A Message from the Campaign Chair

$2,204,949,028. When the dust settled after A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence concluded on June 30, that’s the number Rich Bundy and I had the pleasure of announcing to the Board of Trustees and the Penn State community. It represents the largest campaign total in Penn State history, and one that affirms our spot in the top rank of institutional fundraising nationwide. The total includes the most successful fundraising year we’ve ever had, with $437 million in new commitments to the vision and values of the campaign during the fiscal year highlighted in this report. Throughout the report, you’ll find other impressive figures, from our annual receipts, which also hit a new high, to the remarkable 697,000 donors who made gifts to propel this campaign over the last six years.

What the numbers don’t capture, though, are the impacts on Penn State and its students, faculty, staff, and supporters that are harder to measure but just as meaningful. Scholarships have had their greatest impact during the pandemic, when your support kept undergraduates enrolled, enabled our student-athletes to return to the field, and helped us to stay true to our land-grant mission. Your philanthropy is allowing us to continue and accelerate the pursuit of the biggest dreams of our institution and the communities we serve, from the new Palmer Museum of Art that’s under construction at University Park to the LaunchBoxes serving entrepreneurs across the Commonwealth. Above all, our donors showed us once again that the Penn State spirit is strongest when we face a challenge together, whether that challenge is an ambitious goal or a global crisis.

For me, A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence has been a source of great personal satisfaction. By allowing me to serve as the volunteer chair of this campaign, you have provided me the most rewarding experience I’ve had as a Penn Stater (other than meeting my wife of 50 years, Susan, also a Penn State graduate). For six years, I have been inspired by the dedication of my fellow volunteers, the professionalism of our development team, and the generosity of our alumni and friends. As I step down from this role and begin my service as a member of the Penn State Board of Trustees, I offer you my deepest thanks for your support of the campaign, and I share your belief that whatever challenges the future holds, Penn State, made greater by this campaign, will lead the way.

Rick Sokolov ’71
Volunteer Chair
A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence