Philanthropy not only helps us to bring talented and ambitious students and faculty to Penn State—it also offers them the inspiration and resources to fulfill their vast potential for leadership on our campuses, in their fields, and around the globe. Citizens and families can find opportunities here, too, to enrich their understanding and their lives.
Construction is underway on the new Palmer Museum of Art.
Create Transformative Experiences
Total Raised
$289.1 million
$45+ million
toward global management opportunities for students and faculty
Support for enhancing the student-athlete and fan experience through improved athletic facilities:
Nearly
$41 million
raised for the Football Excellence Fund
$7.5 million
to create a new field hockey stadium
$5.5 million
for Panzer Stadium, used by the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams
More than
$22 million
in donor support for the new Palmer Museum of Art
Voices of Gratitude:
Art, Access, Ambition
As the University celebrated the success of A Greater Penn State in April, one of the campaign’s greatest achievements could be seen a mile away from the Bryce Jordan Center. Construction is underway on the new Palmer Museum of Art, located next to another landmark created through philanthropy, The Arboretum at Penn State. In the following remarks from the event, Palmer Museum Director Erin M. Coe shared her gratitude for the support that has made the new state-of-the-art facility possible.
Our donors have brought us to this decisive moment in the museum’s history. Indeed, we would not have achieved this milestone without your generous support, your commitment to and belief in the critical need for this project, and your recognition of how essential a world-class art museum is to the world-class university that is Penn State. It is through philanthropy that we have been able to create a destination for students and families, visitors and community members, that will do justice to our expanding collections, exhibitions, and programs, and that will provide new spaces to engage audiences and meet the needs of a teaching museum of the 21st century. The philanthropy we received from the Palmer family and Dr. Keiko Miwa Ross, along with many other donors, builds upon the historic leadership of Barbara and Jim Palmer and their belief that Penn State can and must be a cultural resource for the people of Pennsylvania and beyond.
During this campaign, we not only received more than $22 million for the Palmer’s new home—we also received numerous significant works of art from Barbara and Jim’s estate and from many other donors. Our collection has grown to include works of art from communities historically underrepresented in American museums. We have also received more works of art from artists who have shaped our shared traditions and values. Thanks to the success of our building campaign, we will be able to present a broader and more inclusive range of works in the collection than ever before and preserve them for generations to come.
Designed by Allied Works, our new museum will provide an accessible and welcoming gateway to Penn State. With the Arboretum, it will create a cultural destination that will attract visitors from across the country and around the world. I want to thank those of you who have believed in this vision and so generously supported the construction of the museum. You understand that the arts must be at the core of our institution’s mission to serve the public, drive economic growth, and fulfill our potential for excellence. You understand that a greater Palmer Museum of Art embodies what it means to be a greater Penn State.
Staying in the game
Thanks to the generosity of Penn State fans and friends, seniors whose final athletic seasons were cut short by the start of the pandemic in March 2020 were offered the chance to finish out their college sports careers. The Returning Senior Fund raised more than $600,000 and has awarded twenty-two scholarships to student-athletes who chose to continue their academic pursuits at the University and were invited to return for a fifth season.
“In the context of what we all suffered, an athletic season may seem insignificant, but for student-athletes who have trained our entire lives, it was devastating. It wasn’t the first setback I’d faced as a competitor, and I had prepared for every outcome of my final season—except not being able to have one at all while healthy and fully prepared to accomplish my goals… Thanks to the Returning Senior Fund and all of you who made gifts, I was able to begin a master’s program in nutrition, something I’m not sure would have happened otherwise. I’ll be graduating later this year, and I hope to start a career helping athletes cultivate healthy and sustainable relationships with food.” Maddie Holmberg Nickal, College of Health and Human Development, B.S., Kinesiology ’20, M.P.S., Nutritional Science (World Campus) ’22. During her track and field career at Penn State, Maddie was a recipient of the Breslin Family Endowed Track & Field Scholarship, and she became a three-time first team All-American, a Big Ten Champion in the pentathlon and heptathlon, an Academic All-Big Ten honoree, and the school recordholder in the heptathlon.
A Land-Grant University for the World
In an increasingly interconnected global society, Penn State’s mission to educate, discover, and serve has expanded beyond the borders of the Commonwealth—and philanthropy is helping us to fulfill that mission.
“I never thought I could go abroad—I didn’t think I could afford it. Ireland was truly a transformative experience that I wouldn’t have had without the Perreault Fellowship. It’s made me more confident as a person. But also, when I start my job, I’m going to be working with a lot of different communities and different cultures and different people. Global citizenship is at the heart of what Penn State and the Perreault Fellowship is about.” Elizabeth Powderly ’22, Eberly College of Science, B.S., Biology. Elizabeth pursued an international internship through the Perreault Fellows Program, endowed by Paul and Beverly Perreault. She is now a healthcare and life sciences consultant.
“We are not just a land-grant university for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, but we’re a land-grant university for the people of the world. Since 1992, the College of Ag Sciences has been building partnerships in Ukraine around agriculture. We continue to this day even in the face of the war in Ukraine right now. We are committed to doing everything we can to help get our Ukrainian friends back to being the breadbasket of Europe that can feed the world with us.” Deanna Behring ’15g, assistant dean and director of Ag Sciences Global, College of Agricultural Sciences. Dr. Behring oversees and leads a wide range of initiatives that build ties between Penn State and international institutions and communities, including partnerships with Ukraine supported by the Woskob family.
“I was really worried that my identity would adversely affect my career goals, but I can use everything in my background to help everyone around me and make sure that their stories are heard. I came back from Zambia with a community I want to work with. I found a type of medicine I want to practice, and I caught a glimpse of the physician I want to become. With the Jeffries Family International Health Scholarship and the Global Health Scholars Program, my idea of what counts as my community is now global.” —Paul Nguyen, M.D. ’22, College of Medicine, recipient of the Jeffries Family International Health Scholarship. The scholarship helped Paul to work at an HIV clinic in Zambia, build ties to the LGBTQ+ community in the country, and create the photographic collection “I Exist,” which can be viewed at right and at sites.psu.edu/centerstage/paul-nguyen/.
