UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State President Graham Spanier announced the postponement of the 35th annual Renaissance Fund dinner, originally scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 9. Spanier asked for the postponement of the dinner, which was to honor him and his wife, professor of English Sandra Spanier, until spring because "our attention is so heavily focused right now on the troubling charges by the Attorney General."
Each year, the Renaissance Fund honors an individual or couple who, through a lifetime of service, has contributed greatly to the Penn State and State College communities. In its selection process, the fund’s board of directors seeks to recognize individuals who have deep roots in the Centre Region, close relationships with civic and University leaders, and a commitment to philanthropy.
The Renaissance Fund is a highly visible example of Penn State’s efforts to ensure student opportunity through scholarship support funded by private philanthropy -- the chief objective of the current $2 billion University-wide fundraising initiative, For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students. The annual dinner raises money in the honorees’ names. Those contributions are used to endow Renaissance Fund scholarships, which are awarded to academically talented Penn State students who have great financial need. Since the fund’s inception in 1969, nearly $9 million has been raised. During the 2010-11 academic year, 418 students received Renaissance scholarships totaling $611,000.
For more information on the Spaniers and their selection as this year's honorees, visit http://live.psu.edu/story/54089 online.