Fall/Winter 2012giveto.psu.edu/s/1218/images/editor_documents/Media_and... · Fall/Winter 2012 For the In This Issue: Philanthropy helps top educators and researchers to transform

Fall/Winter 2012

For the

In This Issue: Philanthropy helps top educators and researchers to transform our world

futureVoices and VisionsPenn State celebrates faculty support

FTF Newsletter_Fall_12_CS5.5_crw1.indd 1 11/16/12 6:35 PM

Blue and White forever…You’ve worked a lifetime to create

financial security for yourself and

your family. Now you can share

that legacy with Penn State as well

through your will or living trust.

Whether you choose to direct your

support to scholarships or research,

athletics or the arts, your bequest will

be an enduring expression of your

passions and values. Our Gift Plan-

ning team can work with you and

your attorney to ensure that your

intentions are fulfilled and that your

estate receives the full tax benefits of

your gift.

To learn more about these opportuni-

ties, please contact Penn State’s Office

of Gift Planning at 888-800-9170

(toll-free) or [email protected],

or visit giftplanning.psu.edu.


A Message from Peter Tombros

During my career in the business world, I learned that the best companies invest their time and money where the payoff will be greatest. So why is Penn State the number-one choice of corporate recruiters, with more employers than ever partici-pating in our 2012 career fair? Why do so many companies choose the University as a partner in discovery, putting us on the National Science Foundation’s list of top institutions for research expenditures? It’s because Penn State’s faculty members—the academic stars in our classrooms, laboratories, and libraries every day—are some of the most pioneering educators and productive researchers in the world. Thanks to their achievements and dedication, a Penn State degree means more than ever, and our students and our institution are seen as investments worth making.

We must also invest in Penn State’s faculty to keep our reputation strong and our academic community vibrant. Endowed positions, which offer both recognition and resources, have become increasingly critical in a highly competitive academic marketplace. On October 13, Penn State held its inaugural Celebrating Faculty Endowments event to honor alumni and friends who have created endowed faculty positions at the University and the remark-able teachers, scholars, and scientists who hold those positions. This issue of our campaign newsletter captures the stories told in person and on video at the event. In the pages that follow, you’ll find a report from the celebration and profiles of faculty members making a difference at Penn State and in the larger world thanks to private sup-port. You will also learn about how one alumni couple made the connection between the quality of education and the quality of faculty at Penn State.

It’s a connection that we will be asking many more supporters to make as we enter the final stages of For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students. Faculty funds are a top priority for the campaign because our students need and deserve the leaders, mentors, and role models who will transform their disciplines and our institution. Today, however, we can offer endowed positions to less than 10 percent of our faculty. Tomorrow? That will depend upon our alumni and friends. Whether you create a new endowed position or make a gift to an existing fund, your investment in Penn State’s faculty can yield extraordinary returns for the students, citi-zens, and communities we serve.

Sincerely,

Peter G. TombrosChair, For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students

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If you’d like to read other

stories about Penn State

philanthropy or learn more

about how you can support

the University, please visit

giveto.psu.edu.

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The photograph said it all: a patient, an advocate, and an HIV/AIDS researcher, united in a common battle against what the researcher calls “arguably the worst epidemic in human history.” The image captured former professional basketball player Magic Johnson, former U.S. president Bill Clinton, and physician-scien-tist Dr. David Ho, gathered at a 2009 gala to celebrate scientific breakthroughs that are keeping thousands of AIDS patients alive and to honor Irene Diamond, the woman who made those discoveries possible.

“We, each one of us, are convinced of the power of philanthropy because we witnessed it,” Dr. Ho, the Irene Diamond Professor at the Rockefeller University, said as he showed the photograph at Penn State’s Celebrat-ing Faculty Endowments dinner held October 13, 2012. Named Time magazine’s Person of the Year in 1996 for his development of the antiretroviral therapy that keeps thousands of AIDS patients alive today, Dr. Ho was the keynote speaker for the event that thanked donors for their support of Penn State faculty and showcased the impact that faculty endowments have

on the entire Penn State experience. Nearly 250 donors, volunteers, faculty, and staff gathered to share stories of how both research and education are transformed through permanent faculty funding.

