Fulfilling our land-grant mission for future generations means focusing Penn State’s vast expertise—and the support of our alumni and friends— on the most urgent problems faced by our interconnected global community. Our shared future depends upon safe and abundant resources, economic opportunity and strength, and greater health for children, families, and all of us.
Dr. Kathryn Crowell helps Izzy Fleisher decorate a frame at the “See Me Now” event at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center’s University Fitness and Conference Center on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019. Crowell saw Izzy as an infant after an accident and is now her pediatrician.
Impact the World
Total Raised
$884 million
$165+ million
raised for children’s health by Children’s Miracle Network and Four Diamonds and through gifts made directly to Penn State Health Children’s Hospital
$40+ million
in support for the Invent Penn State initiative and other programs that encourage entrepreneurship and economic development across the Commonwealth, matched 1:1 with University funds
$25+ million
commitment from Highmark for research and care at Penn State Cancer Institute
$27.1 million
gift from Ross and Carol Nese that named the College of Nursing
Voices of Gratitude:
Physician, Leader, Mother
Dr. Cynthia Chuang has a unique understanding of the impact of philanthropy for Penn State Health, Penn State College of Medicine, and the patients, students, and communities they serve. As chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine, she was on the frontlines of Penn State Health’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and as the Robert E. Dye, M.D., Professor at Penn State College of Medicine, she teaches future leaders of the profession. At the campaign celebration, she shared her experiences— not only as a physician and educator, but also as a parent whose family benefited from donor support.
Physicians and medical students choose to come to a research institution like Penn State because they want to offer excellent, compassionate care, but they also want to revolutionize health for communities at home and around the globe. That’s impossible without support from people like you. I know this firsthand.
When I was the Kenneth V. and Eleanor M. Hatt Faculty Fellow, colleagues, residents, and even students came to me with ideas about how to enhance care. And thanks to support from the Hatts, I was able to jump-start research that could bring their ideas to life.
Philanthropy helps us to strengthen care through discovery, but support has also helped us to develop a multihospital health system, including expansion of Penn State Health Children’s Hospital, and it has enhanced comprehensive care for patients with inflammatory bowel and colorectal diseases through the Carlino Family Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center.
But new facilities and innovative research mean nothing without real, human impact. Your support is creating that, too. I know this firsthand through my own experience with THON and Four Diamonds.
Years ago, when my daughter, Emma, was diagnosed with cancer, Four Diamonds stepped in to help. They also covered experiences that got her excited to go to the hospital, like music and pet therapy. Emma ended up associating her treatment with art time and music time, not her illness. Support from Four Diamonds made her experience—and our family’s experience— better in every way.
Emma beat cancer years ago, but my family and I are forever grateful for Four Diamonds’ support and for the Penn State student-volunteers who fundraise for the organization year in and year out. I was thrilled to see that this year’s THON fundraising total was a record high $13.7 million. As a researcher, I know the impact of those dollars in the lab. As a mother, I know the impact of that support on patients and families.
Four Diamonds child Mina dances at the 50th anniversary THON™ in 2022.
The Energy University
Resource security—food, water, and energy—is an urgent global priority, and it was an urgent priority of the Greater Penn State campaign, too. The field of energy offers a special opportunity for our institution and our donors to make an impact. Support for both the University’s strong programs in many energy-related fields and scholarships for the next generation of energy industry leaders are helping faculty and students to lead the way on every front, from advances in petroleum and natural gas engineering to strategies that will help us to reduce consumption and tap the full potential of renewable sources. At the campaign celebration, three undergraduates shared their perspectives on the future of energy and the role they want to play in it.
Kiarat Vidal Rodriguez ’23 ’24g
College of Arts and Architecture, B.Arch and Italian ’23, M.Arch ’24 | Drawdown Scholar | Mark Kates Memorial Scholarship for Study Abroad in the Department of Architecture | Josephine J. and David C. Rhea Endowment for Excellence in Italian Studies
The future of energy will require all of us to work together—the same “We Are” spirit that makes the Penn State community so strong. I came to Penn State from a town near Mexico City because I wanted that shared sense of identity and purpose. That’s why I chose the Drawdown Scholars program, too. It connected me to faculty and other students who also want to create a sustainable future for people all over the world. My research focused on solar-powered cooling for low-income households. Energy solutions need to include everyone. Just like the Penn State community. I’m excited to be staying at the University to earn my master’s degree in architecture through the integrated undergraduate/ graduate program. I want to study historical preservation and create buildings that will last. I believe that’s part of a sustainable future, too.
Jordan Thibodeaux ’23
College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, B.S., Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering | Millennium Scholar | Charles T. Koval and Family Scholarship in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering | C. Jake Phipps Scholarship in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering
No matter what the future holds, the oil and gas industry will be a part of it. Global population and technological innovation are growing, and our need for energy is growing with them. Even as we shift toward other sources of energy, we’ll still need petroleum for a variety of purposes, including the manufacturing of goods, transportation, and energy needs. Through my experiences at Penn State and Chevron, I’ve seen that the industry is listening to many voices and taking steps to reduce emissions, capture and sequester carbon, and invest in energy transitions. I’m excited to be a part of modernizing the industry and mentoring other women who want to make a difference, too.
Akhdan Mir ’23
College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, B.S., Energy Engineering | Millennium Scholar | Ira M. Lubert Millennium Scholars Program Scholarship | Charles and Mary Zebula Millennium Scholars Scholarship in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
Renewable energy sources like wind and solar have immense potential, but they face a grand challenge: how do we store that energy so that it is available when we need it, not just when it’s windy or sunny? Energy storage is the key in helping us shift from fossil fuels to clean energy. I am excited to be working on solid-state batteries because they are safer and can store more energy than the current lithium-ion technologies we use today. With this research, I will help create the next-generation battery to be implemented in renewable energy technologies. This research has made me excited to pursue a Ph.D. and eventually start my own company. The Millennium Scholars program has been instrumental in providing me opportunities for mentorship and professional development. As a young scientist, I am committed to doing my part in keeping the planet sustainable for future generations.
Invent Penn State
A different kind of energy is also essential to our future: the energy, drive, and creativity of entrepreneurs across the Commonwealth. In 2015, to tap that energy, the University launched Invent Penn State, which offers entrepreneurship education and resources deployed across the LaunchBox & Innovation Network to Penn State campus communities across the state. Throughout the campaign, the University provided 1:1 matching programs as an incentive for donors to partner with us in supporting Invent Penn State.
Invent Penn State Impact 2015–2021
13,151
Faculty, staff, and students engaged
4,976
Entrepreneurs assisted
464
Startup program graduates
218
New Pennsylvania companies
486
Internships created
Statewide Impact
The LaunchBox & Innovation Network now spans 21 locations across the Commonwealth. Commitments of $1 million or more, matched 1:1 with University funds, have named:
- Altoona LaunchBox supported by the Hite family
- Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank
- Hazleton LaunchBox supported by Pasco L. Schiavo, Esq.
- James R. Meehl Innovation Commons powered by Penn State Behrend
- Shenango LaunchBox powered by the Greater Sharon Community
At the heart of the network is the Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub, located in downtown State College, which is home to Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank. Within the six-story, state-of-the-art, multi-use building are opportunities for donors to name spaces and advance programs that will shape the future of entrepreneurship in Pennsylvania. To learn more, please contact Heather Winfield at hbw11@psu.edu.