future For the
Spring/Summer 2013
Strength Support Scholarships
In This Issue: Alumni and friends help new generations of Penn Staters to succeed
A gift for Penn State’s future— and your own Life income gifts allow you to support the University and its students and meet your personal financial goals. Through charitable remainder trusts and charitable gift annuities, you can guarantee the strength of the programs you care about while establishing a stable source of income for yourself, your spouse, or loved one, and you may be able to secure important tax benefits as well. For many donors, life income gifts are the best way to create a Penn State legacy that will endure for generations.
To learn more about these opportunities, please contact Penn State’s Office of Gift Planning at 888-800-9170 (toll-free) or GiftPlanning@psu.edu, or visit giftplanning.psu.edu.
A Message from Peter Tombros When I graduated from Penn State in 1964, I became the first generation in my family to earn a college degree. I was fortunate: Through hard work and savings, my parents and I were able to cover the cost of tuition. Today, the nearly 30 percent of Penn State undergraduates who are the first generation in their own families to pursue higher education—as well as young people from low-income households, adults returning to school, and many others—face a much tougher challenge. Declining government support means that the burden of rising costs for everything from technology to facilities has been shifted to students. At a time when higher education has never mattered more to the earning power of individuals and to the role of our nation in the global economy, it’s harder and harder to afford. Philanthropy can make the difference. In this issue of For the Future, we focus on the campaign’s number one priority, ensuring opportunity through scholarships. The University’s top student aid administrator shares her perspective in an article on the facts and figures behind the need. Scholarships are more than a numbers game, though, and throughout the issue, you’ll find the stories of students, past and present, whose lives have been changed by private support. They include two young alumni who have taken advantage of the Trustee Matching Scholarship Program to create endowments for aspiring engineers who are following in their footsteps. The Trustee Matching Scholarship Program has raised a total of more than $100 million for students with the highest level of financial need since it was created in 2002, and to celebrate that milestone, the program is now doubling the match from University funds for endowments created before the end of the For the Future campaign in 2014. The details are in this issue. If you have ever considered establishing an endowed scholarship at Penn State, this may be the moment to give. Through your past gifts, you’ve made us a better and stronger institution, and through your support for scholarships, you can keep our opportunities within reach for future generations. Thank you. Sincerely, If you’d like to read other stories about Penn State
Cover photo: Matthew Bellingeri
philanthropy or learn more
Peter G. Tombros Chair, For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students
about how you can support the University, please visit giveto.psu.edu.
For the Future 3
To make up the difference, parents take out loans, invest in 529 prepaid tuition plans, and take on second jobs to complement their children’s loans and parttime employment. Yet many students are still faced with limited educational options or crippling postgraduation debt, which averaged more than $35,000 for Penn State seniors in 2011-2012. Scholarships are critical sources of aid because, unlike loans, they don’t need to be repaid.
Scholarships are a critical factor in the education equation Sierra Marshall desperately wanted to attend Penn State, but without any personal or family savings to put toward tuition, that dream seemed like a long shot. Until she received scholarship support. “Scholarships are the reason why I am at Penn State today,” says the sophomore Psychology major. “I have been given a chance to take advantage of one of the best opportunities I could ever have. Even though my finances are tight, the scholarships that I have been awarded are helping me make something of myself.” Stories like Sierra’s are the reason that scholarship support is the top priority of the University’s current fundraising effort, For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students. Every year, thousands of Penn State undergraduates and their families struggle to pay for higher education. For students who applied for aid in 2011-2012, the difference between the cost of attending the University and their families’ expected tuition contribution totaled more than $396.5 million. Because the value of federal student aid packages remains flat, the gap between the cost of higher education and student resources continues to widen. For the Future 4
Despite the financial burdens students face, they recognize the long-term benefits of earning a college degree. Statistics show that people with four-year degrees are much more likely to earn high incomes throughout their lives than those without. According to the Hamilton Project, a four-year degree provides more return on investment than the stock market, bonds, gold, treasury bills, or housing. But what makes Penn State unique is what this degree represents. “The value of a Penn State degree is very high, and employers vote with their feet,” says Dr. Jeff Garis, senior director of career services. “There’s no question Penn State is among the very top universities in the country in terms of recruitment activity. In addition to the breadth and quality of the University’s academic programs, employers recognize our graduates for being good, highly motivated employees.” Last year, Penn State campuses held a total of 76 career days, inviting 5,408 organizations to meet with 44,401 student attendees, while major corporations like Siemens, General Electric, and DuPont have made Penn State one of their top recruitment stops. “Families believe it’s worth the cost,” Griswold says. “They recognize quality in the classroom. So many students come to visit, and they fall in love with the University. Families are just hoping and praying the money
Andrew Dunheimer
Closing the Gap
“Scholarships are incredibly crucial in reducing loan debt and closing the gap between cost and what families can afford,” says Anna Griswold, assistant vice president for undergraduate education and executive director for student aid at Penn State. “Many of our students are strong academically and deserving of scholarship support. We want to help them all, but we still don’t have enough money to do that.”
