Our institution was founded to create educational opportunity, and that historic mission continues to guide us into the 21st century. Through scholarships and other support, the campaign is helping to ensure that students from every background can choose to join the Penn State family and graduate on time and on track to success.
Open Doors
Total Raised
$668.3 million
An eight-figure commitment from Gene and Roz Chaiken to grow their scholarship support in the College of the Liberal Arts, making them the largest scholarship donors in the history of the University
$93.3 million
in endowed support for students in the Open Doors programs, designed to help undergraduates overcome challenges on the path to their Penn State degrees
2,045
new scholarship endowments across the University—a 35% percent increase since the start of the campaign
Support for a more diverse and inclusive Penn State, including a $15.5 million gift to establish the A. James Clark Scholars Program in the College of Engineering and almost
$25 million
in new endowed funds, including gifts and the University match, for Educational Equity Scholarships
Voices of Gratitude:
from Centre County to the World
Casey Sennett’s journey to the Bryce Jordan Center stage on April 22 began just down the road, with her childhood in Centre County. When it came time to choose a school, though, the price tag on a degree seemed to put miles between her and her education. Thanks to scholarships, the Schreyer Scholar and Paterno Fellow will graduate from the College of the Liberal Arts next spring ready to apply for competitive museum jobs and grateful for the help she has received.
I grew up in nearby Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania. My mom went to Penn State, and my dad works for the University. So it’s probably no surprise that Penn State was always on my list of schools.
Coming from a Penn State family, that was never a question. But coming from a lower-income family, paying for college was. I still remember the day I opened my acceptance letter from Penn State. I was ecstatic and already looking forward to the journey ahead. But I remember even more vividly the day I was offered scholarship support from the College of the Liberal Arts and Gene and Roz Chaiken, who have given more to scholarships than anyone in the history of Penn State. Right then and there, I saw the doors to my Penn State experience open wide.
Scholarship support has helped me to attend Penn State, but it’s also allowed me to experience it. As a first-year student, I studied abroad in Paris. Later, I traveled to Israel to work on an archaeological dig, and then I interned at the Jewish Cultural Historical Museum in Curaçao last summer. Philanthropy gave me the financial stability to pursue these experiences—and it gives me confidence to keep reaching for more. Now, I’m taking advantage of Penn State’s integrated undergraduate-graduate program, which is allowing me to earn a master’s degree in Anthropology in just one additional year of study.
I’m certainly not the only one who’s built a rewarding college experience around scholarship support. Gifts from alumni and friends—from you—are paving the way to a meaningful Penn State journey for students from every background and with every sort of ambition… For students like us, becoming a Penn Stater means everything.
And it means everything that the Penn State community has helped us make it happen. Wherever we go, we carry your support with us—and we recognize that the doors to our futures are open in part because of you.
From Dreams to Degrees
What does it truly mean to be A Greater Penn State? The campaign’s top priority has always been to ensure that our land-grant tradition of access and opportunity remains vibrant for future generations. Through the Open Doors Matching Program, the University partnered with donors in creating scholarships that would benefit students in any one of six programs designed to help them face every challenge on the path to graduation. Alumni and friends rallied to the challenge, making the Open Doors Matching Program the most successful effort of its kind in Penn State’s history.
- 545 new endowments
- $93.3 million in donor gifts and matching funds
- 6,752 scholarships awarded to date
Fighting Hunger, Feeding Hope
“Your support is helping us to think about what’s next for ourselves and our communities, rather than where we’ll get our next meal.” Tyliyah Vereen ’23, Penn State Altoona, B.S., Human Development and Family Studies. After receiving help from the Ivyside Eats food pantry at Penn State Altoona, Tyliyah used her social media skills to get the word out to other students struggling to afford healthy and adequate diets.
Scholarships help to welcome students from every background to Penn State, but the challenges don’t stop once they arrive. A 2019 survey revealed that 35 percent of Penn State students across all campuses experience some level of food insecurity. Addressing this crisis became a top priority for then-President Eric J. Barron and First Lady Molly Barron, who committed $525,000 to endow a fund that will purchase University meal plans for those in need. Members of the Board of Trustees and other University leaders honored the Barrons with their own gifts to the fund. Penn Staters also stepped up for the Tackle Hunger Challenge with Ohio State, besting the Big Ten rival and giving nearly $214,000 for campus food pantries. And longtime philanthropic leaders Steve and Nancy Sheetz created the first-ever endowment for Ivyside Eats, the Penn State Altoona food pantry that has helped Tyliyah Vereen and other undergraduates to thrive. Together, the University, students, and supporters are stepping up to make sure that a willingness to sacrifice for a Penn State experience never becomes a necessity.
Lift Every Voice
The traditional Penn State cry of “We ARE” means even more when the “We” welcomes students from every community and background, including those historically underrepresented in higher education.
In 2020, as the national conversation around issues of equity and diversity intensified, the University joined with donors in creating 165 new endowments through the Educational Equity Matching Program. These scholarships are furthering the ambitions of students with financial need who contribute to the diversity of the Penn State community—and helping that community to be even stronger.
The Millennium Scholars Program is helping to foster the next generation of leaders who will bring diverse experiences and perspectives to fields with an impact on our shared future. Scholarships created during the campaign are supporting Millennium Scholars in the Eberly College of Science and in the Colleges of Earth and Mineral Sciences, Engineering, Health and Human Development, and Information Sciences and Technology. See page 22 to learn how two Millennium Scholars are thinking about the future of energy and the role they want to play in it.
The College of Engineering is a national leader in serving students from every economic background, and it received a powerful endorsement of its efforts through the creation of the A. James Clark Scholars Program, which supports undergraduates with significant financial need who have demonstrated a commitment to academic excellence in the STEM fields. Clark Scholars receive both financial and academic support so they can build upon their records of achievement and make a difference in their communities
“I love science and math, but I also want to showcase my creativity and my voice. I chose engineering so that I can evolve modern technologies and pave new paths within the industry. Being part of the College of Engineering and the Clark Scholars Program makes all that a possibility for me… Scholarships mean that I can grab every opportunity without hesitation and do so without burdening the most important people in my life—and that is my family. I have three younger siblings who will accomplish so much, and I also want them to have every opportunity to do so.” Summer Walker ’24, College of Engineering, B.S., Electrical Engineering. Summer is a Clark Scholar and a member of the National Society of Black Engineers and the Engineering Diversity Roundtable.