The Penn State Alumni Association (PSAA) has announced a $20,000 matching commitment that will grow the scholarship endowment recently established in honor of 2024 Renaissance Fund honorees Roger Williams, retired PSAA executive director, and his wife, Karen Magnuson, retired assistant director of University marketing. In recognition of the Renaissance Fund’s 55th anniversary, the PSAA will match gifts of $550 or more to any named Renaissance Fund with an equal contribution to the Roger L. Williams and Karen L. Magnuson Renaissance Fund.
Citing a shared commitment to a sustainable future, Penn State and Shell USA Inc. have announced the launch of a collaboration that will support efforts across the University’s mission of research, education and community impact.
A $100,000 gift from Penn State Altoona alumnus Stephen Pace and his wife, Rita Pace, has endowed a new scholarship for students in the College of IST. The Pace Family Scholarship will support full-time IST undergraduate students who have demonstrated a financial need and are transitioning from a Penn State campus to University Park.
The Jamie Cordial Hall Foundation, of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, has committed $50,000 to create an endowed program for Penn State Altoona’s Health and Wellness Center. Dale and Michele Cordial created the foundation to honor their late daughter and former Penn State Altoona student, Jamie Cordial Hall.
A $50,000 gift from the late Judy Weber and her husband, Steve Weber, endowed a scholarship for students in Penn State Altoona’s Nursing program and in the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing at University Park. Judy Weber graduated in 1977 from the Nese College.
At an event held on Oct. 31, leaders from the Student Philanthropy Network announced that the class of 2024 has voted to create the University Park Undergraduate Association Basic Needs Endowment as their class gift. The fund will provide sustained support for students facing hardships in pursuit of their degree.
Libraries have always been important to Mary O’Neill Marsh, who grew up in State College as an avid reader. As a result, she has established Penn State University Libraries’ Mary O’Neill Marsh Tech Academy Endowment, which funds University Libraries initiatives and programs to develop students’ digital literacy skills.
Citing a passion to provide ongoing care for Penn State Altoona and its students, a gift of $25,000 has been made to the college’s Career Closet by Deedra "Dede" Kazmaier and named to honor the dedication to the college she and her late husband, John, shared.
"A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence" concluded on June 30, raising more than $2.2 billion for the three key imperatives of a modern land-grant institution: opening the doors of higher education to students from every background; creating transformative experiences for both students and citizens; and impacting the larger world through research, outreach and service. While the nearly $844.5 million raised for the last imperative advanced a wide range of priorities across the University, the campaign focused attention on three opportunities for impact: economic development, resource security, and human health.
Hundreds of students have benefited to date from scholarships created by alumni and friends during the University’s recently concluded campaign, “A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence.” Structured around the three key imperatives of a modern land-grant institution, the campaign’s top priority was opening the doors of higher education to students from every background, and Penn State donors rose to the challenge, creating a total of 2,045 new scholarship endowments — an increase of more than 35% over the course of the six-year effort.
