For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students, a seven-and-a-half year, $2.18 billion fundraising campaign, came to a close June 30, with the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS) twice exceeding its goal, raising more than $107.9 million. The campaign -- the most significant fundraising effort in Penn State’s history -- has set a new precedent for private giving to both the college and the University.
More than a third of gifts made to the college during the campaign were designated for endowments. Since the start of the campaign on Jan. 1, 2007, the value of the college’s endowment (market value) has increased from $45 million to $72 million. In total, the campaign raised $28 million in endowed funds and created 114 named endowments and awards, which will generate support for students in perpetuity.
“Our college has doubled in size since the start of this campaign,” said Carol Packard, director of development and alumni relations. “We have an immense need for philanthropic support in EMS. Our alumni and friends have risen to the challenge and made significant investments during the campaign, and we know that they will continue to do so moving forward. Their generosity truly makes an impact on the lives of our students and faculty.”
More than 4,000 EMS alumni and friends and nearly 400 faculty and staff contributed to the For the Future campaign. Thanks to their support, the college awarded more than $1 million in private, philanthropic financial aid to its students during the campaign.
“In the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, 79 percent of our undergraduates receive financial aid,” said Paul Robertson, a 1971 graduate and former chair of the EMS Development Council. “Helping students earn degrees in such critical fields is not only an investment in them, but also in the growth of American industry, the future of energy security and the health of our planet. On behalf of the college’s faculty, staff and students, I would like to thank our donors and volunteers for their generous support and for carrying on the Penn State tradition of giving back.”
Most of the college’s fundraising success during the campaign was realized through undergraduate and graduate scholarships, faculty support and gifts from industry partners. Donors to the college have pledged more than $14 million to ensure student opportunity through critical scholarship support. They also have given more than $13 million to support faculty, new faculty hires, and research. Finally, industry partners invested more than $70 million in the college to support research, lab facilities, software and a number of other areas.
“We have set lofty goals for ourselves in EMS,” said William Easterling, dean of the college. “We want to help provide the newest and best materials and energy sources for society while pursuing a secure and sustainable planet, and we want to train today’s students to be the scientific and business leaders of tomorrow. The gifts given during this successful campaign provide the support that will help us realize our visionary goals, so we are extremely grateful to our benefactors.”
Since its launch on Jan. 1, 2007, the For the Future campaign has been directed toward a shared vision of Penn State as the most comprehensive, student-centered research university in America. The University has engaged Penn State’s alumni and friends as partners in achieving six key objectives: ensuring access and opportunity for students from every economic background, enhancing honors education and encouraging innovation across the curriculum, enriching the experiences of students beyond the classroom and preparing them for global leadership, building faculty strength and capacity through support for dedicated teachers and scholars, fostering discovery and creativity through interdisciplinary research initiatives, and sustaining the tradition of excellence for which the University has become recognized around the world.