For the Future—winter 2014

Winter 2014

For thefuture

The campaign The campaign counts down… but there’s counts down… but there’s

still time to partner with still time to partner with Penn State in supporting Penn State in supporting

students and facultystudents and faculty

30

FTF Newsletter_Winter 14.crw1.indd 1 1/14/14 10:31 AM

“My initial decision to become a “My initial decision to become a physician was fueled by my desire physician was fueled by my desire to work in primary care for underto work in primary care for under--served patients. I have not wavered served patients. I have not wavered from this goal. However, as my from this goal. However, as my student loans grow larger, I have student loans grow larger, I have become more mindful that my become more mindful that my chosen specialty will pay less than chosen specialty will pay less than many other options. Scholarships many other options. Scholarships have made it possible for me to have made it possible for me to follow the course that I am most follow the course that I am most passionate about.”passionate about.”

A first-generation college student, Winona A first-generation college student, Winona

Houser is pursuing a medical career that Houser is pursuing a medical career that

reflects her commitment to service. That reflects her commitment to service. That

commitment is even stronger because of commitment is even stronger because of

three Alumni Society Endowed Scholarthree Alumni Society Endowed Scholar--

ships from Penn State College of Medicine, ships from Penn State College of Medicine,

created by the class of 1973, the class of created by the class of 1973, the class of

1975, and the class of 1981. Winona is 1975, and the class of 1981. Winona is

grateful to the Penn State alumni and grateful to the Penn State alumni and

friends who have helped transform her friends who have helped transform her

ambitions into reality. ambitions into reality. For the Future: The For the Future: The

Campaign for Penn State Hershey Medical Campaign for Penn State Hershey Medical

Center Center aims to raise $5 million in scholaraims to raise $5 million in scholar--

ship support for Penn State College of ship support for Penn State College of

Medicine. Make a gift, and help students Medicine. Make a gift, and help students

like Winona to make a difference.like Winona to make a difference.

giveto.psu.edu.giveto.psu.edu.

Scholarships help medical student Winona Houser to choose a path that matters

FTF Newsletter_Winter 14.crw3.indd 2 1/16/14 5:22 PM

A Message from Peter Tombros

Seven and a half years. Six objectives. Five hundred thousand donors. And, as I write

this message, we are rapidly closing in on our goal to raise $2 billion so that Penn State

and its students can fulfill their potential as leaders. As we approach the conclusion

of For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students on June 30, 2014, we can begin

to reflect on these numbers and all that we have accomplished together. But there are

other figures that are just as important, and those are the ones measuring how far we

have to go: Almost $400 million a year in unmet undergraduate need. The smallest

percentage of graduate students with fellowships in the Big Ten. Endowed positions

for less than 10 percent of our faculty.

In this issue of For the Future, we’re focusing on the math that can help you to make a difference between now

and the campaign’s end. Through three University-wide opportunities—the Trustee Matching Scholarship

Program, the Distinguished Graduate Fellowship Program, and the Faculty Endowment Challenge—you can

leverage matching funds and create endowments that will help the people of Penn State to succeed. Bob and

Patty Tunno, whose Trustee Scholarship for World Campus nursing students is featured in this issue, appreci-

ate the chance to multiply the impact of their support for undergraduates in need. Matching funds are available,

too, if you choose to support extraordinary graduate students like Emma Gaalaas Mullaney or emerging faculty

stars like Jens Grossklags, who also appear in the pages that follow.

Nicholas P. Jones knows better than anyone how endowments can help an academic community to thrive. He

joined the University as our new executive vice president and provost on July 1, and he offers his thoughts on

the importance of philanthropy in higher education—and in his own life—on page 8. As Dr. Jones suggests, the

end of the campaign will also be a beginning of a new era for Penn State. So as we count down over these final

months, we can also start looking ahead to the bright future that lies beyond For the Future.

Sincerely,

Peter G. Tombros

Chair, For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students

P.S. We want to know what kind of publications and information you’d like to

receive from us. You may be receiving a survey via email in the near future, and

we will be grateful if you could take a few moments to share your responses.

For the Future1

If you’d like to read other

stories about Penn State

philanthropy or learn more

about how you can support

the University, please visit

giveto.psu.edu.


When Michael Bach was growing up in Tunkhan-nock, Pennsylvania, he thought that he knew what his future would hold. He earned an associate degree in business administration at Penn State Wilkes-Barre in 1992, joined his family’s automotive parts business, and settled down to raise a family with his wife, Jolie. Almost a decade later, with the automotive industry changing and an uncertain future, Michael began to consider other options.

“I was volunteering as an EMT with the local ambu-lance company, and I realized that I was drawn to health care and to helping my neighbors,” Michael recalls. “I wondered if health care could be a career for me.” He enrolled in a nursing program at a local community college, but it was too hard to juggle full-time studies with a full-time job. Another six years passed, but his dream of becoming a nurse didn’t. Michael decided to try again. He went back to his alma mater, completed an associate’s in nursing from Penn State Worthington Scranton in 2010, and then enrolled in Penn State’s World Campus for his bachelor’s degree.

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“World Campus was the only way that I could continue my education and work at the same time,” says Michael, who took six to nine credits a semester as he juggled a job as an ICU nurse in Scranton and his commitments at home. The online degree program’s flexibility made all the difference when Michael had to have emergency surgery. He completed his assignments while recuper-ating at home. Throughout it all, the support of his family kept him going—and so did support from a fam-ily he didn’t even know.

“The Tunno Family Trustee Scholarship provided more than financial help—it provided a boost in my confidence,” says Michael, who received the scholar-ship, targeted to adult learners pursuing nursing de-grees through the World Campus, during his last two years at Penn State. “Adults returning to school often have responsibilities that most undergraduates don’t, like children and mortgages. The Tunnos’ scholar-ship made me feel that they and Penn State believe in students like me.”

Changing Course Scholarship support helps an adult Scholarship support helps an adult learner to choose a career in caringlearner to choose a career in caring

Scholarships are the campaign’s top priority, and sup-porters have created more than 1,000 1,000 during For the Future, including more than 500 Trustee Scholarships.

As we count to the end ofAs we count to the end of For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Studentsfor Penn State Students on on 6.30.14, let's look at let's look at some of the numbers driving our success:some of the numbers driving our success:


Robert and Patricia Tunno know from experience how tough it can be for adult learners and their families. A 1968 graduate of the Smeal College of Business, Bob earned his M.B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh through evening and weekend studies while he built a career as a manufacturing executive. Patty went back to school when their children were 4 and 7 years old and completed a degree in nursing. “I look back now and think, ‘How did I do it?’” says Patty, who worked as an R.N. and continues to volunteer for a hospice near their home in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. “Being an adult learner involves so many sacrifices and chal-lenges. Creating this endowment was a way to make it a little easier for students who really want to change their lives.”

It was the second Trustee Scholarship created by the couple, who also established an endowment for Smeal College of Business students through the program. “Uni-versity matching funds can help you to have the biggest impact with limited funds,” says Bob. “Maybe we can’t do-nate a building, maybe we can’t help everyone. If you help one person, though, and it’s someone like Michael who goes on to help others, you can make the world better in ways that you might not be able to imagine.”

The Tunnos say that they feel “like proud parents” when they meet the students who receive their support at events like the annual Outreach scholarship din-ner, and they’re especially proud of Michael Bach, who is now pursuing his Ph.D. in nursing at Binghamton University-SUNY with support from the institution’s Clifford D. Clark Graduate Fellowship Program for Diversity. He’s discovering a passion for teaching and for changing the field of nursing by making it more receptive to men and other groups not traditionally considered as caregivers. “The more I learn, the more I see how we can make this profession better by creating acceptance and opportunities,” says Michael. “Scholar-ships like the ones that I have received can really open the door.”

The Trustee Matching Scholarship Program maxi-mizes the impact of private giving while directing funds to students as quickly as possible, meeting the urgent need for scholarship support. For Trustee Scholarships created through the end of For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students on June 30, 2014, Penn State will provide an annual 10 percent match of the total pledge or gift. This level is an increase from the program’s original match of 5 percent, and it is available only for new endowments of $50,000 or more. The University match, which is ap-proximately double the endowment’s annual spend-able income, continues in perpetuity, multiplying the support available for students with financial need.

The Bach family (opposite), Bob and Patty Tunno (above)

During the course of the campaign, the number of Penn State students receiving privately funded scholarships through the University each year has increased by almost 1/3.1/3.

More than 500,000 500,000 alumni and friends have made gifts to the campaign so far.

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While Emma Gaalaas Mullaney never met the late Will and Ruby Miller, the Ph.D. student and aspiring geog-rapher is continuing—and benefiting from—the legacy that the Millers left behind through their life’s work and philanthropy. “I can see the impact of their generos-ity in my own academic career and in our department,” says Emma, a recipient of the E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Distinguished Graduate Fellowship. “Their gifts make a huge difference to geography and geographers at Penn State.”

