Celebrating the life of Joan Schreyer

Mission

The mission of the Schreyer Honors College is to promote: • Achieving academic excellence with integrity • Building a global perspective, and • Creating opportunities for leadership and civic engagement

To educate people who will have an important and ethical influence in the world, affecting academic, professional, civic, social, and business outcomes. To improve educational practice and to continue to be recognized as a leading force in honors education nationwide.

History of Schreyer Honors College

Schreyer Honors College is a leading force in honors education. Under the leadership of director Paul Axt, Penn State launched the University Scholars Program in 1980. In September 1997, William and Joan Schreyer presented a $30 million gift, and the College was expanded and renamed in their honor. A gift of an additional $25 million in 2006 was part of the “For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students.” In the last four decades, more than 16,000 individuals have graduated with honors from Penn State. By Cathy Carlson and Ray Schmitt Editor’s note: This piece has been adapted from an original story that appeared in Penn State News on November 24, 2021

Joan Legg Schreyer, who passed away in November 2021, helped set the standard for philanthropy, leadership, and vision at Penn State.

When she and her late husband, William “Bill” Allen Schreyer made their contribution in 1997 to endow the Schreyer Honors College, it was, at the time, the largest single gift in University history. It also paved the way for hundreds of Schreyer Scholars to graduate with honors from Penn State each year and become leaders in their fields.

In remembering Mrs. Schreyer, [then] Penn State President Eric J. Barron said that she “has inspired and will continue to inspire our students with her belief in their ability to make a difference in the larger world.”

“All of us who take pride in Penn State have reason to be profoundly grateful to Joan Schreyer,” said Board of Trustees Chair Matt Schuyler. “With Bill, she offered wholehearted support for the people and programs of this University, and the Schreyer Honors College has elevated and affirmed our entire institution’s reputation for excellence, drawing top students whose achievements go far beyond the academic and serve to challenge and inspire our whole community.

“Joan was a generous and gracious presence whose belief in the importance of higher education will continue to guide us for many years to come.”

That generosity is embodied by the original $30 million gift from the Schreyers that established the college bearing their name and the $25 million that followed in 2006. By establishing and continuing to uphold an interdisciplinary program that offers a living-learning environment, undergraduate research opportunities, international opportunities, and more, their contributions help to maintain Penn State’s position as a leader in honors education. “Before my arrival [last summer], I had the honor and great pleasure to meet with the Schreyer family, and that visit left an enormous impression on me,” said Patrick Mather, dean of Schreyer Honors College. “Mrs. Schreyer, her daughter DruAnne, and their family welcomed me with warmth, grace, and humor, and I’m most appreciative of the time we spent together.

“The vision and generosity of the Schreyer family are timeless, and we are grateful for everything they have given to create this remarkable experience for Scholars at Penn State,” Mather added.

Joan Legg Schreyer was born in Buffalo, New York, on April 22, 1929, and grew up in the Buffalo area. She met her husband in 1951, and they married on October 17, 1953. After Bill completed his ROTC commitment with the Air Force in Wiesbaden, Germany, the Schreyers returned to the Buffalo area before relocating to Princeton, New Jersey, in 1968. Joan and Bill lived there for 45 years while he worked for Merrill Lynch and rose to the position of chairman and CEO.

Joan was credited with helping Bill make human connections that contributed to driving his professional success. In turn, the couple made it a priority to share that success through volunteer leadership and philanthropy. His alma mater, where he was named a Distinguished Alumnus in 1979 and served as Board of Trustees chair from 1993 to 1995, was a significant benefactor of those efforts, so much so that Penn State named Joan an honorary alumna in 1991.

“Joan Schreyer embraced Bill’s alma mater, and we are profoundly grateful that she continued to be a presence and an inspiration in our community after Bill’s death in 2011, attending Schreyer Honors College events and furthering their shared legacy,” said O. Richard Bundy III, vice president for Development and Alumni relations.

Before settling in State College to be near her family, Joan Schreyer was a celebrated hostess and volunteer leader in Princeton, New Jersey, known for the brandied cranberries she made for friends and family over the holidays and for her famous sour cream coffee cakes for the annual Princeton Hospital Auxiliary Christmas Bazaar. She chaired both the Car Raffle and the Dinner Dance for the annual Hospital Fete. She was an active member of the Junior League, was on the board at Nero Psychiatric Institute, was a patron at Morven, and was a longtime member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Princeton.