future For the
Spring 2014
Strength
And still counting!
It’s not too late to make history For the Future!
t h e T r u s t e e M at c h i n g S c h o l a r s h i p P r o g r am
More than‌
1,000
endowments
26,000
850 $120
recipients to date
donors
million.
For the students who need it the most. Thank you.
Since the Trustee Matching Scholarship Program was created in 2002, hundreds of the University’s alumni and friends have become our partners in supporting undergraduates who might not otherwise be able to earn a Penn State degree. One of the most successful fundraising efforts in the University’s history, the program has now exceeded its goal of $120 million in new need-based aid. By leveraging University matching funds, donors to Trustee Scholarships have multiplied the impact of their gifts and ensured that our tradition of opportunity will continue for generations to come. For more information on other Penn State matching programs, please visit giveto.psu.edu.
A Message from Peter Tombros They said that it couldn’t be done. They said that the global economic downturn would stop us. They gave up on us when our community faced the greatest crisis in our history. But you never stopped believing in Penn State and Penn State students. You never stopped believing that with your support, and the support of other alumni and friends, the University could be better and stronger than ever, a leader now and a leader For the Future. And we did it! On April 12, I had the privilege and the joy of announcing that For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students has passed its goal and raised, as of that evening, $2.158 billion. In this issue—our final issue—of the campaign newsletter, you’ll learn about the celebrations surrounding that announcement. We honored not just those volunteers and philanthropic leaders who kept us inspired over seven tough years, but every donor and every gift that helped us to reach our goal. So many of our students and faculty took the opportunity to say thank you, too, both in person and in videos that you can watch at giveto.psu.edu/closing. In their stories, you’ll discover the real impact of this campaign, measured in opportunities created and dreams fulfilled. The campaign closing celebration was a moment with deep meaning for Penn State and Penn Staters, and it was also a moment with deep meaning for me, personally. I was the first generation in my family to go to college, and this University changed my life. Chairing the For the Future campaign has been an opportunity to give back, as best I can, and to ensure that Penn State can go on changing lives for generations to come. That work isn’t done, not for me, not for any of us. The campaign continues until June 30, and we want to show the world that Penn Staters always go above and beyond. And even after the campaign ends, philanthropy will continue to shape what Penn State and Penn State students can become. As I step down, Martha Jordan ’76 will take the lead in our fundraising efforts as chair of the Penn State Advisory Council on Philanthropy. You can learn more about Martha on page 5, and I think you’ll agree that I couldn’t have a better successor. Although my time as campaign chair is ending, this isn’t a good-bye. Seeing what Penn Staters can accomplish together has made me more committed than ever to keeping our community strong, and I’m looking forward to seeing how much more we can achieve, for our students and For the Future. Sincerely,
Peter G. Tombros Chair, For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students
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Campaign leaders celebrate a historic fundraising success “First rule of show business: Never work with animals,” joked campaign chair Peter Tombros as he and the Nittany Lion waited backstage at Eisenhower Auditorium on the evening of Saturday, April 12. But not even Penn State’s beloved mascot—or a DeLorean!—could steal the show from Tombros and the announcement he made to a crowd of more than 1,400 volunteers, donors, and Penn State community members: For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students had shot past its goal and raised $2.158 billion. The Eisenhower event took its theme from the 1985 movie Back to the Future, and the crowd enjoyed special effects, MCs on skateboards, and a Penn State version of the film’s soundtrack hit, “Power of Love,” performed by undergraduates from the Musical Theatre program. But
the real power of love— “love for Penn State, love for our students and all they represent, love for the future we can create together,” said Tombros— became clear as students and faculty, onstage and in videos, shared the impact of philanthropy in their lives. Saturday’s show was the centerpiece of a celebratory weekend, planned around the Blue-White Game and highlighting the many ways in which the campaign will transform the opportunities and experiences that Penn State offers. Banners throughout State College and posts on Facebook and Twitter thanked not just the guests who led the campaign with their volunteer service and landmark gifts, but all the supporters—more than 603,000—who helped Penn State to reach the biggest fundraising goal in its history and fulfill
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the campaign’s vision. “From creating new scholarships to funding groundbreaking research to allowing our faculty to innovate in the classroom, For the Future has enhanced every aspect of a Penn State education,” President Rodney A. Erickson told reporters covering the weekend. “Penn State will thrive for generations to come because of the generosity of our supporters and the ongoing dedication of our alumni and friends.”
1. A new comedy team: Peter Tombros and the Nittany Lion brought lighthearted entertainment as well as serious gratitude to the stage and screen. 2. Musical Theatre students Brinie Wallace and Liz Schmitz rocked a 1980s-style performance that opened the Eisenhower show. 3. Evan Pugh Professor in Geosciences and Nobel Prize winner Richard Alley thanked Saturday’s audience on behalf of all Penn State faculty members.
