A Magazine of Penn State Philanthropy Fall 2022 NEW BEGINNINGS Students are back to school—and philanthropy is fueling what comes next for Penn State
Since Penn State’s earliest days, fall and football have gone together like blue and white. Below, one fan’s game-day passion lives on via a 1919 score card— part of a scrapbook curated by 1922 alumnus Clarence E. Woodward and donated to the University by his daughter, Elie Hunt. As today’s Nittany Lion fans await a new season of matchups and final scores, a long-lived tradition endures: it’s never out of fashion to root for Dear Old State.
PICTURE THIS Let’s Go State!
O. Richard Bundy III ’93, ’96g Vice President, Penn State Development and Alumni Relations Rich Bundy
In this issue of We Are, we honor the fall tradition of new beginnings and highlight the aspirations that your generosity is bringing to life. You’ll hear directly from President Neeli Bendapudi as she reflects on her first experiences with the University and her vision for its future. We’ll take a closer look at the $2.2 billion raised for A Greater Penn State, exploring the community and range of impact behind that singular number. And you’ll hear from our students—what their fall traditions look like, what being a Penn Stater means to them, and what they are accomplishing because of your Whensupport.welaunched
Earlier this summer, we celebrated the record-breaking culmination of A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence. This six-year campaign saw you—our alumni, friends, and fans—join to commit more than $2.2 billion toward the vision of a more accessible, more innovative, and more vibrant institution. It is a tremendous accomplishment that has empowered our students and our University to set our sights higher than ever before.
A Greater Penn State in 2016, it was ambitious to ask a community already so committed to this school and its students to do more. Six years later, I’m humbled—but not surprised in the least—that you showed up in ways even greater than we envisioned. Thank you for continuing to demonstrate how uniquely powerful and limitless our community’s heart can be. I can’t wait to see where we go together next!
A Message from
On the cover: Crowded campus bookstores—and new Penn State gear—are two sure signs of a new school year. On page 8, read about how today’s students are greeting the fall semester.
Fall 2022 — we are 1
Growing up in a Penn State family, I knew fall had arrived by the changing leaves, my father’s hectic Blue Band schedule, the cooler weather, and the sounds of game day. The September rush of returning students felt familiar, full of youthful energy and possibility. And right now, as a new generation of Penn Staters crack open notebooks across the Commonwealth and beyond, we are kicking off one of our most exciting “back to school” seasons yet.
On May 9, 2022, Dr. Neeli Bendapudi became the 19th president of the University. And to hit the ground running, she started connecting with Penn State and Penn Staters even before her first day in office by touring Penn State’s campuses across the Commonwealth this past spring. She met with chancellors, hosted open forums with faculty and staff, attended studentled tours and meet-and-greets with students, and joined informal meetings with community members and friends of the University. Informed by those visits and her first four months in office, President Bendapudi shares her perspective on Penn State and our tradition of philanthropy:
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total of A Greater Penn State is also a mandate to me and all University leaders to prioritize access to education for learners from every background, create transformative experiences for students and faculty, and impact the world through research and outreach to communities around the globe. I never lose sight of the mission of this institution and what we are here to do, and I am deeply grateful to every graduate and friend of Penn State who made a gift in support of the campaign’s vision and values. From your perspective, how do we continue the work to become a Greater Penn State?
There is no denying that Penn State is a great university. But we cannot get complacent, and we must ensure that the opportunity for education remains accessible to students from all backgrounds, abilities, perspectives, and experienc es. And it’s more than just bringing people here—we also need to make the most of the brief time we have with our Whatstudents.opportunities can we provide that set them up for success throughout their lives? Philanthropy will remain central to that effort. When you invest in students, you also invest in families and communities. This is the mandate and the privilege of a land-grant institution.
Family is everything to me. When I accepted this tremen dous opportunity, I did so in consultation with my fami ly—and I’m so grateful that four generations moved to State College with me. But when I say this was a decision made with family in mind, I’m also thinking about the family I found here. I am inspired by the We Are cheer that unites this community. It’s about family; it’s We Are, not I Am. I was also inspired by Penn State’s campus structure. There’s no institution in the country like this—96 percent of citizens in the Commonwealth (the fifth highest population state in the US) live within thirty miles of a Penn State campus. Penn State campuses are intertwined with local communities and play such an important role in keeping college affordable, creating opportunities for students to conserve resources and not give up on a world-class degree. And my gosh, do we have beautiful campuses!
