A Message from the President

I am delighted and honored to have this opportunity to communicate directly to you, Penn State’s most generous alumni and friends. In fact, the strength and spirit of this community, as expressed through your giving, helped me to know that my future lay in Happy Valley. Through your support of students, faculty, and programs across all our colleges and campuses, Penn State has become the kind of institution that any higher education leader would be proud to join—and I can imagine no more wonderful welcome than the April 22 celebration of the University’s success in surpassing the goal of A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence.

In the pages that follow, you’ll find voices from that celebration expressing gratitude for your support and sharing the campaign’s impact, both during the challenges of recent years and looking ahead to a bright future. We have highlighted the record-breaking numbers that set a new standard for philanthropy to Penn State. And through the videos you can access with your phone’s camera, you can go deeper into the stories behind those numbers, from the journey of a student who found his way to Penn State Behrend from the Big Apple to the excitement of young entrepreneurs launching their first companies with the help of Invent Penn State. The campaign’s achievements reflect the vision and values of Penn Staters all over the world.

Over my first months as Penn State President, I have also been inspired by the campaign’s success to dream big for the future of our University and our students. Philanthropy will be essential to fulfilling those ambitions: ensuring that our opportunities remain accessible and innovative, pursuing discovery and service that will benefit communities near and far, and fulfilling our land-grant mission far into the future.

Please accept my deepest gratitude for your past support, and please know that I welcome your continued partnership in building A Greater Penn State. I can’t wait to see what we achieve together.

Neeli Bendapudi
President
The Pennsylvania State University