Physics students Seth Curtin and Jasmine Torres, along with lecturer Tabitha Swan-Wood
explaining how an Atomic Spectra Defractometer works.
A $30 million gift from the estate of longtime supporters Philippe and Arlette Larraburu is the single-largest donation in CSUCI’s 21-year history and a priceless investment in its future.
Supporters since before the University’s founding, the Larraburus established a bequest in 2001 naming CSUCI the sole beneficiary of their estate. In the years since, the gift grew to $30 million.
“Words cannot express our tremendous gratitude to the Larraburu family for their trust in our University, backed by a gift that will provide so much for our students,” said CSUCI President Richard Yao. “A gift of this stature is a testament to the power of personal philanthropy and to the fact that CSUCI is a smart investment for donors, community partners, and students alike.”
Born in France in 1927, Philippe trained as a physicist and earned several degrees in optical engineering from prominent trade schools in Paris. His first job was specializing in the manufacture of precision instruments and lenses for the French armed forces. In the early 1950s, he traveled to Germany to take German-language courses and met Arlette Janet Pioro, a French translator for the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
The couple married in 1955, and emigrated to the U.S. in the early 1960s, eventually moving to Ventura County and building their dream home in the Clearpoint neighborhood in Ventura in the early 1970s. Philippe created specialized lenses for the film industry, then opened his own optical lab and created lenses for industrial applications and weather satellites.
Philippe and Arlette established a connection to CSUCI from the very beginning and the couple remained strong supporters. When Arlette died in 2014, Philippe donated a spectrometer and other equipment to the University’s Physics program. It was only then that he shared the couple’s decision to name CSUCI as beneficiary of their estate.
“We are profoundly grateful for the Larraburus’ bequest,” said CSUCI Vice President for University Advancement Richard LeRoy. “We also appreciate the Larraburus’ faith in higher education, and their belief that a strong public university can create priceless returns for its graduates, their families, employers and, in fact, the entire region.”
The Larraburu’s gift comes at a critical time for the University, when budgetary limitations and possible reductions in permanent, long-term state funding are looming. Yao said the donation will help close the gaps in funding needed to complete several high-demand capital projects, such as the campus-based Early Childhood Care & Education Center.
“Capital projects are my priority for the most impactful, long-term use of the Larraburus’ gift,” Yao said. “Their gift has enabled us to literally build for the future.”