“Tonight is an opportunity for our faculty to spend time with the donors who created their endowments, but above all, it’s an opportunity to say thank you,” said Penn State President Rodney Erickson as he opened the program. “I’m here to thank everyone who has made the visionary investment in a faculty endowment, and to thank our endowed faculty for making that invest-ment yield such extraordinary returns.”

Among the evening’s highlights, Penn State donor Arnold Hoffman ’57 Lib announced that he and his wife, Bette ’58 H&HD, recently decided to endow the directorship of Penn State’s Child Study Center. In his remarks, Hoffman explained how fulfilling it was for the couple to create the Arnold S. and Bette G. Hoff-man Professorship in Family Sociology and Demogra-phy in 1998. The current Hoffman Professor, Dr. Paul

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Celebrating Faculty EndowmentsSupporters, scholars, and scientists gather to recognize the impact of private support


Amato, and the director of the Child Study Center, Karen Bierman, were present at the event to celebrate the couple’s generosity.

Dr. Judith Todd, the P. B. Breneman Chair and Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Penn State, also spoke of the tremendous growth her department has seen thanks to funds provided by her endowed posi-tion. The endowment’s namesake, Breneman, was the chair of that same department for thirty years, and his grandson, Mason Walsh ’57 Eng, endowed the position in his honor.

“By gathering our faculty and their benefactors, we wanted to show what an important investment faculty endowments are in the quality of the education we can provide at the University,” said Rodney P. Kirsch, vice president for development and alumni relations at Penn State. “By bringing the best scholars and scientists to Penn State, we can create an academic community that allows our students to learn from the leading thinkers in their field. Institutions with faculty endowments

have the competitive edge in higher education.”

Guests also saw the debut of Pushing Frontiers: The Faculty Investment, a video profiling the work of three leading Penn State faculty and their students from the Smeal College of Business, the Eberly College of Sci-ence, and Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

The night culminated with Dr. Ho’s keynote address. He explained how Irene Diamond and her husband, Aaron, created an endowment to fund the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center in 1991 with the mission of con-quering the devastating disease, philanthropy that led to Dr. Ho’s discovery of the “AIDS cocktail” treatment.

“Most important is the positive impact Irene’s philan-thropy has had on the health of people on our planet,” Dr. Ho said. “Irene was more than just a donor; she was a participant. She never missed a board meeting, and she was never hesitant to ask very deep questions about what the scientists were doing. In my view, she is the unsung hero.”

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Like many alumni, Arnold ’57 Lib and Bette ’58 H&HD Hoffman began their philanthropic journey at Penn State by supporting undergraduates. “Our original focus was on student scholarships, so it was not appar-ent that the faculty also needed support to further their research,” explains Arnold.

But as Arnold and Bette’s roles as donors and volunteers to the University have grown, so has their apprecia-tion for the importance of top-ranked faculty. “Over the years, we’ve gotten to know the University and its needs,” says Arnold, who has served on the Liberal Arts Development Council since the Grand Destiny cam-paign and is a member of the Presidential Counselors. “And we’ve come to appreciate how much the Univer-sity needs resources to compete for the best professors who discover new knowledge or create innovative ways to solve some of the problems facing our society.”

With that in mind, Arnold and Bette created the Arnold S. and Bette G. Hoffman Professorship in Fam-ily Sociology and Demography in the College of the Liberal Arts in 1998. “We are still very supportive of student scholarships because most students and their families are still facing severe financial challenges,” Arnold says. “But the faculty are the core asset of Penn State, and if the University and the college are not able to recruit and retain outstanding faculty, both the qual-ity of a Penn State education and its role as a national leader will suffer in the long term.”

The Hoffman Professorship is currently held by Dr. Paul Amato, a nationally recognized marriage studies scholar whose sociology research focuses on the causes and consequences of divorce, relationship quality, and parent-child relationships. “Since we created the profes-sorship, the resources have been invaluable to several faculty members over the past fourteen years,” says Arnold. “We’re delighted to see how our endowment enabled these faculty to generate new research projects and involve more undergraduates, which in turn en-riches their education and future career opportunities.”

