Stanislaus
Greenlaw Grupe, Jr. is an influential business and civic leader who has displayed a life-long commitment to improving lives in personal and profound ways.
A native of Linden and the son of a developer and farmer, Grupe became a highly successful businessman who cares about his community in ways that promote individual success and regional accomplishment. As chairperson of The Grupe Company, one of the largest, privately held real estate companies in the United States, he has overseen the creation of 12 master-planned communities and 50,000 homes in 35 cities spanning six states.
His direct involvement with higher education in the San Joaquin Valley has been noteworthy and substantial. As the master developer of University Park in Stockton, the company has worked to build and manage the Stanislaus State Stockton Center as a unique mixture of college classroom facilities, offices, health-service facilities, retail buildings, a high school and community center.
Grupe earned a degree from the University of California, Berkeley and never stopped giving back to education. He has complemented his work on the Stockton Center with service as a regent of the University of the Pacific and as the founding chairman of UC Merced's foundation board of trustees.
Grupe has freely offered his time to serve on myriad civic committees and foundations, many of which include strong educational components. He was one of the business leaders who in 2012 launched Stockton Forward, a coalition committed to the city's growth alongside the building of an educated workforce. Grupe founded the San Joaquin County Business Council, and in 2005 he was named by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as co-chair of the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley. Both organizations have strong foundations in the fostering of an educated citizenry.
Grupe served as president of the Stockton Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Realtors, and was chapter chairperson and national university chair for the Young Presidents Organization. He served on President George H.W. Bush's Special Commission on Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing.
In recognition of his professional and civic accomplishments as a business and community leader, the Board of Trustees of the California State University and California State University, Stanislaus are proud to confer upon Fritz Grupe the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.