CSUN GETS BIGGEST GIFT EVER CHINESE ANTIQUITIES WORTH $38 MILLION GIVEN BY ALUMNUS.

Byline: Lisa Mascaro Staff Writer

NORTHRIDGE - A Chinese immigrant who grew up in the San Fernando Valley and attended CSUN before becoming a successful high-tech entrepreneur has pledged $38 million in Chinese antiquities to the college, officials said Monday.

The gift being announced today is the largest donation ever to the statewide California State University system.

Entrepreneur Roland Tseng - who collected many of the pieces during what he called his ``Indiana Jones phase'' on archaeology digs in China - hopes the gift will help to encourage further campus giving to create a landmark research and cultural institution ``on this side of the hill.''

``It seems that this university would especially benefit from a gift like this because it means so much more,'' said Tseng, a 47-year-old father of two.

``They're right on the verge of an immense expansion and growth program. They just needed that little bit extra resource to make that jump to light speed as an institution.

``There's no real presence of that on this side of the hill - that's said as a longtime resident.''

California State University, Northridge, officials announced plans to launch an exhibit of some of the pieces in the spring, praising the gift they said would open new doors to research and community enrichment.

``It anchors the university on the cultural map of the region,'' said CSUN President Jolene Koester.

``What we have here are priceless treasures. They will be studied by those passionate about the arts, passionate about China.''

The $38 million gift is part of a four-year commitment to the campus that includes the artifacts, as well as support for their preservation and continued study, officials said.

This year's first installment includes artifacts valued at $9.5 million that will be showcased in the exhibit ``Possessing the Past: Mysteries of Ancient Chinese Art,'' with more than 100 gifted and loaned pieces spanning 6,000 years, and opening April 16.

Tseng and university officials continue to work out the details of subsequent installments over the remaining years, but hope to include continued academic support to allow multidisciplinary studies of the works by faculty, visiting scholars and students.

``We're going to have a long and multifaceted relationship in order to achieve Roland's and the university's dream,'' said Koester. ``We think this will be a cornerstone of a large university effort.''

The Tseng Family Collection will be housed on campus at the Oviatt Library's Special Collections and Archives area and displayed in the C.K. and Teresa Tseng Gallery, which is being renamed in honor of Roland's parents, longtime Valley residents and business leaders.

CSUN is also proposing to rename its College of Extended Learning after Tseng, making it the second of the school's colleges to carry the name of a benefactor, following the naming of the Michael D. Eisner College of Education after a $7 million gift from the Disney mogul's Eisner Foundation.

``It's a rare opportunity for our faculty, our students and for the community also,'' said Sue Curzon, CSUN's dean of the library.

``Some of (the pieces) have never been seen before and some of them are very unique,'' she said. ``He is a passionate collector, and our society is enriched by that.''

Tseng, who now lives in Northern California, came to this country from his native China as a 5-year-old, growing up not far from the CSUN campus in Granada Hills and Northridge.

His parents have operated Northridge Travel Service since 1967, and the family has long-standing ties with the campus and community, the school said. His father serves on the board of the Northridge/Porter Ranch Chamber of Commerce and the family provided a scholarship to Chinese actress Joan Chen in the early 1980s to study film at CSUN, the university said.

Tseng attended CSUN briefly before going on to receive bachelor's and master's degrees from Pepperdine University.

Tseng, described as a Renaissance man who has a fifth-degree black belt in karate, brought American television programming to China through one company and developed a way to use Global Positioning System technology on archaeological sites in his current work as president of Native Software.

He was honored as an Asian-American role model this spring by Mayor James Hahn, officials said.

His passion in art collecting comes not only from the pieces themselves, he said, but from the history lessons they provide.

``It's important but it's not as important as the information that is learned from the object,'' he said.

He hoped CSUN could use the donation to attract further gifts.

``This seemed to be a really good match,'' he said. ``We're hopefully trying to create an example for others in the community.''

Lisa Mascaro, [phone]

lisa.mascaro(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

(color) Roland Tseng on Monday displays a 3,000-year-old Chinese gold and bronze vessel, part of a $38 million collection being donated to CSUN.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer