Penn State Beaver has raised more than $3.6 million and helped the University achieve record-breaking success in its recently concluded campaign, “A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence.” June 30 marked the end of both the most successful campaign and the most successful fundraising year in the institution’s history. The Penn State Beaver total also represents a record-breaking achievement of the campus’s goal in any University fundraising campaign and a transformative investment by 1,500 alumni, friends, corporate partners and others in its mission to educate students from around the world and support individuals and communities through integrated programs of teaching, research, and service.
Penn State Beaver Chancellor Jenifer Cushman said, “We are so grateful for the support we are witnessing by friends of the Beaver campus. Through their generosity, we are able to improve the student experience and help more students reach the goal of an excellent Penn State education.”
The campaign, which began in 2016, focused on the three key imperatives of a 21st-century public university: keeping the doors to higher education open to hardworking students regardless of financial well-being; creating transformative experiences that go beyond the classroom; and impacting the world by serving communities and fueling discovery, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Within the Penn State Beaver results, top campaign gifts and priorities included:
- Almost $2.5 million raised for undergraduate scholarships. Donors have secured additional funds for Penn State Beaver students from the campaign’s scholarship matching programs, including $2,500,000 through the Open Doors Matching Program and $25,000 through the Educational Equity Scholarship Matching Program.
- The Scott Noxon LGBTQA+ Scholarship, the first of its kind on any Penn State Commonwealth Campus.
- Endowments from Kristine and John Hertneky and the SW Calkins Foundation to provide transformational scholarships for students enrolled in for-credit internships.
- Over $362,000 raised in support of the Beaver Valley LaunchBox and B-HIVE economic development programs.
- Additional gifts will assist with campus beautification projects; provide opportunities for our students to travel abroad and offer tuition assistance to high school students who wish to jump start their college career.
John and Kristine Hertneky, co-chairs of the campaign, expressed their gratitude to the many people who assisted in reaching this milestone. They said in a statement, “Penn State Beaver could never have exceeded its goal without the tireless efforts of our volunteers. Their contributions of time and treasure are greatly appreciated.”
Details about the campaign’s achievements, as well as the results from every Penn State college and campaign, are available at greaterpennstate.psu.edu. Stories about philanthropy’s impact at the University can found at raise.psu.edu