Do you have a favorite Creamery flavor yet?
Finally, there is so much value in the Penn State Health system and the College of Medicine. With premier medical education and service, we are fundamentally improving the health of people in Pennsylvania, the country, and the world. Truly, in every corner of this institution, we are changing lives and futures.
The strength and spirit of the Penn State community are breathtaking, and the success of the campaign reflects our shared belief in the limitless potential of the University and our students. The goal-shattering and now record-breaking
My goal was to taste every flavor by the end of the summer, and I got pretty close! For me, the top choice is Peachy Paterno.
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You attended the campaign celebration on April 22, where it was announced that Penn State had achieved the goal of the Greater Penn State campaign. What was it like to be a part of that moment? That was a remarkable evening to celebrate a remarkable Higherachievement.education opened doors for me personally, and it’s an honor to show up for work every day and keep those doors open to all aspiring students. But it’s not work I can do alone—I need our dedicated faculty and staff, and I also need this community of Penn State alumni, donors, and friends.
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Why did you want to join—and lead—the Penn State community?
” Higher education opened doors for me personally, and it’s an honor to show up for work every day and keep those doors open to all aspiring students. But it’s not work I can do alone...
In 2016, A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence began with an ambitious vision for the future and a declaration of tremendous faith in the Penn State community. Six years and $2.2 billion later, the campaign has achieved unparalleled success, eclipsing University fundraising records in four of six years and placing Penn State in an elite group of fifteen universities nationwide that have raised more than $1 billion in three or more campaigns. Numbers alone cannot express the full depth and breadth of the campaign’s impact on students, faculty, and communities across the Commonwealth, but they do paint a compelling picture of what’s newly possible—and of the collective generosity and power of Penn State donors.
And 2.205 billion reasons to be Penn State proud 4 we are — A Magazine of Penn State Philanthropy
$2.205BILLIONFORAGREATERPENNSTATE
First-generation college students who benefitted from scholarship support during the campaign Total donors to A Greater Penn State, a University fundraising record From supporters around the world who stepped up on University-wide giving days like GivingTuesday, the Tackle Hunger Giving Challenge, and One Big Week From donors who gave gifts of $50 or less, proving that the “We Are” spirit is about strength in numbers Total dollars raised, including gifts and the University match, to establish new endowments through the Educational Equity Matching Program to support students who contribute to the diversity of the Penn State community Entrepreneurs assisted through the Commonwealth-wide LaunchBox and Innovation Network—and still counting Total scholarships created through the Open Doors Scholarship Program to meet the needs of students who face financial, academic, and personal challenges on their path to a degree
Drilling for solutionsgeologic
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Corey Hoydic is into making music, geologic libraries, and—with philanthropic support—a better world
Those were halcyon days of block parties, pickup basketball, and barbecue grilling, all punctuated by the sounds of Lynyrd Skynyrd drifting from the garage. By the end of high school, Corey’s love of music had evolved from casual interest to obsessive preoccupation. He immersed himself in the world of music, eventually starting a vinyl collection, forming a garage band, hosting underground rock shows, DJing, and dabbling in guitar, bass, and drums. It was this unusual latitude for open-ended discovery, according to Corey, that shaped his academic disposition. It’s no small ambition to compile a vast geologic library that could one day drive forward solutions on everything from energy consumption to environmental degradation. But Corey Hoydic, now a doctoral student in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences studying energy systems engineering, says the seeds of his project were planted during his free-wheeling childhood in the postindustrial city of Erie, Pennsylvania.
Srinivasan is a professor of petroleum and natural gas engineering who holds the John and Willie Leone Family chair in Energy and Mineral Engineering. He validated Corey’s passion for conceptualizing abstract and even philosophical questions and convinced him that studying energy systems engineering at Penn State was the right pathway for his graduate studies.
