SAN JOSE, CALIF. – San José State University and Provident Credit Union have forged an $8.1 million, 20-year partnership agreement to rename The Event Center at San José State University to Provident Credit Union Event Center. The California State University Board of Trustees approved the venue renaming and broader agreement at its July 24 meeting.
"Maintaining a modern, inviting event center is vital for San Jose State, our students and student-athletes, faculty and staff, the City of San Jose, and the entire campus community," said Mary A. Papazian, president of San Jose State. "Regional collaborations like this one demonstrate how the university can work with industry in mutually-beneficial ways. And, as an SJSU alum, President Jim Ernest is another great example of our graduates who make a difference in their own backyard."
Funds from the annual payments will be used to make improvements, upgrades, renovations and for ongoing maintenance to the Event Center, a 30-year-old facility managed by Student Union, Inc., a student auxiliary. The building is a prominent feature of the campus and is visited by students, faculty and staff members during such events as Commencement, Honors Convocation and Spartan Athletics contests. The university and greater Bay Area community visit the center regularly when it is rented by outside promoters for concerts, comedy shows and a variety of other entertainment events.
"Provident Credit Union looks forward to supporting and serving the staff, students, and alumni of San Jose State University with financial services. The credit union has had a 70-year relationship with not only educators in Northern California but all communities in the five Bay Area counties. As an alumnus, I am very proud that Provident has been given the opportunity to provide the San Jose State University community with our exceptional products, outstanding services and comprehensive financial education. We are very excited about this partnership and eager to get started," said Jim Ernest, president and CEO of Provident Credit Union.
Ernest is a San Jose State alumnus who holds a bachelor's in economics and an MBA from St. Mary's College. He serves on the board of directors of Easter Seals Bay Area and is the Finance Committee chair.
The agreement includes signage at the facility and on nearby roadways; the opportunity to sponsor or participate in university events; and the opportunity to provide the campus with financial literacy awareness clinics.
San Jose State University and Provident Credit Union thank PIVOT Agency (PIVOT), a nationally- known full-service sports marketing and sponsorship agency for its support and assistance on this naming rights agreement.
About San Jose State University
The founding campus of the 23-campus California State University system, San Jose State provides a comprehensive university education, granting bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in 145 areas of study with an additional 108 concentrations — offered through its eight colleges.
With more than 32,000 students and nearly 4,370 employees, San Jose State University continues to be an essential partner in the economic, cultural and social development of Silicon Valley and the state, annually contributing more than 7,000 graduates to the workforce.
The university is immensely proud of the accomplishments of its more than 220,000 alumni, 60 percent of whom live and work in the Bay Area.
About San Jose State University Athletics
San Jose State University's athletics program sponsors 22 NCAA Division I sports (9 men's and 13 women's) and offers an intercollegiate athletics experience to at least 490 student-athletes annually. The Spartans compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest level of college football. San Jose State is a member of the Mountain West — a conference of 12 football-playing schools in the Pacific, Mountain and Hawaiian time zones.
About Provident Credit Union
Provident Credit Union is a full-service retail financial cooperative with over $2.7 Billion in assets, over 350 employees and 20 community branches in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Redwood Shores based credit union offers a full range of financial products and services from checking and savings accounts to credit cards and mortgage loans and has proudly served the San Francisco Bay Area since 1950. Provident has earned Bauer Financials 5 Star Sustained Superiority rating for over 20 years and has been ranked as one of the Top 200 healthiest credit unions in the country by depositaccounts.com for the past 4 consecutive years. The credit union is open to anyone who lives or works in the surrounding counties of the Bay Area. For more information about Provident please visit providentcu.org