Entrepreneur and philanthropist George L. Pla receives honorary doctorate at Cal State LA Commencement
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LOS ANGELES, May 30, 2023 ~ On May 24, Cal State LA and the California State University Board of Trustees conferred an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters upon George L. Pla, an alumnus of the university and founder, president and CEO of Cordoba Corporation. The ceremony took place during the culmination of Cal State LA's 75th anniversary.

Pla was joined onstage by Los Angeles Community College District Chancellor Francisco C. Rodriguez, Long Beach City College Superintendent-President Mike Muñoz and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who is an alumna of Cal State Dominguez Hills and was once a student at Cal State LA.

In recognition of his generous contributions to the campus and decades of commitment to the city of Los Angeles, President William A. Covino said "The Board of Trustees of the California State University and California State University, Los Angeles are proud to confer upon George L. Pla the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters" before he and Cal State LA Provost and Executive Vice President Jose A. Gomez placed a doctoral hood on Pla.

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Bass applauded the Class of 2023 on their achievement and congratulated Pla on receiving the honorary degree saying "George Pla is a great example of an individual who has built a very successful business rooted in values that move our society forward, never just focused on himself" before adding "you can be successful as an individual but never forget your community".

Pla shared his inspiring story with graduates about crossing the border into the United States from Tijuana, Mexico with his family at age 5 and learning English while growing up in Boyle Heights before becoming the first in his family to graduate from college with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Cal State LA in 1972 followed by a Master of Public Administration from USC in 1974. He encouraged graduates to take advantage of opportunities presented to them saying "As an immigrant, I know this is a land of opportunity" before asking them to stand up and thank their families for their support during their journey to earning their degrees.

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Pla serves as governor's appointee to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission which is helping prepare for 2028 Summer Olympics as well as its president; he served on California Science Center Foundation Board Of Trustees; co-founded City Club; coauthored Power Shift: How Latinos In California Transformed Politics In America; made commitment to fund George L. Pla Latino Leadership And Policy Forum at university; philanthropic efforts extend to national institutions including Cordoba Corporation's commitment supporting Latino history initiatives at Smithsonian National Museum Of American History; inaugural member Of Cal State LA President's Council; 1991 honored as Alumnus Of The Year; 2016 received Joe Shapiro Humanitarian Award at Billie Jean King & Friends Awards Gala; 2017 awarded Presidential Medallion - highest honor bestowed upon individuals who have displayed outstanding leadership & extraordinary service To The Cal State LA community.
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