Cal State Long Beach, Regena Cole, her family, and Mrs. Cole’s court-appointed representative announced today the settlement of the claims filed in Mrs. Cole’s name against CSULB in 2022. Pursuant to the settlement, Mrs. Cole’s substantial estate will be used upon her passing, as she intended, to support the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at CSULB, and all claims filed in Mrs. Cole’s name will be dismissed with prejudice.
For more than 30 years, Regena Cole and her late husband, Bob Cole, have been two of the most stalwart and generous supporters of Cal State Long Beach and, in particular, its music program. In 1994, the Coles bequeathed the bulk of their estate to the Cole Memorial Scholarship Fund at CSULB. In 2008, the music school at CSULB was named the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music in honor of the Coles’ bequest. In 2020, Mrs. Cole entered into a gift agreement with CSULB, whereby $25 million of her estate that otherwise would go to the already well-funded Cole Scholars scholarship program would instead be used for capital improvements at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music.
In November 2022, a civil action was brought in Mrs. Cole’s name challenging the 2020 gift agreement. In January 2024, the trial court appointed an independent Guardian ad litem “to review this litigation and determine its conduct based upon the best interests of Regena Cole.” During subsequent mediation, the court-appointed Guardian ad litem and CSULB agreed to a settlement that provides for the claims filed in Mrs. Cole’s name to be dismissed, with prejudice, and that Mrs. Cole’s estate should be used as she intended to benefit the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music and its students.
Under the parties’ agreement, while Mr. Cole’s portion of the couple’s estate will continue to fund the Cole Scholars, Mrs. Cole’s estate will be used to fill gaps in the Cole Scholars’ educational costs (including room and board, fees, books, and musical instruments), to make capital improvements to Conservatory facilities, and to create a “Student Enrichment Fund” that provides tutoring, library materials, computers, travel expenses, recording equipment, and similar assistance for Conservatory students.
This agreement honors the Coles’ decades-long legacy of support to the Conservatory and the Cole Scholars. It is estimated that the Coles’ cumulative philanthropy to Cal State Long Beach may ultimately reach nearly $60 million, ensuring that the Bob Cole Conservatory remains a top destination of choice for music students.