Ruby and Will Miller built Penn State’s Department of Geography from the ground up after they joined the University in 1945. Will founded the depart-ment’s master’s and Ph.D. programs, significantly enhancing the program’s caliber of research and national reputation. Ruby established the University Libraries’ maps collection and taught courses on the use of maps. The department now ranks among the top in the nation, and the Millers continue to shape its future through an estate gift that created the fellowship Emma received, along with an array of

A Map for Successprofessorships, scholar-ships, and awards.

“We owe an enormous debt to Will and Ruby Miller for their lifelong commitment to our department and our students,” says Dr. Karl Zimmerer, head of the department. “We simply wouldn’t be where we are without their generosity.”

The Millers’ support has had an especially impor-tant impact on the gradu-ate program and the students who receive the

E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Distinguished Graduate Fellowship, which supports outstanding Ph.D. candi-dates during their first year of study. Since the award was created in 2006, eight students including Emma have benefited from its support. The fellowship gives the department an edge in a very competitive recruit-ment landscape. “Top graduate students are essential to having a top program,” says Dr. Zimmerer. “These fellowships give the department a wonderful boost in what we’re able to offer students.”

While many first-year graduate students rely on re-search or teaching assistantships to fund their educa-tion, the fellowship frees recipients to pursue advanced coursework and research from the very beginning of graduate school, allowing them to accelerate the research accomplishments that will later define their scholarly careers.

“I was truly honored to receive the E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Distinguished Graduate Fellowship,” says Emma. “The award welcomed me into an inspir-

With help from two pioneers in With help from two pioneers in their field, geography students their field, geography students find their own way forwardfind their own way forward

Penn State donors have established more than 7070graduate fellowships and scholarships during For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students.

Thanks in part to private support, the University is now home to more than 2020 doctoral programs ranked among the top 10 percent of their kind.


ing community of geographers as I was beginning my doctoral studies and instilled in me a deep sense of responsibility—to carry on the legacy the Millers left in our department and in the discipline more broadly.”

Since receiving the Millers’ fellowship, Emma has earned awards and grants from the National Science Foundation, the United Nations Citizen Science Paper Competition, and the Society of Women Geographers, among many others. For her dissertation, she is study-ing the everyday lives and labor practices of maize farmers in the Central Highlands region of Mexico, in an effort to understand how modernization, environ-mental change, and biodiversity are affecting agricul-tural communities.

Emma is poised to complete her Ph.D. in the spring, and she hopes to land a tenure-track appointment as a professor. “Teaching provides a wonderful opportunity to open students’ minds to new ideas—as well as expand my own world,” she says. “I’m absolutely in love with ecology and education, and to be in service to these things that I care about is a wonderful job.”

The Distinguished Graduate Fellowship Program is a University-wide initiative to attract the nation’s most promising graduate students to Penn State by increasing the number of available fellowships through philanthropic support. When a fellowship is fully funded at its $250,000 minimum, the University, through the Graduate School and the fellowship’s affiliate college, will match the endowment’s annual spendable income in perpetuity, thus increasing the amount available to the recipient in the form of tuition aid, a stipend, and health insurance. This support can be invaluable in recruiting top applicants and acceler-ating their achievements.

That’s the kind of dedication that Will and Ruby Miller would respect and recognize, according to Dr. Zimmer-er. “Will and Ruby Miller firmly believed in the promise of Penn State and Penn State students,” he says. “They lived their lives and envisioned their legacy in accor-dance with those beliefs, and their gifts are a reflection of those beliefs. The Millers continue to be very active in our minds and memories.”

Together, more than 12,500 12,500 Penn State faculty and staff members have contributed over $56 million to the campaign, topping their original goal of $43 million.

For the Future5

Ruby and Willard Miller (opposite, seated), Emma Gaalaas Mullaney (above)

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The College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) has come a long way in a short time. Established as a school in 1999 and elevated to a college only in 2006, IST has achieved remarkable success, gaining national prominence for its innovative and interdisciplinary ap-proach. Even with top rankings for its degree programs and research, though, IST faces significant hurdles common to any young college, including the need to build a strong faculty and the challenge of raising the financial support to do so.

An Early Career Professorship helps a young college and young faculty to be leaders

Securing the Future

It was this need that inspired Donald A. Haile to create the Haile Family Early Career Professorship in IST last year. “I knew that faculty is very, very critical, especially in a new college like IST that needs academic leaders with ambition and vision,” says Don, who currently serves as the college’s For the Future campaign chair. “Then I learned about how Early Career Professor-ships help in the recruitment and development of great young researchers and teachers, and it really fit.”

