Terry Atkinson makes a lasting investment in Aztec basketball

SDSU alumnus and Wall Street veteran Terry Atkinson’s transformational planned gift will create permanent support for men’s basketball while also expanding his investment in students and faculty across the university.

By Gema Deleon

Terry L. Atkinson has spent much of his life thinking about investments.

After graduating from what was then San Diego State College in 1970, he built a successful career in finance, working at leading Wall Street firms for decades and eventually running UBS AG’s nationally recognized municipal securities division.

His approach to philanthropy is straightforward.

“Where can I help?”

For Atkinson, the answer has often been San Diego State University.

His latest commitment includes a transformational planned gift to SDSU Athletics that will provide permanent support for an assistant coaching position with Aztec men’s basketball, continuing a relationship with the program that stretches back decades.

The Terry L. Atkinson Men’s Basketball Assistant Coach Fund will provide ongoing resources for the position, including coaching compensation, professional development, travel, recruiting, and other needs associated with supporting a highly competitive NCAA Division I basketball program.

It is the latest in a long line of investments Atkinson has made in SDSU Athletics.

His past support has touched many parts of the athletics experience, from recruiting and retaining student-athletes to scholarships, facilities and individual programs.

But basketball has always had a special place in Atkinson’s connection to SDSU. He has deep admiration for former head coach Steve Fisher and more than a decade ago supported the development of the program’s basketball practice facility, now the Jeff Jacobs JAM Center.

His reason for continuing to support the program today is simple.

“I like the basketball team,” said Atkinson. “San Diego State is part of the framework. When the Aztecs are playing, everybody’s glued to the TV.”

“Terry has been a tremendous supporter of Aztec Athletics for many years, and we are incredibly grateful for his continued commitment to our men’s basketball program,” said John David Wicker, SDSU director of intercollegiate athletics. “This endowment strengthens our ability to attract and retain talented coaches and creates permanent support for the people who help our student-athletes develop and our program compete at the highest level.”

The endowment creates a permanent source of support at a time when college athletics is changing rapidly. Recruiting and retaining talented coaches and student-athletes increasingly requires resources that extend well beyond the court.

Creating Opportunity 

Atkinson grew up in San Diego. Sports were part of his life. He played baseball and formed friendships through athletics that stayed with him for years.

When it came time for college, his father gave him two rules: he could go to college, but it had to be in San Diego, and he would have to pay for it himself.

SDSU was close to home and affordable, two things that mattered greatly to a young man financing his own education.

He jokes that the arrangement also gave him plenty of motivation to be a good student. There wasn't money to waste. More importantly, he understood what an education could make possible.

“The best way for me to get through was to get my education at a higher level and also do what I could to strengthen my résumé,” he said.

Atkinson majored in public administration and later earned a law degree from the University of San Diego. His career took him to Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York, where he earned a place among the top ranks of municipal finance on Wall Street.

For years, building that career kept him away from his alma mater. Eventually, he found his way back.

Atkinson joined The Campanile Foundation Board of Directors in 2009 and became a volunteer and philanthropic leader. He also helped reconnect “lost Aztecs,” alumni who, like him, had drifted away from the university.

As his involvement grew, Atkinson found ways to put both his professional network and financial success to work for SDSU beyond athletics. He made introductions, offered advice, and helped connect younger graduates with professional opportunities.

“If you need help, I’m one of the guys to call,” said Atkinson.

That same instinct shaped his philanthropy.

Over the years, Atkinson’s giving has reached across SDSU, supporting students, faculty, research, the arts and athletics. His philanthropy has included support for Guardian Scholars, education abroad scholarships, faculty fellowships and recruitment, research, music education and the Fowler College of Business, along with university-wide scholarships and other priorities.

For someone who spent his career evaluating investments, Atkinson saw SDSU as a worthwhile investment.

Investing in People

While Aztec men’s basketball is at the center of the planned gift, his estate plans will also establish the Terry L. Atkinson Endowed Scholarship for students with financial need and provide additional support for the previously established Terry L. Atkinson Endowed Professorship in Finance. Together, the endowments are designed to provide lasting resources for coaches, students and faculty across the university.

“Terry has invested in San Diego State University in so many ways over the years, but there is a consistent thread throughout his philanthropy: creating opportunities for people,” said Adrienne Vargas, SDSU vice president for University Relations and Development. “His commitment is also a powerful example of the role alumni can play in shaping the future of their university.”

For Atkinson, the scholarship brings the story back to his own experience with education.

He knows what it means to consider cost when deciding where and how to attend college. SDSU gave him an affordable path to an education, and that education helped expand what was possible for him.

“Scholarships help remove obstacles for a lot of people,” said Atkinson.

His continued investment in the finance professorship reflects another chapter of his life. Although Atkinson majored in public administration, he took business courses at SDSU before building a career in finance and has continued to invest in the Fowler College of Business and its faculty.

Together, his latest commitments build on decades of giving while looking ahead to what SDSU can become. His permanent endowed support for coaches, faculty, and students is an investment that will help strengthen the university for years to come.

As Atkinson put it when describing his support for SDSU years ago: “There is nothing but upside. You’re going to attract the best students, the best professors, the endowed chairs, all the things that really make a university sing.”