Corey’s parents each stepped away from high-earning careers when he was born. His father cut short a career in insurance, and his mother transitioned to a lower-paying sales job so that she could spend more time with her family. As he grew older, Corey often wondered how he could repay those sacrifices. He also fretted silently about how he’d come up with the money to attend college—and if it would mean miring his parents in debt and forestalling theirFinancialretirement.pressure notwithstanding, Corey started at University Park in 2014 in the Schreyer Honors College, still looking for the right niche. He found his first spark in a lecture by Richard Alley, Evan Pugh University Professor of Geosciences at Penn State, whose charismatic fascination with the natural world drew him like a magnet to major in petroleum engineering. “He made me realize that the earth is the final frontier of nature, right under us and yet we know so little about it. I was sold.”
“She’d made so many sacrifices, worked herself to exhaustion, and I was going to do everything in my power to lift that burden from her shoulders. Funding from Penn State alumni and friends made my goal a reality, and she was able to retire in July of last year.”
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“He triggered something inside me that has fed my hunger to push the boundaries of unknowability,” said Corey. That meant combining geology, spatial statistics, and signal processing to create a geologic library that could one day be leveraged to tackle problems such as carbon sequestration, groundwater depletion, or hydrocarbon production. By going to the crux of geologic mysteries, Corey saw how he could go beyond merely tinkering with neatly defined challenges to propel innovation on a larger scale. But Srinivasan also helped in another far-reaching way that dramatically changed Corey’s life: connecting him with scholarships and research funding. In his senior year alone, three separate endowments—the Marie Radomsky and Vernon W. Ellzey Honors Scholarship in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, the Victor and Anna Mae Beghini Scholarship for Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineers, and the Raja V. and Geetha V. Ramani Honor Scholarships Fund in Mineral Engineering—combined with research assistance from Srinivasan’s own research lab would eventually mean that Corey could pay off his undergraduate loans by the time he graduated with his bachelor’s degree. Corey’s funding from philanthropic endowments gave him the freedom to pursue his projects with laser focus, but even more importantly to Corey, it gave his family’s breadwinner— his mom—the financial security to finally retire.
Then, two years later and on the fence about attending graduate school, Corey made a new acquaintance as he circulated among the faculty in his department. “I met with maybe ten professors, and the last was Sanjay Srinivasan. He changed my life.”
“My dad always says to me, ‘Don’t do anything you don’t like for too long.’ I know that a life just pursuing wealth is not going to make me happy. I’d like to leave my fingerprints on something meaningful that makes people healthier, happier contributors to a better world. And if I’m lucky enough to be financially successful, I’d love to pay it forward someday, and to lift up the next kid who just needs the resources to get his dreams off the ground.”
“My parents never set a bedtime or imposed rules,” Corey said. “I mean, my dad hoped I’d become an NFL kicker, but they gave me the total freedom to set my own course. So I guess it’s partly their fault that I’m not content to answer other people’s questions—I’ve just got too many of my He’sown.”quick to add, however, that along the course of his educational journey, he learned a vital lesson that cut in the opposite direction: to pursue his interests, he’d need to rely on others for inspiration, mentorship, and financial support.
I’m not content to answer other people’s questions—I’ve just got too many of my own.”
With an anticipated graduation in 2024, Corey is candid about the fact that his success in higher education has been predicated on the generosity of Penn State alumni and friends, and that whatever accomplishments he tallies are ultimately in service of helping others to thrive.
A new fall semester is underway—and a hundred thousand Penn State students have returned to school and the traditions that define this classic collegiate moment. For some, this looks like the traditional image of college life: moving into dorms and navigating a sprawling campus. For others, it’s a quieter experience at one of Penn State’s smaller campuses or attending class in the evening after a hard day of work. For some, going to class means logging on to a web-based portal from their kitchen table halfway around the world. For each of these students, this is their Penn State. And for many, it’s an experience that represents a pathway to opportunity and a chance to realize their dreams that wouldn’t be possible without scholarship support. Here are the voices of three returning students and scholarship beneficiaries, each looking forward to continuing their Penn State stories.
Molaea-Rene Goodman ’23 Penn State Abington, B.S. in psychological & social sciences | Recipient of the Robert and Caroline Schwartz and Promise Scholarships What’s your favorite back-toschool tradition?