It also fit because, like the other gifts that he and his wife, Mary, have made to Penn State—which include the Haile Family Trustee Scholarship in IST—the Haile Family Early Career Professorship would fulfill what Don sees as a personal obligation. “I feel a great sense of loyalty and desire to repay because Penn State was extremely helpful in my career,” he says.

Though Don graduated from Penn State with a degree in electrical engineering in 1964, more than thirty years before IST was conceived, his career in telecommunications and information technology has largely revolved around the issues that IST now explores. He has held high-level posts at IBM and Fidelity Investments, with a focus on security and risk analysis, and he has brought that industry perspective to his many years of service to the college. In addition to chairing the campaign committee, he serves on the IST Advisory Board, and he has received Penn State’s prestigious Alumni Fellow Award.

Beyond his gratitude to the University and his belief in IST’s potential, another factor weighed in Don’s

The Faculty Endowment Challenge offers donors an opportunity to leverage a 1:2 match from the Univer-sity for gifts creating new Early Career Professorships in any of Penn State’s academic units. These awards rotate every three years to a new recipient in the first ten years of his or her academic career, providing seed money for innovative research projects and flexible funding for new approaches to teaching. The endow-ments typically require a minimum commitment of $500,000, but through the Faculty Endowment Chal-lenge, donors may establish new Early Career Profes-sorships for any of the University’s colleges or cam-puses with a commitment of $334,000. The University will commit the remaining 1/3 of the necessary funds, approximately $166,000, from unrestricted endow-ment resources, ensuring support for the newest faculty leaders.

1:2

Through the campaign, Penn State donors have created more than 50 50 endowments for faculty at every stage of their careers.

The University ranks among the top 10 10 institutions in the nation for industry-sponsored research, a critical measure of corporate support.

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decision: the Faculty Endowment Challenge. “It was definitely appealing because of the match,” Haile says. “The gift fit my feeling of what I could afford at that point, but with the match, it also turned out to be a re-ally good deal.”

An Early Career Professorship is a good deal for every-one involved—the donor who creates it, the academic unit that hosts it, and, not least, the faculty member who receives it. “These funds provide support when it is most needed,” says Jens Grossklags, the first holder of the Haile Family Early Career Professorship. “As young professors, you have to jumpstart your research to be able to compete for larger, outside grants. The Haile Professorship funds are extremely flexible, allowing me to hire a graduate student assistant, travel to an aca-

demic conference, pay for experiments—all things that accelerate progress.”

Dr. Grossklags, who came to Penn State fresh from postdoctoral work at Princeton Univer-sity, says that flexible funding is particularly valuable in his field of security and risk analysis. He studies information privacy, security, technol-ogy policy, and networked interactions, all with a strong interdisciplinary focus. “The issues we have to grapple with are shifting very quickly,” he says. “There are moving targets, moving attack-ers—and a professorship’s funding allows us to react more dynamically.” In this

first year, he says, he has used the professorship to fund three visiting researchers—two from Europe—for a col-laboration that has yielded results on combating insider threats and cyber-espionage. To learn more about Dr. Grossklags’ research, visit ist.psu.edu/directory/jen.

Don says he is delighted with the choice of the profes-sorship’s first recipient and has enjoyed learning about Dr. Grossklags’ innovative work. “I’ve gotten to interact with someone who’s obviously a very good teacher, and who really knows what he’s talking about,” he says. “So I feel good about having sponsored this, but I’m also get-ting something back.”

Gifts to For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Stu-dents have been received from donors in all 50 50 states and more than 9090 countries.

For the Future7

Don Haile, Jens Grossklags (above)


For the Future8

A Message from Nicholas P. JonesPenn State’s new executive vice president and provost, who joined the University on July 1, 2013, reflects on the role of private support in higher education.

I wouldn’t be writing this message to you today without philanthropy. I can still remember the letter that I received from the California Insti-tute of Technology more than thirty years ago, as I was finishing my undergraduate engineering degree in New Zealand. The letter offered me a spot in the Caltech graduate program—and the Smith and Louise Lee Memorial Fellowship that made it possible for me to accept. I didn’t know it at the time, but my journey to Penn State began when I opened that envelope.

You may have heard the phrase “the transformative power of philan-thropy,” but it’s not just words—it’s real. I’ve lived it, and so have students and faculty at Johns Hopkins University, where I spent twenty-five years of my career. Even in the short time that I’ve been a part of the

Penn State community, I have heard the impact of your support in the voices of young men and women who would not otherwise have had access to higher education. With traditional funding sources such as state appro-priations, federal grants, and tuition under greater and greater strain, your gifts will help Penn State to remain an environment for learning and discovery that is open to all.

