Sacramento State recently received its largest cash donation in history from former Sleep Train owner Dale Carlsen. The $6 million donation was made in support of a new innovation and entrepreneurship center on campus.

After the announcement, Carlsen said: “Right now at Sacramento State and in our region, this is a transformative time. This is the time to grow more entrepreneurs, grow more businesses, grow more jobs in our area, and this is the way to do it. We have to do it through innovation. We’ve got to do it through creativity.”

“The old-school way doesn’t do it anymore” he added. “Changing the mindset at the campus will change the mindset in the region.”

The Dale and Katy Carlsen Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship will include classes and a curriculum from UC Berkley, and will take place in the library’s multimedia room. The university is looking for the right executive director to take over the project and build an appropriate program.

“Our vision is to provide the tools, resources and guidance to achieve it,” Carlsen said.