University Park, Pa. — Peter Dal Pezzo, and his wife, Angela, of Fresno, Calif., have committed $150,000 to endow a Trustee Scholarship for students who have financial need. The award, which will be named for the donors in recognition of their generosity, will assist students in the Harold and Inge Marcus Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering.
Peter Dal Pezzo, a 1968 Penn State industrial engineering graduate, is a retired vice president of corporate projects for PELCO, a California-based firm that designs and manufactures video security systems and equipment.
In 2003, he was named an Outstanding Engineering Alumnus, the highest honor bestowed by the Penn State College of Engineering. He serves on the industrial engineering department's Industrial and Professional Advisory Council and the Service Enterprise Engineering board.
The Dal Pezzos' previous philanthropy to the University includes a $3 million gift to endow the department head chair.
The Trustee Matching Scholarship program at Penn State, created in 2002 by the Board of Trustees, aims to ensure that a Penn State education is accessible to qualified students, regardless of their financial means. Under the program, the University matches 5 percent of the principal of each gift annually and combines those funds with income from the endowment to effectively double the financial impact of the scholarship.
Founded in 1909, the Harold and Inge Marcus Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering is the oldest industrial engineering department in the nation and currently ranks as a top five program in the country. With a roster of 24 faculty members, the department focuses on quality, hands-on education and concentrates on addressing today's most pressing issues through innovative research in state-of-the-art facilities.