But the opportunity for impact is even greater. As For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students comes to an end, the University and our supporters have an opportunity to make our partnership even more meaningful. Penn State will soon begin work on a new strategic plan, an audacious and ambitious vision for how our institution can be a leader in the larger world. Philanthropy will be an integral part of that plan, and we will be inviting alumni and friends of the University to join us in tackling big and bold ideas, ones that will require real and visionary investment to get off the ground. And we will make a difference that only Penn State can make.

I didn’t know, thirty years ago, what a difference philanthropy would make in my life. Who can say what a differ-ence your gifts will make in the lives of Penn State students? Thank you for being a part of this campaign, and I look forward to continuing our journey together in the years ahead.

Sincerely,

Nicholas P. JonesTo learn more about Dr. Jones, please visit www.psu.edu/provost/provost.htm.


For the Future9

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).

Senior Class Gifts Celebrate Tradition and Innovation Fall 2013 marked two important moments for the Penn State Senior Class Gift Campaign. On September 13, 2013, the Lion

Shrine was rededicated after a remodeling of the shrine’s surroundings for better lighting and greater accessibility, a gift of the

class of 2012. On October 23, 2013, the class of 2014 announced its gift to Penn State: the HUB Green Roof Terrace to be incor-

porated in the current HUB renovations. While helping improve campus for future generations, Penn State seniors show that

you’re never too young to give back.

Scholarship Keeps Penn State Student EnrolledThanks to Penn State donor Kenneth Schoener ’60 Eng, one

more Penn State student has received new hope and support

for his educational dreams. The Dorothy L. Schoener Memo-

rial Scholarship, a University-wide, annually funded student

award, was granted to an undergraduate facing a financial

emergency this fall. “If there are many starfish lying on the

beach, why bother to toss one back? Well, it matters to that

one starfish. Kenneth’s generosity saved one Penn State

starfish today,” wrote Russell Bloom, arts manager in the Penn

State School of Music, who knows the student.

Donors Live the Student ExperienceMembers of the President’s Club Sparks and President’s Circles, which recognize Penn State donors, were treated to a day in

the lives of current students through The Penn State Experience: A Sparks Circle Event. Attendees enjoyed a presentation from

renowned historian Carol Reardon, the George Winfree Professor of American History. They also had lunch with President Erick-

son, toured campus, enjoyed interactive classroom sessions, and learned firsthand how their philanthropy is making a differ-

ence for students today.

Couple Make THON Gift for WeddingWhile philanthropy isn’t usually included in a wedding budget, one Penn State alumna and her fiancé decided to turn one of

their expenses into support for children and families facing pediatric cancer. The Office of Annual Giving received a note from

Ronni Bruno ’08 H&HD explaining her $500 donation to THON. Instead of giving wedding favors, Ronni told guests at her June

2013 wedding that the bride and groom had made a gift to THON instead. Ronni hopes that wedding day philanthropy will

become a part of other Penn Staters’ celebrations, too.

Online and Onward!

The new setting for the Lion Shrine

FTF Newsletter_Winter 14.crw3.indd 11 1/16/14 5:22 PM

Ensuring Student OpportunityStudents with the ability and ambition to attend the University will have this opportunity through scholarship support.

Enhancing Honors EducationStudents of exceptional ability will experience the best honors education in the nation.

Enriching the Student ExperienceStudents will thrive in a stimulating atmosphere that fosters global involvement, community service, creative expression, and personal growth.

Building Faculty Strength and CapacityStudents will study with the finest teachers and researchers.

Fostering Discovery and CreativityStudents and faculty members will come together within and across disciplines to pioneer new frontiers of knowledge.

Sustaining a Tradition of QualityStudents will continue to work and study with faculty whose scholarship is enhanced by continuing philanthropic support.

T H E C A M PA I G N O B J E C T I V E S

$431,676,304 $443,000,000 97%

$72,809,486 $100,000,000 73%

$121,874,422 $183,000,000 67%

$170,891,155 $266,000,000 64%

$325,093,915 $391,000,000 83%

Total to date Goal %

$808,120,639 $617,000,000 131%

as of November 30, 2013

Goal: $2,000,000,000 Progress to date:

$1,930,465,922

97% Time elapsed:92%

Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diver-sity of its workforce. U. Ed DEV 14-04

Office of University Development2 Old MainUniversity Park, PA 16802

W E A R E P E N N S T A T E

Watch your email for a survey seeking your feedback on this publication and your experience as a Penn State supporter!


For the Future—winter 2014

Documents

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