comes together each semester when the bill comes.” While scholarships can help relieve the stress that accompanies the semester bill, these funds are also inspiring for the students who receive them. Students recognize the generosity of their donors and, as a result, may become donors themselves one day. “Recipients feel good to say, ‘I’ve got a scholarship, and I’m working hard to keep it,’” Griswold says. “They feel their institution sees them as worth investing in, so they are more inclined to give back when they can in the future. We need to fund many more students.” Sierra is already giving back through her involvement in the Penn State community. Although she must still work two jobs—one with the Penn State police, one at the Berkey Creamery—to stay in school, scholarships, including the Trustee Scholarship for Penn State University, the Bunton Waller Scholarship, and support from the College of the Liberal Arts, give her the financial freedom to participate in passions like the Penn State Ballet Club and Ambitions Dance Club. “Penn State is a great school,” she says. “Other students who want to be here should have the same opportunities I was given.”
Total Unmet Need for Penn State Students Per Academic Year $396.5 $373.6
$ in millions
$330.4 $271.1 $238.6
’07–’08 ’08–’09 ’09–’10 ’10–’11 ’11–’12
Unmet need is the difference between a student’s costs to attend Penn State and his/her family’s expected contribution toward those costs. This chart shows the total unmet need of all Penn State students applying for aid in a given academic year.
Appropriation vs. Tuition and Fees as a Percent of the General Funds Budget 90% Tuition & Fees
80%
79%
70%
Appropriation*
60%
62%
50% 40%
32%
30% 20% 10% 0%
14% 71 2–73 4–75 6–77 8–79 0–81 2–83 4–85 6–87 8–89 0–91 2–93 4–95 6–97 8–99 0–01 2–03 4–05 –07 8–09 –11 2–13 8 8 9 9 8 9 0 8 0 0 9 9 7 7 7 7 8 10 1 06 0
70–
*Includes Federal Stimulus Funds for 2009–10 and 2010–11.
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{ Now and Later } Young alumni create Trustee Scholarships for students today and tomorrow
“It’s a moment when many households are feeling financially strapped, but we have been so fortunate in our careers, thanks in part to our Penn State educations,” says Laura, a 1997 graduate who is now a resource and planning manager for upstream safety, security, health, and environment at ExxonMobil. “We always knew that we wanted to give back to the University, but the Trustee Matching Scholarship Program and matching funds from our employers helped us to do it sooner rather than later.” In 2006, the Houston couple established the Darin P. and Laura Taylor Johnson Trustee Scholarship, which targets students in Darin’s Penn State major, civil engineering. A year later, they created the Laura Taylor Johnson and Darin P. Johnson Trustee Scholarship for undergraduates in Laura’s field, chemical engineering. “Private support helped me through Penn State, and Laura received scholarships, too. We’ve always been grateful that we could earn our degrees without a lot of debt,” says Darin, who graduated in 1995 and now works as a staff civil engineer for Shell. “We were also inspired by our involvement with the Houston-area chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association and their support for local students. Creating a scholarship is something that we would have found a way to do no matter what, but leveraging funds from both ExxonFor the Future 6
Mobil and Shell, as well as the University, gave us real bang for our buck.” The payoff comes in other ways, too: Laura and Darin regularly receive thank-you notes from the recipients of their scholarships, including junior Civil Engineering major Ryan McDevitt. “Without scholarship support, my family and I would be constantly worrying about loans and debt,” says Ryan, who also receives the J. Doyle and Rebecca D. Corman Renaissance Scholarship. “Scholarships have set an example for giving back that I want to follow. Knowing how much support has meant to me, I will contribute in any way I can.” Last year, Laura learned firsthand about the impact of their giving from junior Aaron Fonseca, a recipient of the Darin P. and Laura Taylor Johnson Trustee Scholarship. “I return to campus every year to recruit for ExxonMobil, and I had the privilege of reviewing Aaron’s resume and hearing about how our support is helping him to become the first generation in his family to earn a college degree,” says Laura. “It’s really gratifying to think that we’re a part of that.” The interview was an important experience for Aaron, too. “It meant so much to personally thank the Johnsons and to learn a little more about what they do and why they decided to help students,” says the aspiring structural engineer. “Penn State has been a life-changing experience for me, and scholarships have freed my time so that I can pursue different educational opportunities instead of finding ways to pay for school.” Because of the Johnsons’ support and other scholarships, including a Bunton Waller award, Aaron has been able to serve as executive vice president of the
