Couple Shaped by Struggle and Driven to Give Will Receive Honorary Doctorates
Michael Beckage and Bridget Spanier faced numerous challenges as college students.
Beckage (’87, engineering technology), a first-generation college student, worked his way through Cal Poly Pomona, even taking out a loan when money ran tight. His wife, Spanier, also first-generation college student, grew up in a household with six children and struggled to cover tuition, books and other expenses while attending UC Irvine.
Those hardships have since become the foundation for the couple’s philanthropy, shaping the couple’s commitment to helping Cal Poly Pomona students facing similar obstacles. Together, they have contributed more than $1 million to support scholarships in Cal Poly Pomona’s College of Engineering and the College of Education and Integrative Studies. In 2024, they finalized plans for a transformative $3.2 million bequest, a gift given through a will or trust upon a person’s death, to further support both colleges.
“Bridget and I both decided that educational philanthropy is the way we can make the world a better place,” Beckage said. “Using the words of W.K. Kellogg, only through education can you lift one generation above the last.”
The bequest will fund:
- Michael Beckage ’87 & Bridget Spanier Endowment for CEIS to support students preparing for careers in education.
- Additional resources for the existing Bridget Spanier and Mike Beckage Scholarship Endowment for PIE (Partners in Education).
- Michael Beckage ’87 & Bridget Spanier Engineering Ideation Endowment to provide generalized support for college-wide student success programs, research, student employment and competition teams.
- Bridget Spanier and Mike Beckage Endowed Scholarships for MEP-WiSE (Maximizing Engineering Potential – Women in Science and Engineering).
- Michael Beckage ’87 & Bridget Spanier Endowed Deanship in Engineering to provide supplemental salary and augment the hiring resources to attract dynamic and visionary leaders for the role of dean in the College of Engineering.
In recognition of their dedication to service and philanthropy, Beckage and Spanier will receive honorary doctorates at Commencement. Beckage will be awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science from the College of Engineering, while Spanier will receive a Doctor of Humane Letters from the College of Education and Integrative Studies. Beckage is also scheduled to speak at the engineering ceremonies on May 16.
“Michael and Bridget understand, firsthand, the barriers many of our students work to overcome. Their generosity is rooted in lived experience, and it is already opening doors for students who might otherwise struggle to reach their goals. Their legacy will be measured through the lives changed because they chose to give back,” said Interim President Iris S. Levine.
Beckage recalled receiving a voicemail from Levine saying that she needed to speak to Beckage and Spanier at the same time.
“It’s amazing,” Beckage said of the honor. The couple admitted they were a bit unnerved and stunned.
“I was rather overwhelmed,” she said. “I am more comfortable being in the wings.”
Spanier may shy away from the spotlight, but her 30-year career as an elementary school teacher has had a major impact on the couple’s giving. She began teaching at a Catholic school and then went on to the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District. Spanier loved working with children.
“The kids were just so open to learning and so excited about it,” she said. “I loved when the light would go on and you see them pick up the concepts and understand them, especially for those students struggling. That was a thrill.”
Spanier’s commitment to preparing teachers is based on her own experiences. Her career started when she was hired to teach on an emergency credential. She attended Cal State Long Beach, but at the time, the university didn’t have a credential program for teachers working full-time. She went on to earn her required credential from Loyola Marymount University. The early experience is one of the reasons the couple began supporting CEIS’ Partners in Education (PIE) program, which provides scholarships to students earning their credential.
“Supporting future teachers really resonated with Bridget as something she wanted to support,” Beckage said. “Even though she didn’t go to CPP, she found a home with CEIS and the PIE program. People at CPP make you feel welcome.”
A Way to Pay it Forward
After graduating from Cal Poly Pomona with an engineering degree, Beckage co-founded the Seal Beach-based Diversified Technical Systems (DTS) in 1990 with fellow alumnus Tim Kippen (’89, engineering technology) and Steve Pruitt. DTS creates sensors, software and data acquisition systems that are used by organizations around the world for safety testing. They sold the company in 2021, but Beckage still works part-time for the new owners.
Beckage joined the College of Engineering Dean’s Leadership Board seven years ago. The 2023 Distinguished Alumni recipient mentors students through professional development workshops and often shares his personal story of perseverance. He is an Engineering Hall of Fame inductee and serves on the executive committee of the Cal Poly Pomona Philanthropic Foundation.
For Beckage, giving back is a way of paying forward the opportunities he received.
“I really highly valued the education I received at CPP,” he said. “I got fantastic engineering exposure. I met somebody in the program who became my future business partner. What I learned was valuable, especially as I got out and started my business, so in 2017 or 2018 when the dean of engineering came out to visit me at my company and expressed an interest in connecting with me as an alum, the rest is history.”
Beckage credits much of his success to the people who supported him along the way — a message he plans to emphasize in his Commencement address to engineering students.
“My success has largely been because of the selflessness and generosity of those who shared their knowledge and life experiences with me,” he said. “Everything I learned along the way made me a better employee. I took on more responsibility at my job. I learned stuff that’s valuable in my pre-graduation career. I definitely felt like I learned a lot of skills that are valuable in the real world.”