UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State's 38th annual Renaissance Fund dinner has raised more than $326,000 to endow scholarships in honor of local business leader and philanthropist Dan Hawbaker, this year's Renaissance Fund Honoree. Five hundred fifty guests attended the Nov. 13 dinner at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel.
“The University is deeply grateful to Dan and the many colleagues, family members and friends who have chosen to honor him through their gifts,” said Rodney P. Kirsch, senior vice president for development and alumni relations. “The Daniel R. Hawbaker Renaissance Scholarship will make a tremendous difference to students who could not otherwise afford a Penn State education, honoring Dan’s commitment to both Penn State and educational opportunity in our community.”
The annual event raises funds for Renaissance Scholarships, which are awarded to academically talented Penn State students who have great financial need. The dinners honor community leaders, and contributions are used to endow scholarships in their names. Since the Renaissance Fund's inception in 1969, the total endowment has grown to $11.3 million. To date, 475 scholarships have been awarded for the 2014-15 academic year.
The Renaissance Fund announced Hawbaker as this year’s honoree in August. Hawbaker has called Centre County home since he moved to the region at the age of 6. Over the decades since, he’s helped both his family business and his hometown institution to grow. As president and CEO of the State College-based construction business Glenn O. Hawbaker Inc. (GOH), Hawbaker has partnered with Penn State through both major construction projects and philanthropy.
Hawbaker’s gifts to Penn State span more than 30 years and have benefited Intercollegiate Athletics, the College of Engineering, and Outreach and Cooperative Extension, among many other areas. Dan and GOH played a leadership role in the establishment of the Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute at Penn State. During his tenure as president of the Centre County Industrial Development Corp., Hawbaker worked closely with Larson and then University President Bryce Jordan to establish business incubator facilities on the University Park campus and in Science Park.
Hawbaker has also strengthened the Centre Region through his extensive volunteer service. He chaired the fundraising campaign to support the construction of the Schlow Centre Region Library, and he recently spearheaded a fundraising effort to benefit the Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology.
Supporters like Hawbaker are invaluable partners in fulfilling the University's land-grant mission of education, research and service. Private gifts from alumni and friends enrich the experiences of students both in and out of the classroom; expand the research and teaching capacity of our faculty; enhance the University's ability to recruit and retain top students and faculty; and help to ensure that students from every economic background have access to a Penn State education. The University's colleges and campuses are now enlisting the support of alumni and friends to advance a range of unit-specific initiatives.
To learn more about the Renaissance Fund program, contact Kathy Kurtz in the Office of Annual Giving at 814-863-2052.