Matthew Bellingeri
For most parents, the arrival of their first child is the time when they start wondering—and worrying— about how to pay for college. When College of Engineering alumni Laura Taylor Johnson and Darin P. Johnson’s son Charles was born seven years ago, they were already thinking about how to help other families cover the cost of a degree.
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and as a tutor for the College Assistance Migrant Program. That’s the type of leadership experience that helped to shape Laura’s Penn State education, too.
Andrew Dunheimer
“I was drawn to the University because it had both a very strong engineering program and opportunities to pursue my other interests,” says Laura, who was an officer for the Society of Women Engineers and a columnist and photographer for the Daily Collegian, among other activities. “It’s great to think that our scholarships are making it possible for other students to have that kind of growth at Penn State.” Today, the Johnsons are still active in their community, volunteering through their church and supporting their employers’ United Way efforts and other service programs. They’re also raising a daughter, 4-yearold Christina, as well as Charles. “And we try to stay involved with Penn State and Penn State students,” says Darin. “Students are the heart and purpose of the University, and Penn State is an important part of who we are. Supporting scholarships is a way of acknowledging that. We began giving as soon as we could, and we’ll keep giving as long as we can.”
Clockwise from top: The Johnson family, Ryan McDevitt, Aaron Fonseca
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Partnering for the Future Trustee Matching Scholarship Program increases match through the end of the campaign When the Trustee Matching Scholarship Program was launched in 2002, its aim was to raise $100 million in need-based scholarships by offering alumni and friends a 5 percent annual match, in perpetuity, for their gifts. The match, roughly equivalent to an endowment’s yearly spendable income, doubled the impact of private support for Penn State students.
Ten years later, the program has passed its original goal and helped thousands of undergraduates and their families. Now both Trustee Scholarships and Penn State supporters can have an even greater impact. Starting March 1, the program began offering a 10 percent annual match for new endowed gifts. “The Trustee Matching Scholarship Program has been our most effective tool in engaging the University’s alumni and friends as partners in meeting the urgent need for scholarship support,” says President Rodney A. Erickson. “Now we’re aiming higher, for a total of $120 million, and we believe that the increased match will convey to our supporters just how much Penn State values their commitment to our students.” The increased match will be available through the end of For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students
Support Today, Success Tomorrow In Penn State’s earliest publications about the Trustee Matching Scholarship Program, some of the first recipients shared their gratitude and their stories. We asked a few to tell us how the support they received continues to have an impact in their personal and professional lives long after graduation.
{ MiCheLe PLUNkeT }
Michele graduated from Penn State Altoona in 2005 with a degree in kindergarten and elementary education. Michele has since earned a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Gannon University and is a kindergarten teacher at Irving Elementary in Altoona, Pennsylvania. What did scholarship support mean for you as someone who was raising a family while attending Penn State? My husband and I had a mortgage, car payment, and family to take care of with no guarantees that a job would be waiting for me after graduation. Going back to school was a leap of faith, and the Trustee Scholarship gave us confidence that we were making the right choices for our family. Earning my degree has provided us with stability and financial security that we wouldn’t have had otherwise. Becoming a teacher has been a dream come true!