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4. From special effects to sound design, every aspect of the production was handled by a team of School of Theatre faculty and students, led by Travis DeCastro. Sydney Rusak ‘14 (left) served as stage manager for the event. 5. Complete with flux capacitor, a “time-traveling” DeLorean got Tombros and the Lion to the show on time. 6. Chloe Weaver ’14 and Ryan Wood ’10 served as MCs for the evening and shared their own Penn State stories. 7. A 40’ LED wall showed videos about philanthropy and the Penn State experience, but you can also view them online at giveto.psu.edu/closing.
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8. At events throughout the weekend, retiring President Rodney A. Erickson received thanks for his leadership and his support of the campaign, including a new $1 million commitment he and his wife, Shari, announced during the week before the closing.
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9. Restored through an estate gift from L. James Schmauch ’36, Penn State’s Land-Grant Frescoes were a popular stop over the weekend. 10. More than 72,000 fans cheered for the Nittany Lions—and welcomed campaign chair Tombros onto the field—at the Blue-White Game. 11. Before the Blue-White Game, fans and friends tailgated at Pegula Ice Arena, created through the largest single gift to the campaign. 12. The Nittany Lion Inn hosted a Saturday night soiree, with music and refreshments reflecting different eras in Penn State history. 13. A rainy Friday couldn’t keep visitors away from a tour of the Children’s Garden, one of the many spaces within The Arboretum at Penn State made possible through philanthropy.
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“From creating new scholarships to funding groundbreaking research to allowing our faculty to innovate in the classroom, For the Future has enhanced every aspect of a Penn State education.” —President Erickson
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14. The campaign may be coming to a close, but Rodney P. Kirsch, senior vice president for development and alumni relations, and Martha Jordan ’76, new volunteer chair, will lead Penn State’s continuing fundraising efforts. With an M.B.A. from the University of Cincinnati and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, Martha practiced law for more than twenty-five years at global firm Latham and Watkins LLP. Now retired, she has chaired the Smeal College of Business Board of Visitors, and during For the Future, she has led the Annual Giving committee and served on the campaign executive committee. With her husband, David, she has created scholarships and supported programs across the University. PHOTO CREDITS: Matt Bellingeri: 1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 12. John Baranoski: Cover Photo, 3, 7, 14. Leah Eder: 11, 13. Tina Hay: 5. Penn State Public Media: 4. Patrick Mansell: 10
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Proof Positive
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In videos shown during the campaign closing celebration, three recent alumni shared the impact of philanthropy in their lives.
“Penn State gave me the opportunity to get our American dream accomplished.”
“Philanthropy tells students that there isn’t a limit to what you can do with your education.”
“No doubt that where I am now has been completely launched by my time at Penn State.”
While most of his fellow ninth graders were just getting used to high school, Alex Han ’10 and his family were packing up their lives and moving a continent away. Giving up successful careers in South Korea, Alex’s parents moved everything to the Philadelphia suburbs to give their son a chance at a U.S. college education.
Applying to college can be an overwhelming experience for any high school senior, but as the first member of her family to attend college, Genevieve Miller Brown ’10 had no sibling, cousin, or parent to turn to for advice, let alone to help pay the bills.
When Connor Sattely ’11 first arrived at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, he had no clear idea of his career path—but he did know he had options. He joined the campus newspaper and connected with his fellow Schreyer Honors College students. And thanks to scholarships, he was able to study overseas and discovered that being a global citizen means more than just learning another language.
Alex, who earned a degree in accounting from the Smeal College of Business, says, “My parents really wanted to make an investment in my education because they envisioned how it would make a difference in my life and my family’s life.” The tuition bills were soon more than they could afford, however. “I truly believe that without the scholarships I received, I wouldn’t be able to stand here today with these same opportunities,” says Alex, who is now a client relationship manager for Ernst & Young while also working for his family business, which prepares healthy sushi lunches for schools. “My parents know it wasn’t just them that made all of these things happen. I had great teachers, and Penn State’s donors provided a great education. ”
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“To take that step going to undergraduate study was really frightening because it was unknown territory,” says Genevieve, who became a Bioengineering major at Penn State. “Luckily, I had a lot of help at the beginning. I was given scholarships which showed me that going to college was something I could do.” At Penn State, she joined the Mashavu engineering project to design lowcost medical devices for communities in Kenya, and her faculty members encouraged her to conduct research, experiences which motivated her to pursue a Ph.D. in bioengineering at Columbia University. “The people I met at Penn State, including the donors who supported me, are definitely the ones that gave me my confidence,” Genevieve says. “When I was 18, I would never have thought that I’d be a researcher, but Penn State saw that potential in me.”
“While I was abroad, I realized, ‘I have to get back out here. This is what I’m supposed to do,’” says Connor, who completed degrees in media studies and political science before pursuing a graduate degree in Switzerland. He is now the chief operating officer of GovFaces.com, an international online platform to connect citizens and politicians. “When you have such a good experience in college like I did, you start to think about, ‘How can I eventually give back?’” Connor says. “I really hope that as many students as possible get the same great opportunities as I did. Gifts to Penn State help students to make the most of their education.”
