Why We Give: Vince and Betsey Biondo

Vince (’64) and Betsey Biondo (’67, ’72) turned their shared commitment to education and public service into lasting scholarships that empower future SDSU leaders.

By Tobin Vaughn

The Gift: Established the Vince and Betsey Biondo Endowed Basketball Scholarship, the Vince and Betsey Biondo Endowed Football Scholarship, the Betsey Love Biondo Student Teacher Endowed Scholarship and the Vincent F. Biondo, Jr. Endowed Scholarship.

VINCE (’64) AND BETSEY BIONDO (’67, MPA ’72) have invested in San Diego State University students for years in many ways, including athletics, but they are most inspired by young people committing their careers to their communities. Both have created endowments for such students.

As ambitious young professionals, the couple met in an elevator at San Diego’s city hall. Betsey was an intern in the city manager’s office working toward a master’s degree in public administration at SDSU. Vince, who had earned his BA in political science as an Aztec, was interning with the city attorney’s staff, hoping to launch his own career after earning a Stanford law degree. 

Among the things they had in common was SDSU, though they had not known each other as students. Inspired by her mother, who was a teacher, Betsey had finished her education degree in three-and-a-half years and, after earning her MPA, went to work for the California State University Office of the Chancellor. 

“My mother was a wonderful teacher, and she wanted me to teach,” Betsey says. 

For 27 years, she taught different subjects at all levels from kindergarten to college, both in the San Diego area and in the Philippines while Vince served in the U.S. Navy. 

As a member of the Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG), Vince was then the youngest military judge in the Navy, presiding over courts-martial throughout Asia and on ships at sea. After the Navy, he and Betsey returned to San Diego, where she continued teaching and was elected to the Del Mar Union School District governing board of trustees. Vince resumed public service in various roles, including Carlsbad city attorney and general counsel for the San Diego County Water Authority. 

“We believe passionately in the benefit of public education and public service,” Vince says, explaining the couple’s philanthropic choices. 

Vince says he and Betsey admire and want to support young public school teachers and others who might choose “to take less money to not only have a meaningful career but to help make the world a little better place.” 

Betsey trained many student teachers and future school administrators, finding a lot of satisfaction throughout her career. 

“I love to teach and watch people grow and learn,” she says. 

Now retired, the Biondos have traveled the world over the past few decades. They enjoy expanding their knowledge of different cultures and have built a sizable collection of mementos, but supporting SDSU students remains a top priority. 

“We are deeply grateful for Vince and Betsey's support, and it’s especially meaningful that they’ve chosen to invest in initiatives that align so closely with their personal passions.”

With support from the Biondos, scholarships help SDSU College of Education students during their student-teaching experiences. Vince recognizes how difficult it is for students to work while taking classes and teaching in the classroom.

Betsey knows from personal experience that it’s hard to be a student teacher.

“Many of them need the extra money to get through that semester,” she says.

From their own student experiences, the Biondos give SDSU high marks. 

“I felt I got a high-quality education at San Diego State from a number of really good professors,” Vince says, with Betsey concurring. 

There was some room for improvement in one class, however. When Vince struggled with spelling, his challenge went unrecognized. He had to write 500 words with three or fewer spelling errors, and he says he couldn’t do it. 

Mandatory visits to the campus reading and writing lab changed everything. Vince’s assignments were simplified, his skills enhanced, and the course of his education completely altered. 

“Thank God I had an enlightened guy who was head of that lab,” Vince says. “I got an academic scholarship to Stanford Law School.”

SDSU made a difference in the Biondos’ lives, and in turn, they make a difference for others through SDSU. When former students recognize Betsey around town, they offer hugs and share stories of how she influenced their education. At campus events, she also meets current recipients of her scholarships and enjoys hearing how the couple’s donations are helping them. 

“Donations are investments, and the first thing you do in analyzing an investment is make a judgment about the people running the organization because you want your money used in a productive way,” Vince says. 

“We’re pleased with our investments in the students,” Betsey says. 

“And,” Vince adds, “our investments in the university."

To establish an endowment or make a donation to SDSU, contact Mary Darling at [email protected].