For the Future 8
on June 30, 2014, or until the pool of matching support has been awarded. The higher match level will apply only to new endowments at the $50,000 level or higher. “Throughout the For the Future campaign, the Trustee Matching Scholarship Program has been our flagship opportunity for donors who want to keep a Penn State education affordable for current students and future generations,” says Rodney P. Kirsch, senior vice president for development and alumni relations. “By increasing the match we offer to donors, we intend to underscore the campaign’s focus on Penn State students.”
campus, or student population with which they feel the greatest affinity. Since the program was established in 2002, more than 800 Trustee Scholarship endowments have been created, and more than 4,000 Penn State students benefit each year.
All other aspects of the program will remain the same. The match continues in perpetuity, and it may be awarded as scholarships as early as the semester during which a donor’s pledge is signed. With some restrictions, donors can direct their support to the college,
“The Trustee Matching Scholarship Program broke new ground for Penn State philanthropy when it was launched, and its supporters should take pride in what the program has accomplished,” says Kirsch. “Thousands of students who might not otherwise be able to earn a Penn State degree are now on the road to success thanks to the generosity of Trustee Scholarship donors. I hope that even more alumni and friends will take advantage of the extraordinary opportunity offered by the Trustee Matching Scholarship Program to have the greatest possible impact on our students and our institution.”
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JoSePh hAiNLY } Joseph is a senior manager at the Philadelphia branch of accounting firm KPMG LLP. Joseph graduated from Penn State in 2006 with a degree in accounting from the Smeal College of Business. how has scholarship support made a difference in your career? The scholarship assistance I received at Penn State instilled a greater work ethic in me. The support helped to focus my efforts and turn my education into the career I have today. I didn’t realize it when I graduated, but further down the road I understood how prepared for my career I really was. My goal as a student was to make sure that the investment the University and my family made in me was worthwhile. Because of the support I received—financially and otherwise —I truly felt, and still feel, that I am part of a family at Penn State.
AMro FAdeL } Amro graduated from Penn State Berks with a business degree in 2009, and he currently works as an operations consultant at CNA Insurance in Reading, Pennsylvania, while earning an M.B.A. from Lehigh University. how did scholarships shape your Penn State experience? Receiving scholarships at Penn State affirmed for me that one’s peers, mentors, and community care for and believe in student success. Scholarships do much more than just alleviate financial costs and burdens; they boost morale and heighten confidence. I discovered my own potential because I felt someone had already seen it in me. My family immigrated to the U.S. in hopes of giving my brother and me a chance at a better education. My fondest memory at Penn State is walking across the stage at graduation and seeing the reason for my family’s sacrifice come true, and scholarships helped to make that possible. For the Future 9
A Spectrum of Support
}
For the Future 10
“Scholarship support has shaped my future greatly. I am the first member of my family to attend a four-year college, and scholarships have helped to make that happen. Experiencing educational philanthropy has ignited a passion within me to get involved and return the favor when I can.” Carissa Bowser is the recipient of the Office of University Development Trustee Scholarship for Student Philanthropy Leaders Contributed by the Hintz Family. This scholarship is designated for students with financial need who have an interest in philanthropy at Penn State. Carissa is a senior majoring in Advertising and Public Relations. She serves as a supervisor and recruiter for Penn State’s Lion Line and is the University and foundation relations captain for THON.
Matthew Bellingeri
“I’m one of six children from a single-parent home; scholarships lift a burden off my family and off me. I am able to be involved in academic and extracurricular activities because I don’t have to worry about financial support, but best of all, my scholarship has connected me with a network of people who support, challenge, and believe in my success.” Dayanna Reeves is a junior at Penn State, majoring in Human Development and Family Studies. Among her many leadership roles, Dayanna is a Penn State Blueprint mentor to first generation college freshman, vice president of her college’s undergraduate student organization, and a college peer facilitator for the Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development. She is the recipient of a Brook J. Lenfest Scholarship, a need-based award targeted to Philadelphia public high school graduates.