Arnold and Bette also enjoy the personal relationship they’ve developed with Dr. Amato. “We meet with Paul every time we come up to school,” says Arnold. “He’s a great resource for keeping us up-to-date about what’s happening on campus and sharing his latest research.”

For Arnold and Bette, Dr. Amato’s significant impact on his discipline, the department, and the lives of hundreds of Penn State students is evidence that their philanthropy has been put to good use. In fact, the couple announced at the October 13 Celebrating Faculty Endowments event that they will deepen their com-mitment to Penn State’s educators and researchers by endowing the directorship of the University’s Child Study Center. “Professors are the engine that runs this University,” says Arnold. “You need to have great fac-ulty to have a great institution.”

Strength at the CoreA Penn State couple connects faculty support and student successP r o f e S S o r S h i P SMinimum endowment $1,000,000A named professorship is a prestigious honor, and the resources that are made available to the recipient are even more important. By providing additional funds for research projects and course development, professorships allow top faculty to take their scholarship to the next level and integrate discovery and education in new ways.


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from Building Bridges to forging ThemAn endowed department head chair celebrates and sustains a tradition of excellence

When P. B. Breneman was head of the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics during the first half of the twentieth century, its faculty members were prominent researchers in the mechanics of structures such as bridges and dams. Today, the department is still a leader in this field, but more often than not, its sub-jects of study are viewed through microscopes rather than binoculars.

“With a greater focus on nanotechnology, our depart-ment is redefining the role of mechanics and materials research in solving society’s greatest challenges, from pandemic virus spread to lightweight aircraft and

energy-efficient vehicles,” says Dr. Judith Todd, the P. B. Breneman Department Head of Engineering Science and Mechanics. “And what we’ve been able to accom-plish is due, in large part, to the support provided by the P. B. Breneman Department Head Chair.”

Dr. Todd’s endowed position was created in 1998 by Mason Walsh ’57 Eng. He named the endowment in honor of his grandfather, who earned both undergradu-ate and graduate degrees at Penn State in the 1890s and who went on to serve as one of the first leaders of the department. “It’s a wonderful honor to hold an endowed position, especially one named after a man who played a role in the development of this department,” says Dr. Todd. “I’m reminded that I’m part of a long tradition.”

She is building on that tradition, using the majority of the chair’s funds to award “start-up packages” to re-cently promoted or tenured faculty. Although Dr. Todd says that some of these awards are modest sums, they give faculty members the flexibility and resources to change their research directions, take risks on different strategies, or acquire new technologies. “Our faculty members are now looking beyond the traditional re-search of the department,” Dr. Todd explains. “They are forging collaborations with other departments, experi-menting with new approaches, and looking at mechan-ics and materials from a broader, more interdisciplinary perspective.”

The Breneman Chair has also enhanced the under-graduate experience. Since her appointment to the post eleven years ago, Dr. Todd has used its resources to expand the department’s curriculum; accept a greater number of students to its major, which serves as the honors program for the College of Engineering; and supplement research funding and travel expenses when necessary. The department has also been able to establish an alumni advisory board and fund a biannual newsletter, encouraging students to remain connected after graduation.

“When I came to Penn State, I was told that I could use half of the endowed funds for my own research, but in practice I haven’t really done that,” says Dr. Todd. “The research being performed by our faculty and students is so exciting and groundbreaking that I want to encour-age it as much as I can.”

D e P a r T M e n T h e a D C h a i r SMinimum endowment $3,000,000Even as they balance a broad range of leadership responsibili-ties, Penn State’s department heads are also challenged to meet financial needs of their programs, faculty, and students. An endowed chair provides flexible support and allows de-partment heads to make strategic investments in such areas as graduate student stipends, faculty recruitment, research expenses, equipment purchases, and other resources that dramatically improve academic excellence.

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When he joined the faculty of the Smeal College of Business in 2002, Donald Hambrick was coming full circle. He had received his Ph.D. at Penn State more than twenty years before and then built an impres-sive academic career at the Columbia Business School, becoming, in the words of one current student, “like a rock star” in his field.

