Cal State Fullerton campus leaders, faculty, staff and supporters came together to celebrate a significant milestone in the construction of Landmark Hall, an academic hub that will empower future generations of leaders and drive leadership studies across Orange County and beyond.
The more than 20,000-square-foot, three-story building, which will be located near the College of Business and Economics building, aims to advance leadership education in collaboration with all colleges at CSUF and support economic growth in Southern California through education, training and outreach.
“Today marks the transition from vision to visible reality, reinforcing the momentum behind this important investment,” said Sridhar Sundaram, dean of the College of Business and Economics, at the April 23 beam signing ceremony. “The building reflects a broader strategic priority: preparing students not only with technical expertise, but with the leadership skills needed to navigate complex, evolving business and societal challenges.”
Landmark Hall will provide students with access to academic scholarship, customized leadership development programs and executive coaching, preparing them to meet evolving workforce needs and join a College of Business and Economics alumni network that includes more than 88,000 Titans.
“We are educating students during a very unusual and demanding time, one defined by rapid change. They are surrounded by competing expectations of what leadership should look like. Landmark Hall is a space where students can learn from thought leaders who can spark new ideas and give them courage,” said CSUF President Ronald Rochon. “Our students will become competent leaders in their field and in their service to others.”
The building will be home to the Institute for Leadership Studies, a repository of leadership writings from visionaries and experts around the world, and the Giles-O’Malley Center for Leadership, named in honor of longtime university supporters Terry Giles ’70 (B.A. speech communication) and his wife, Kalli O’Malley.
Open to all students interested in exploring their leadership potential, the Giles-O’Malley Center for Leadership offers signature programs like the Leadership Scholars and Emerging Titans Buddy Program, which help students build essential leadership skills, receive executive mentoring, and establish a network with local business leaders and alumni.
“The Giles-O’Malley Center for Leadership is helping students find the leadership qualities that are already within them,” said Giles, whose own successes after he graduated from CSUF spanned from the courtroom to the C-suite. Most recently, Giles was chairman of the board for Landmark Worldwide Corp., a global business dedicated to leadership development for professionals.
He added that Landmark Hall is “an urgent call to action,” which will put Cal State Fullerton at the forefront of leadership education and prepare students, faculty, staff and community members to lead across industries nationally and internationally.
“It’s easy to say that the future is dependent upon the young minds that exist in this university today as students, but it’s way more than that. It’s also the professors who guide those minds. It’s the deans who guide the curriculum. It’s the administration that sets the pace and gives the rhythm that makes this university great,” said Giles.
“I have as much confidence as I have ever had at any time that Cal State Fullerton is prepared and ready to not only take its place as a leading university in this country, but among the leading universities in the world.”
For more information about supporting students in the College of Business and Economics and naming opportunities in Landmark Hall, contact Chrissy Chase at [email protected].