Andrew Dunheimer
“Receiving the DeFrees Family Foundation Endowment has meant that I have less debt to worry about after graduation and that my family is able to put more money towards the costs of everyday life. My parents and I are very hardworking people, and making the most of my opportunities at Penn State means everything. With what I’m learning, I hope to make a positive impact in my Pennsylvania hometown community.” Nick Decker is a Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management major at Penn State, University Park. Nick began his studies at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, where he was awarded the DeFrees Family Foundation Endowment for University Scholars and Honors Students. This merit-based scholarship is offered to students from northeastern Pennsylvania enrolled in the Behrend Honors College Program or Schreyer Honors College.
Matthew Bellingeri
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The Trustee Matching Scholarship Program is a unique and powerful way to support undergraduates at Penn State, but a wide variety of scholarships at the University is making an education possible for an equally wide variety of students. To learn more about how you can create a scholarship that expresses your vision for Penn State and Penn Staters, please visit giveto.psu.edu/scholarships.
Online and Onward! These stories each appeared as part of the Penn State Forever social media campaign. To read more about how philanthropy is making a daily difference for Penn State and our students, “Like” Penn State Forever on Facebook (www.Facebook. com/PennStForever), and “Follow” Penn State Forever on Twitter (www.Twitter.com/ PennStForever).
day of Philanthropy highlights impact of Giving On November 15, 2012, Penn State celebrated its second annual Day of Philanthropy. From information booths and classroom visits to games and giveaways, students in seven colleges and at five campuses embraced the opportunity to learn about the tradition of philanthropy at Penn State and the potential to make a difference through giving. With enthusiasm high, this year’s Day of Philanthropy made clear that supporting today’s students can also inspire the philanthropists of tomorrow.
Brandywine Graduate empowers Adult Learners through Scholarship Joan Impagliazzo enrolled as a Penn State Brandywine freshman the year she turned 50. In 1992, Impagliazzo—one in a threegeneration Penn State family—graduated with a bachelor’s degree, a renewed sense of confidence, and a passion for supporting adult learners. Proud of her accomplishment and moved by those who supported her own journey, Impagliazzo created the Joan Impagliazzo Adult Student Scholarship at Penn State Brandywine, proving that it is never too late to seize opportunity or create it.
Professor emeritus Gives $1 Million to Support Graduate Students With a $1 million estate gift to support graduate students in his field, Gerhard Friedrich Strasser, Penn State professor emeritus of German and comparative literature, created one of the largest endowments ever established by a faculty member in the College of the Liberal Arts. Over the course of the For the Future campaign, the University’s past and present employees have committed more than $54 million, passing the goal for faculty and staff support and demonstrating their belief in Penn State.
Mack Brady Memorial Soccer Scholarship Tops $116,000 On New Year’s Eve, news of the sudden death of John William McKenzie Brady, affectionately known as “Mack,” the 8-year-old son of Schreyer Honors College Dean Christian Brady and his wife, Elizabeth, a lecturer in the College of the Liberal Arts, shocked the Penn State community. Memorial contributions from Penn Staters and others quickly poured in to establish a men’s soccer scholarship in recognition of Mack’s passion for the sport. To date, more than $116,000 has been raised for the Mack Brady Memorial Men’s Soccer Endowment. Of the support displayed by the community, Dean Brady said, “What our family has experienced in the midst of such personal tragedy speaks to the Penn State community’s deep capacity to share love, hope, compassion, and strength.” Scholarship updates and information regarding upcoming events to benefit the memorial fund may be found at mackbrady.com.
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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
Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce. U. Ed DEV 13-07
T H E C A m PA I g n O B j E C T I v E S Goal: $2,000,000,000
Progress to date: $1,794,598,792 90%
Ensuring Student Opportunity
Students with the ability and ambition to attend the University will have this opportunity through scholarship support.
Time elapsed: 85%
Total to date
Goal
%
$393,237,843
$443,000,000
89%
$67,339,861
$100,000,000
67%
$111,458,077
$183,000,000
61%
$160,664,938
$266,000,000
60%
$298,108,048
$391,000,000
76%
$763,790,025
$617,000,000
124%
Enhancing Honors Education
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.
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.
as of April 30, 2013