But when the Smeal College sought to bring this suc-cessful Penn Stater back, it was philanthropy that made all the difference—specifically, the offer of the Smeal Chaired Professorship of Management.

f a C u l T y C h a i r S Minimum endowment $2,000,000Typically conferred upon the most distinguished scholar-teachers, an endowed chair provides a professor with resources to continue promising research and programs, helping departments to attract or retain top faculty who are esteemed as mentors, direct important initiatives, and contribute significantly to the University’s mission.

Philanthropy brings back one of Penn State’s best

Star Quality

faculty impact: By the numbersNo matter how you measure, Penn State’s educators and researchers are among the best in the country and the world. Here are some of


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“I had a great endowed chair at Columbia,” says Dr. Hambrick, who is known for his research on the decision-making processes of top management teams. “There were a number of reasons Penn State was so appealing, most notably the caliber of faculty col-leagues and students, but the Smeal Chair closed the deal because I wouldn’t really lose anything in terms of resources by making the move, and I was thrilled.”

Dr. Hambrick’s position is one of five endowed faculty chairs that Mary Jean and Frank P. Smeal established in 1990, the same year that the college was named in their honor. The Smeals, both members of Penn State’s class of 1942, understood the great importance of endowed faculty chairs in building and maintaining a nationally and internationally prominent academic program.

“The Smeal Chair provides me with the resources to conduct my research at the highest level,” Dr. Ham-brick explains. “The funds allow me to travel to field sites to collect data, to purchase large-scale databases, to hire research assistants who will help with very intri-cate coding and statistical analysis, and to travel to pres-ent the research results and collaborate with colleagues around the world.”

The Smeal Chair also lets Dr. Hambrick advance his contributions in the classroom. “The funds have been very helpful in freeing up time and covering the expenses of designing and updating the MBA elective I teach,” he says. “I’m always working to develop new exercises, new cases for use with students. And again, the Smeal Chair has provided me the wherewithal to be able to do that effectively.”

Dr. Hambrick’s students recognize the value of that flexibility. “The fact that he’s using current cases and well-known companies increases our understand-ing and engagement in the class,” says MBA student Meagan Gallagher. “His ability to rework his curricu-

lum regularly matters because the business world is changing all the time.”

The Smeals’ endowed faculty chairs have not only helped Penn State’s programs to stay on the leading edge and rise into the top ranks; Frank and Mary Jean’s legacy has created a model for generous faculty sup-port. Dr. Hambrick has himself been inspired by the philanthropy of the Smeals and others: He and his wife created an endowment in the Smeal College to support research excellence, named in honor of his own doc-toral supervisor.

“The competition for the very best scholars is in-tense,” Dr. Hambrick says. “Unless we can dramatically increase the number of endowed positions to keep up with other first-rate institutions, we won’t be able to be in that league. Endowed positions are pivotal for Penn State’s aspirations.”

“Faculty support has been vital to the rise of the Smeal College of Business into the top rank of business programs worldwide. Through the chairs created by Frank and Mary Jean Smeal, and through the thirty-four faculty endow-ments established by other donors, Penn State has been able to bring together an extraordinary cohort of business experts and scholars, one which I am proud to lead. Private support played an important role in my own decision to join the Smeal College of Business. I knew that with the re-sources of the John and Becky Surma Dean’s Chair, as well as the funds available from our other faculty endowments, I could help our college take the next steps forward and better serve our students, our institution, and the global business community.”—Charles h. Whiteman became the John and Becky Surma Dean of the Smeal College of Business in July 2012. Prior to joining Penn State, he was senior associate dean for the Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa.

National Science Foundation rankings:—14th overall for research expenditures—12 individual programs in the top 10 of their kind, second

only to Johns Hopkins University

the facts and figures featured in the video shown at the Celebrat-ing Faculty Endowments event. You can view the entire video at giveto.psu.edu/thefacultyinvestment.


“Organic” may refer to the chemistry used in Dr. Scott Phillips’ laboratories, but it also describes his method of research. Emphasizing creative approaches and a free flow of ideas, Dr. Phillips encourages his students to rethink the study of carbon-containing compounds and their role in the processes of life.