When I think of my favorite memories at Penn State Abing ton, a lot of them are in the Lar es Building where students go to study and hang out. This is also where the student support program offices are located, including the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI). I’m really thankful to have a resource like ODEI where stu dents of color and from other underrepresented communities have a place where they feel welcomed and supported. What makes you proud to be a Penn Stater?
I grew up in Philadelphia and went to a predominantly white school in Montgomery County, so attending a university that offered and supported diversity was important to me when making my decision about where to go to college. I went on a trip to Washington, D.C. with the Black Student Union, and multiple people saw our T-shirts and yelled, “We are!” Moments like that make it an honor to graduate with a Penn State degree.
I’ve met a lot of Abington students and friends at the Involvement Fair that happens each fall. Another personal tradition of mine is dressing up for the first day of classes—I feel more confident and like I can make the best possible first impression. Where is Penn State for you?
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COMING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD
Do you have any back-toschool traditions? I’m part of the Penn State Hawaii alumni group, so when I’m getting ready to start a new semester, I always like to check in and see what’s going on with that community. Every semes ter I also go out and buy one new notebook and a few new pens. I love picking out crisp new supplies for a fresh start. What are your long-term goals after graduation? My main goal is to apply for a program that allows active ser vicemembers to apply for law school and then become judge advocate generals. Applicants need to have less than eight years of service, and I’m quickly approaching that, so I need to get my bachelor’s degree in the shortest time possible. Thanks to the scholarships and financial aid I’ve received, I’m on track—and really grateful for that support. because I just think it’s going to be a really cool show! How do you feel about your time at Penn State so far? It’s been a little chaotic, mostly because of COVID, but I’ve learned an incredible amount about theatre and life. I’ve learned a lot about resilience, and I feel like I have become a much more open-minded and positive person. How is philanthropy shaping your Penn State experience? I simply couldn’t do this without scholarship support. In the School of Theatre, you have classes during the day and rehearsals every night for what ever show you’re involved in. As a stage manager, I’m the person who gets there early to set up and stays late after rehearsal is done, and that doesn’t leave any time for side jobs. This is my passion; this is what I want to do. And because I will not be drowning in debt after I gradu ate, I can actually do it.
Anthony Cross ’25 World Campus, B.A. in eco nomics | Active-duty military, Wahiawa, Hawaii | Recipient of the Friends of the Military Trustee Scholarship for the World Campus
I just get excited about learning, about taking knowledge and experiences from instructors and translating them into my own life. I used to not like school or studying very much. But since joining World Cam pus, I found a heavy spark for education, and I’ve been loving it ever since.
What are you looking forward to as you start the semester?
Claire Phillips ’23 College of Arts & Architecture, B.F.A. in theatre design and technology | Recipient of the Charles J. Rowland Renais sance, Mabel Reed Knight, and Irene Richards Memorial Scholarships
What are you looking forward to as you start this semester?
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I’m really looking forward to it, both for learning purposes and
I am working as head stage manager on our first show of the season, Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman. The show involves characters moving in and out of water, so there’s go ing to be a pool on stage, which we have never done before.
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Why I Give WE ARE PENN STATE
Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce. Ed DEV 23-02 PA
Ava Starks ’24 found her passion at Penn State within Sovereign Magazine—the first University Park campus magazine created by and for students of color. With the publication’s editorial team, Ava helped to launch the magazine to new levels of popularity. And when the organization required additional support to keep growing, she spearheaded their participation in GivingTuesday. Each year, GivingTuesday at Penn State inspires gifts from thousands of alumni and friends to projects at campuses across the Commonwealth. The generosity expressed for Sovereign Magazine not only helped Ava and her team to secure new resources, but also inspired Ava to deepen her commitment to the organization.
“As a Black and Filipino woman at a predominately white institution, I find it meaningful that Sovereign Magazine is a community for other students of color to share their lives and work,” she said. “Having the trust of our supporters, too, shows me that all of our voices have a place here and that what we share with the Penn State community is important.”
Having the support of this University community affirms that our work matters—and it encourages me to help Sovereign Magazine grow. “ ”
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