Sonoma State University to receive $4 million donation for education and arts

The Sonoma State University Foundation is set to receive a $4 million donation from the trust of Melody Ann Palmer, a North Bay musician and philanthropist.

The 62-year-old San Rafael native, who died in October 2021, graduated from San Rafael High School and the University of California, Berkeley, according to a news release announcing the donation.

Palmer did not have a direct connection to Sonoma State University and had not made a donation to the university before, according to Mario Perez, vice president of university advancement.

“This gift came as a surprise to Sonoma State,” he said.

The donation will be evenly distributed between the School of Education and the Center for Performing Arts, at the request of the trust, officials said.

About 80% of the $4 million will be placed into endowments that will fund projects and programs later selected by the deans. The rest will be allocated for current priorities for each entity.

Laura Alamillo, dean of the School of Education, and Ed Beebout, interim dean of the School of Arts and Humanities, are both looking for feedback from staff, professors and students on how to use the funds.

Alamillo said she created a virtual whiteboard for her team to brainstorm and share ideas.

Some of the possibilities for the School of Education include funding early childhood education programs, teacher credentialing and expanding the teacher residency program, which allows a student to co-teach with another educator at a local school for a year. At the end of the residency, the students then get a three-year contract with the school district they worked in.

“I think when community members invest in teacher education … they are investing in children,” Alamillo said. “The better that we prepare these practitioners the better we serve and better educate our kids.”

Beebout said some of the possibilities for the School of Arts and Humanities include updating its technology and setting aside money for scholarships.

“It is wonderful to have money for these programs to prosper and shine,” he said. “We don’t know that much about the donor or her motivations but obviously she was a very generous person to think of programs like ours.”

Palmer dedicated most of her life to music, though she valued education and considered a career as a teacher. She studied the flute and would perform at family functions or at local senior homes with her mother, who played the piano.

In addition to the $4 million donation to SSU, Palmer’s trust also donated to organizations such as the College of Marin Foundation and the San Domenico School.

The trust declined to comment for this story.

You can reach Staff Writer Madison Smalstig at madison.smalstig@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @madi.smals.