“I have a group of brilliant students in my lab,” says Dr. Phillips, who holds the Louis Martarano Career Development Professorship in the Department of Chemistry. “So why would I want to dominate discus-sions or control the direction of research? I want my students to think outside the box, work together as a

Private support spurs breakthroughs in the labs and lives of young scientists

Discovering the future

e a r ly C a r e e r P r o f e S S o r S h i P S Minimum endowment $334,000In the years since the Louis Martarano Career Develop-ment Professorship was established, Penn State has seen the impact of awards for emerging faculty stars, and the Faculty Endowment Challenge offers donors an opportu-nity to leverage a 1:2 match from the University for gifts creating new Early Career Professorships in any of Penn State’s academic units. These awards rotate every three years to a new recipient in the first ten years of his or her academic career, providing seed money for innovative research projects and flexible funding for new approaches to teaching. The endowments typically require a mini-mum commitment of $500,000, but through the Faculty Endowment Challenge, donors may establish new Early Career Professorships for any of the University’s colleges or campuses with a commitment of $334,000. The University will commit the remaining 1/3 of the necessary funds, approximately $166,000, from unrestricted endowment resources, ensuring support for the newest faculty leaders.

U.S. News and World Report:30 programs ranked in the top 30 of their kind

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team, brainstorm solutions, and pursue breakthroughs. And thanks to the endowment, I have the resources to support their work.”

With an emphasis on creativity and collaboration, Dr. Phillips and his students are using organic chemistry to address some of the world’s greatest challenges. The team’s primary focus is developing inexpensive and easy-to-use substances that can quickly diagnose dis-ease and pollution in resource-limited settings. The lab is also working on creating new plastics that can change their shape, function, and surface properties in response to their environment, which may offer a solution to the rapid accumulation of plastic waste.

“We’re organic chemists, but we’re taking a whole different perspective on the subject,” explains Jesse Rob-bins, a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in organic chemistry who works in Dr. Phillips’ lab. “Scott has his eyes on the future of organic chemistry and is really trying to do something different with the field. He’s excited about science, and that excitement is contagious.”

Ayusman Sen, a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Penn State, says it was that excitement and desire to redefine the field of chemistry which made Dr. Phillips a perfect candidate for the Martarano Career Develop-ment Professorship. The endowment was established in 1998 by Lou Martarano ’76 Sci to support faculty beginning their academic career in the Eberly College of Science.

“The chair is specifically for junior faculty members and provides seed money to invest in new, innovative ideas,” explains Dr. Sen, who, as the former head of the chemistry department, hired Dr. Phillips and recom-mended him for the award. “As an institution dedicated to education and research, it’s our job to generate new ideas. So it’s extremely important to recruit and retain

people who bring enthusiasm and inspiration to the department.”

The professorship offers prestigious recognition for Dr. Phillips’ innovative approach to organic chemistry, as well as funds that have been instrumental in helping him continue his groundbreaking research at Penn State. He says, “We’re doing research that no one has done before. With the money provided through the endowment, I am able to follow leads and try different hypotheses.”

Dr. Phillips also uses the endowment funds to purchase books and software for his laboratory, cover travel expenses to conferences, create lab positions for under-graduate students, and invest in other opportunities to help his students develop as scientists, scholars, and professionals.

“When you’re looking at graduate programs, they tell you not to pick a school because of one professor,” says Jesse Robbins. “But I came to Penn State because of Scott. The research we are doing is really interesting—it’s not happening anywhere else. And Scott is also a great teacher and mentor. He’s always pushing us to the next level to make sure we are prepared to get where we want to go and succeed in the future.”

Beyond the opportunities the endowment has cre-ated for his research and students, Dr. Phillips says his professorship also carries personal, symbolic meaning for him. “In science, you have to take risks to make dis-coveries,” he says. “And receiving a professorship shows that there are people out there like Lou Martarano who are willing to take those kinds of risks on scientists and on science. I’m trying to pass that same message on to my students and teach them to be creative, take chanc-es, and believe in their own ideas.”

Chronicle of Higher Education: Penn State is the top producer of Fulbright Scholars nationwide

Wall Street Journal:Penn State is the #1 choice of corporate recruiters

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Dr. Barbara Miller believes a cure for childhood can-cer is getting closer. And as the Christopher Millard Endowed Chair for Pediatric Cancer Research and chief of the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital, she hopes that her research on how cells become cancerous and how treatments can increase cures while causing fewer side effects will be part of the answer. For Dr. Miller, though, there’s one clear way to make a difference within and beyond the laboratory.

