SDSU dedicates new gateway entrance to campus

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - San Diego State University dedicated a new campus entrance Thursday in honor of alumni and long-time supporters Ben and Nikki Clay.
   
The couple, who met while SDSU students, has been involved public affairs in San Diego for years and have played a role in numerous civic activities.
  
"The naming of the Clay Gateway recognizes Nikki's and Ben's many contributions to SDSU,'' said Tom McCarron, vice president for business and financial affairs. "Fittingly, the words on its pillars define the campus as a destination for students who aspire to follow in the Clays' footsteps, `through these gates will pass our future leaders.'''
   
School officials have been planning for a couple of years to install four gateways that define boundaries of the suburban campus, which appear vague in some areas.
   
They said the gateways would look like similar facilities at other colleges, with a tower, walkway leading into campus and landscaping. The one named for the Clays is located at the intersection of Montezuma Road and Campanile Drive.
   
"The idea of having a place of arrival has been a long time coming,'' said Ben Clay.
   
Nikki has been president of the Alumni Association Board of Advisors and The Campanile Foundation Board of Directors. Ben is on the SDSU Public Affairs Advisory Board. They have also funded a pair of scholarships and contribute to others, according to SDSU.