Penn State Aspires to Greatness with New Fundraising Campaign
Penn State is in the top one percent of public universities in the world and is among the top fifteen U.S. public universities. The University’s everyday commitment always has been to do more and to do it better, to be elite without being elitist. Now through a new fundraising campaign, which began in July, it is committed to becoming even greater, to take its place as a top university that enhances the quality of life for all within its global reach.
Penn State’s ultimate goals for the campaign are to open doors, create transformative experiences, and impact the world. What does this mean for the Eberly College of Science?
Open Doors
with scholarships
Over the last three decades, rising costs and declining state support have placed an increasing burden on students and families. Today, many of the college’s undergraduates work multiple jobs while carrying a full course load, yet they are graduating with more debt than ever before. Many, when faced with these financial obstacles, give up on their Penn State dreams. Scholarships can make a difference. They allow students to graduate with less debt and more choices. Scholarships also allow students to take full advantage of everything Penn State has to offer—from research opportunities to internships to study abroad programs—experience that enrich students’ learning and open doors of opportunity after graduation. By investing in scholarships, supporters can help some of the most ambitious students reach their goals and ensure a brighter future for those students, their communities, and their nation.
Create Transformative Experiences
globally and in classrooms
In our rapidly changing, interconnected world, a compassionate and open-minded appreciation for people and the environment is important to ensure a peaceful, equitable, and sustainable world. Often, a college study-abroad program is a person’s first opportunity to experience the greater world. The result is often life changing. We seek to improve our financial resources so that every deserving student can experience the transformative power of a global experience.
Transformation also can happen in the classroom. The college aims to reorganize its classrooms into “active learning communities;” incorporate new technologies, such as “classroom response systems,” which enable professors to pose multiple-choice questions via an overhead or computer projector and receive answers from students using handheld transmitters; and train faculty members to become better teachers. The college also aims to grow its Learning Assistant program, which facilitates small-group work in large-group settings. Gifts to support these endeavors will make a tremendous difference in the quality of education the college provides to its students.
Impact the World
through human health
Over the past 30 years, basic biomedical research has progressed dramatically, and faculty members in the Eberly College of Science are at the forefront of this research. Yet, the basic science that historically has taken place in the college alone never has been enough to create life-saving therapeutics.
The college is taking leadership in four strategic initiatives within a new Biomedical and Health Science Network, including regenerative and genetic medicine, data science interrogation of human disease, evolutionary medicine, and therapeutics and diagnostics. By investing in faculty research, student scholarships, and equipment and technology, supporters can help the Eberly College of Science become a leader in health care research and contribute directly to life-changing outcomes in the near future.
By opening doors, creating transformative experiences, and impacting the world, Penn State and the Eberly College of Science are taking the University to the next level of greatness. Be a part of this exciting initiative. To find out more about opportunities to support this campaign contact Joyce Matthews, senior director of development and alumni relations, at jvm2@psu.edu or 814-863-1247.