When the College of Business Administration building complex opens next year, it will be among the most environmentally friendly in the CSU. A new challenge grant will ensure that the area surrounding the complex will be just as green.

The Chapman Forestry Foundation will match donations up to $20,000 to plant trees on the building complex’s two acres. Alumni, friends, faculty, staff and students are challenged to sponsor a tree for $500.

Kicking off the challenge with a $7,000 donation is CBA faculty member Dr. Carol Larson Jones, management & human resources department, and her husband, Larry. In addition, the forestry foundation had previously given $20,000 for new landscaping, bringing the fundraising goal to $60,000.

Sign up online to sponsor a tree by visiting http://cba.cpp.edu/cba/leave_a_legacy.aspx. Only 26 sponsorship opportunities are available. In recognition, all donors will have their names memorialized on a plaque in the complex’s courtyard.

“In a project like ours — in which we seek to dramatically impact all student experiences — every detail matters,” says Dean Richard Lapidus. “The new classrooms will enhance the learning experience and the centralization of offices will ensure that students have increased contact with faculty and staff. Aesthetics are vitally important as well. I want to thank the Chapman Forestry Foundation for helping to realize our dream of providing a visually stunning environment for our students.”

The Chapman Forestry Foundation is a Texas-based organization that has strong ties to the university. Alumni Christie Chapman Billing (’79, food & nutrition) and John Billing (’72, urban planning, ’77 master’s in urban planning) oversee the nonprofit and have generously funded student scholarships and donated trees for several projects on campus. Most recently, the foundation donated money for nearly 100 saplings along Kellogg Drive.

The new business complex, which is 50 percent complete and is on track to open in fall 2012, will consist of three buildings providing classrooms, faculty and staff offices, and two auditoriums. A central courtyard with ample seating and a well thought-out design will provide a natural transition from the buildings to the outdoor environment. For instance, oak trees near the complex’s cafe will provide shade encouraging students to stay on campus longer. A mature palm tree as well as several river birch trees will provide a welcoming environment reminiscent of a modern garden, says Brian Mitchell of Ahbe Landscape Architects, the firm that designed the landscape.

Project managers are also looking at ways to save on energy, to lower water consumption and to reduce harmful emissions in an effort to receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. Official LEED ratings are not given until projects are complete.

Additional giving opportunities are still available for the business complex. For more information, contact Director of Development Jeff Cox at (909) 869-3006.

Cal Poly Pomona has embarked on a $150 million comprehensive fundraising campaign to ensure that a quality college education is within reach for future generations of students. The campaign will strengthen the university’s ability to provide a hands-on education, to prepare students for the changing demands of the workplace, and to increase research and scholarship opportunities. The fundraising campaign relies on the support of the entire campus community — from alumni to faculty and staff to friends of the university. For more information, visit http://campaign.cpp.edu/.