It All Adds Up While stories like those of Alex and Genevieve and Connor are the real measure of the campaign’s success, For the Future has also produced impressive and important numbers. Total dollars raised
$2.158 billion
91,000
More than privately funded scholarships and awards funded by campaign donations have benefited students across nearly Penn State since January 1, 2007.
45,000
Total number of donors
50
603,000
Donors to the campaign represent all countries around the world. states and
91
Total number of dollars from alumni
13,000 faculty and staff from across Penn State have 61 million to the campaign.
Nearly given over $
175
The campaign has raised over $ million to endow faculty positions and programs.
879 million
$
Total raised for undergraduate scholarships
Corporate philanthropy has totaled over million throughout the campaign. $
519 million
400
$
65
Donors gave over $ million to build the new Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital.
73 million for the
During the campaign, THON has raised over $ Four Diamonds Fund.
Total raised towards endowment
175
million for Penn State’s The campaign has raised over $ campuses across the Commonwealth.
600
Penn State alumni and friends have volunteered More than their time for the campaign. You can find out more about the achievements of For the Future and watch videos that share the stories of Alex, Genevieve, Connor, and other Penn State students at:
giveto.psu.edu/closing
783million
$
Feedback For the Future Your responses help to fine-tune our communications
While this is the last issue of the For the Future campaign newsletter, Penn State will continue to share stories about the impact of philanthropy at the University, and we want to make sure that you’re getting the news and information that interest you most. Following the Winter issue, we sent out a survey to a sample of our readership, so that your feedback can shape future newsletters and other communications. More than 1,100 readers responded, and many of you praised our commitment to sharing personal stories of the impact that your gifts have on the students, faculty, and the community. You agree that quantitative measures are important, too; they help to create a shared sense of accomplishment, while letting us know that there’s always room for progress. Based on your interest in different kinds of support opportunities, we’ll continue to look for compelling stories about undergraduate scholarships and interesting research initiatives throughout Penn State. Fifty-two percent of you found the explanations of these opportunities and programs useful.
While we love to read positive feedback, we are making a point to listen to your critiques as well. In this issue, you’ll find more numbers and charts with shorter articles. We’ll also continue to feature positive stories on the impact of philanthropy on all of Penn State’s campuses and colleges, not just University Park. Your preference between electronic and printed versions was split. We have and will continue to provide newsletters and other publications via mail and on our website—they can be found at giveto.psu.edu on the “Media & Events” page.
How do you prefer to receive/read this newsletter? Printed/Hard-Copy Only
29%
Online Only
25%
Both 13% Other 4%
Top Areas of Interest among Respondents
1. Scholarships 2. Research initiatives and centers of excellence 3.
The Penn State giving experience
4.
Funding for innovations in teaching and learning
No Response
Beginning in late summer, we’ll be offering the opportunity for you to provide feedback on all publications sent out from the Office of Development Communications. Whenever you see the logo below, you can log on to giveto.psu.edu/feedback, type in the short code printed on the piece, and answer a short survey about that publication. Thank you for your help in making Penn State—and Penn State’s communications—the best that they can be.
Feed back For the Future 8
29%
Online and Onward! Penn Staters share their gratitude on social media
As alumni and friends gathered for the closing weekend of For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students at University Park, members of the Penn State community took the celebration to social media. Using #FortheFuturePSU on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other platforms, they thanked donors and highlighted the weekend’s festivities. On Twitter alone, 287 people participated and generated 570 tweets with the hashtag, reaching 341,695 unique accounts. Here are some of our favorite posts from the effort, which helped to announce the 2.158 billion ways donors have helped Penn State and its students.
Office of University Development 2 Old Main University Park, PA 16802 W E
A R E
P E N N
S T A T E
T h e C ampaig n O b j e cti v e s Total Raised
$2,157,887,540 As of April 12, 2014
Ensuring Student Opportunity
Students with the ability and ambition to attend the University will have this opportunity through scholarship support.
Enhancing Honors Education
22%
Students of exceptional ability will experience the best honors education in the nation.
Enriching the Student Experience
Students will thrive in a stimulating atmosphere that fosters global involvement, community service, creative expression, and personal growth.
44%
4% 6%
Building Faculty Strength and Capacity
Students will study with the finest teachers and researchers.
Fostering Discovery and Creativity
Students and faculty members will come together within and across disciplines to pioneer new frontiers of knowledge.
Sustaining a Tradition of Quality
Students will continue to work and study with faculty whose scholarship is enhanced by continuing philanthropic support.
Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing employment opportunities to minorities, women, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and other protected groups. Nondiscrimination: http://guru.psu.edu/policies/AD85.html U. Ed DEV 14-08
9% 16%