“I’ve seen how much has been achieved through philan-thropy both in terms of taking care of patients and in terms of research,” Dr. Miller says. “I’ve seen how many

Care and CurePenn State students and physicians partner to fight childhood cancer

e n D o W e D P o S i T i o n S , e x T r a o r D i n a r y D i S C o v e r i e S

Faculty endowments at every level, from Early Career Profes-sorships to department head chairs, are increasingly important in accelerating efforts in fields ranging from nanomedicine to sustainable energy. By providing seed money for innovative investigations, these funds allow faculty to secure preliminary results and compete for additional funding from government and industry. Endowments also help Penn State to create a vibrant research community by bringing experienced and emerging researchers together and sparking the dialogue that leads to discovery.

More than 775 patents have been issued to the Penn State Research Foundation


families have benefited. I personally have benefited by being able to continue my research and to help chil-dren, and one day, I hope to substantially contribute to an endowment like the Millard Chair, too. ”

In 2004, Dr. Miller became the first to hold the Millard Endowed Chair in Pediatric Oncology, named for the young cancer patient whose fight inspired the creation of The Four Diamonds Fund. In 1977, Penn State stu-dents held the first IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (THON) to benefit The Four Diamonds Fund and has since raised $89 million for the endowment.

While the fund’s original focus was the support of fami-lies with children undergoing treatment for cancer, its growth has helped to accelerate research toward a cure. Resources from the fund were used to establish the Millard Chair, which supplements Dr. Miller’s salary and enables her to support assistants in her lab, secure supplies, pursue innovative studies, and attract larger grants to sustain her work long-term.

“The Millard Chair has allowed me to do things which I otherwise would not have been able to do, including efforts not covered by external funding,” Dr. Miller says. “Having this chair allows me to look at pediatric cancer from new approaches, so it’s been very important in the novelty and the stability of my research.”

Because the endowment lasts in perpetuity, the Millard Chair will also attract high-quality faculty and students to follow in Dr. Miller’s footsteps. This permanent funding also means that the discoveries in the lab will translate quickly to patient care. “Thanks to donors, we are capable of doing much more cutting-edge experi-ments,” says Dr. Miller’s research partner, Dr. Sinisa Dovat, director of Pediatric Translational Research and Experimental Therapeutics at Penn State Hershey.

Dr. Dovat also benefits from the efforts of THON through The Four Diamonds Fund Endowment for the Pediatric Cancer Experimental Therapeutics Program. “We can do things in two, three years that used to take really ten to fifteen years,” he says. “We want to really advance this very rapidly towards patient care, and that would definitely be impossible without donors.”

Today, Dr. Miller works closely with THON’s student volunteers to show them what their support is ac-complishing. Among the honors, this year, Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital was named one of the best pediatric cancer programs in the country by U.S. News & World Report.

“No other hospital has the funding and support of 15,000 students each year,” says 2013 THON Overall Chair Will Martin, a fifth-year senior. “I’m excited to see where the future leads. Dr. Miller is living proof that we are really making steps and advancements to finding cures to various pediatric cancers. It’s a great inspiration for us all to keep moving, keep fundraising, and keep raising awareness.”

Just as Dr. Miller’s work inspires her donors, she’s inspired by her donors. A scholarship recipient as an undergraduate and medical student, she understands how philanthropy has propelled her education and research—and she doesn’t take it for granted.

“Molecular biology has so much potential to make an impact at the bedside in cancer treatment, and our dis-coveries have very direct applicability,” says Dr. Miller. “Being able to see that what you’re doing is important and that it really has a chance to help people—that’s a very, very satisfying way to spend one’s life.”

Nearly 1 in 7 applicants to U.S. medical schools applies to Penn State College of Medicine

There are more than 5,700 faculty members at Penn State, but only 375 faculty endowments

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Across the University and around the world, Penn State faculty members are making a difference with support from our alumni and friends.

