This fall, Penn State’s Society of Distinguished Alumni edged closer to its goal of funding a $1 million scholarship endowment by adding nearly $57,000 to its Trustee Scholarship in the Schreyer Honors College.
Led by the Society of Distinguished Alumni’s Executive Board, $56,900 was raised in the 2011 annual appeal made to Society members. In addition to supporting the scholarship, Society members participate in a mentoring program in which they are matched with Schreyer Scholars to share experience and advice from their careers and lifetimes.
At an annual Society of Distinguished Alumni Mentoring Program event earlier this fall, Cyndy Bober, a 2011-12 recipient of a Society of Distinguished Alumni Trustee Scholarship, thanked Society members for their support. A total of 13 Schreyer Scholars received Society of Distinguished Alumni Trustee Scholarships for the 2011-12 academic year.
“The award from the Society of Distinguished Alumni was extremely helpful for my family,” said Bober, a sophomore from Canonsburg. “Your generosity has made a difference in my life by allowing me to focus on my major in bioengineering without straining my family financially. My goal for the future is to be able to make an impact on the lives of others as you have made in mine.”
Bober’s financial situation is shared by a number of Schreyer Scholars. Only one-sixth of the Schreyer Scholars who applied for financial aid for 2011-12 received need-based assistance. Scholarships such as the one funded by the Society of Distinguished Alumni help keep a Penn State honors education affordable for students who demonstrate financial need. The Society’s scholarship, established in 2006, has raised more than $668,000 toward its $1 million endowment goal. More than $174,000 has been awarded to 61 Schreyer Scholars since the inception of the Society’s Trustee Scholarship.
The Distinguished Alumni Award is the University’s highest award for an individual, with fewer than 10 alumni receiving the distinction annually in recent years. Just more than 500 Penn State alumni have been named members of the Society since its founding in 1951. The award recognizes achievements of alumni whose “personal lives, professional achievements, and community service exemplify the objectives of their alma mater.”
"The Schreyer Honors College greatly appreciates the unique relationship established between the college and the Society of Distinguished Alumni," said Christian M. M. Brady, the college's dean. "It is exciting to see the progress being made by the Society's members toward funding their scholarship as a $1 million endowment. These alumni have achieved much and have made such an impact in business and society that it is most gratifying to see their interest in helping Schreyer Scholars further their studies to prepare to be the leaders of tomorrow."
For more information about the Schreyer Honors College, contact the Advancement Office at SHCAdvancement@psu.edu or 814-865-4258.