for the new facility.
The alumni center is meant to be a special event and gathering space for the campus and community, according to the university website. The facility, on Beach Drive, will also house CSULB memorabilia.
Built on the former site of the Soroptimist House, the $11.5 million building broke ground in September 2019.
The PENTA Building Group was the commercial contractor that worked on the project.
“We’re thankful to the team at CSULB for their partnership as we continue our work in constructing major projects in the Southern California higher education landscape,” Adam Noureddine, senior project manager at The PENTA Building Group, said in a statement.
“Students and alumni will surely benefit from the new space,” Noureddine added, “and we look forward to seeing the lasting impact that this center will provide for generations to come.”
The ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on Tuesday, Sept. 27, and was followed by an open house and an inaugural “Fireside Chat” with President Jane Close Conoley and Anna W. Ngai.
Ngai was an international student from Hong Kong who graduated from Cal State Long Beach in 1974 with a bachelor’s degree in finance and business administration.