Celebrating Faculty EndowmentsEvery Day

Dan StearnsDan Stearns is not afraid to get his hands dirty. As the J. Franklin Styer Professor of Horticultural Botany, Stearns coordinates the University’s landscape contracting major and is recognized for his creative teaching and innovative, hands-on curricula. Stearns’ annual student-led projects have included major on- and off-campus efforts such as garden renovations at the Hintz Family Alumni Center and the installation of a rainwater garden and gazebo for a local community shelter.

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Dr. Peter HudsonAs director of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Hudson leads an interdisciplinary consortium that spans seven colleges and schools across Penn State and encompasses groundbreak-ing research in fields ranging from molecular biology to nutrition. His own work as the Willaman Professor of Biology focuses on how wildlife diseases are transmitted within and between popu-lations, and he is spearheading an initiative to build Penn State’s strength in the field of genomic research.


Dr. P. Karen MurphyP. Karen Murphy, the Harry and Marion Royer Eberly Faculty Fellow in Educa-tion, not only teaches students; she studies them, too. As a professor of educational psychology, Murphy is examining how cognition and motiva-tion affect the processes underlying student education, focusing specifi-cally on the comprehension of written and oral language. One of only five endowed faculty in the College of Education, Murphy has been recognized for her unique perspective on understand-

ing the process of learning.

Dr. Catharine RossCombining biochemical research with dietary studies, Catharine Ross, the Dorothy Foehr Huck Chair in Nutri-tion, is changing the way we under-stand the functions of vitamin A. The deficiency of vitamin A is one of the most prevalent nutritional deficiencies worldwide, and Ross is focusing her work on understanding the role of the vitamin in infection and immunity among other applications. She is the second woman in the history of Penn State to be elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

Dr. John M. CarrollIn a digital world, John M. Carroll, the Edward M. Frymoyer Chair in Informa-tion Systems Technology, is examining what makes human-computer rela-tionships tick. Director of Penn State’s Center for Human-Computer Interac-tion, and co-director of the Laboratory for Computer Supported Collabora-tion and Learning, Carroll’s expertise in interface design and the user experience has earned him a National Science Foundation grant of nearly $1 million to support his study of app designs for mobile time banking.

Dr. Mona CountsMona Counts, Elouise Ross Eberly Associate Professor of Nursing, is pioneering medical access in the rural Appalachian communi-ties of Pennsylvania. Directing founder of the Primary Care Center of Mt. Morris and its mobile care unit, she provides previously un-attainable health services to poor, medically underserved popula-tions. Counts is a powerful advocate for innovative primary care in rural settings and has participated in reform discussions at the White House.

Dr. Paul GreeneAs the Cooper Memorial Faculty Fellow at Penn State Brandywine, Paul Greene, associate professor of ethnomusicology and integrative arts, is introducing new audiences to the lesser known musical cultures of the world. Focusing on the traditions and practices of South Asian countries, Greene has authored over thirty books and chapters on topics such as Himalayan ritual mu-sic and Burmese Buddhist chant. He leads culturally immersive Penn State courses in locations including France, Ireland, England, Italy, and Morocco.

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Ensuring Student OpportunityStudents with the ability and ambition to attend the University will have this opportunity through scholarship support.

Enhancing Honors EducationStudents of exceptional ability will experience the best honors education in the nation.

Enriching the Student ExperienceStudents will thrive in a stimulating atmosphere that fosters global involvement, community service, creative expression, and personal growth.

Building Faculty Strength and CapacityStudents will study with the finest teachers and researchers.

Fostering Discovery and CreativityStudents and faculty members will come together within and across disciplines to pioneer new frontiers of knowledge.

Sustaining a Tradition of QualityStudents will continue to work and study with faculty whose scholarship is enhanced by continuing philanthropic support.

T H E C a m pa i g n O B j E C T i v E S

$348,087,866 $443,000,000 79%

$65,845,726 $100,000,000 66%

$102,133,943 $183,000,000 56%

$146,585,770 $266,000,000 55%

$284,365,951 $391,000,000 73%

Total to date Goal %

$713,927,718 $617,000,000 116%

as of October 31, 2012

Goal: $2,000,000,000 Progress to date:

$1,660,959,477

83% Time elapsed:78%

Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce. U. Ed DEV 13-07

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