Administration

Women's Philanthropic Network at Penn State York holds inaugural event

Talking about teaching, Molly Barron, wife of Penn State President Eric Barron, left, shares some tips with Emily Bodnar, a Penn State York student majoring in education and a Women's Philanthropic Network (WPN) scholarship recipient, during the WPN discovery luncheon on Nov. 16 at the York campus.  Credit: Barbara Dennis / Penn StateCreative Commons

YORK, Pa. — The inaugural event for Penn State York’s Women’s Philanthropic Network (WPN), a discovery luncheon to review initiatives for the upcoming year, was a success with 40 people in attendance on the stage of the Pullo Family Performing Arts Center Nov. 16. The new organization, the first of its kind at the University, is designed to inspire women in the community to become philanthropic leaders by engaging in learning, networking, and mentoring activities through the resources available at Penn State York.  

Special guests for the meeting included Molly Barron, wife of Penn State President Eric Barron, and Madlyn Hanes, vice president of the Commonwealth Campuses. The first recipients of the WPN scholarships, Emily Bodnar, Kirsten McWilliams and Giovanni Senno, also attended the event.

Photos from the event are available for viewing at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153628640805590.1073742052.88848090589.

In addition to the scholarships, funding initiatives recommended for the first year of the WPN include support for the 20th anniversary celebration keynote speaker for Pathways to Your Future, a program for seventh-grade girls that encourages careers in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM); support for the Nittany Success Center at Penn State York, which provides professional and peer tutoring, study groups, testing and academic coaching for students; and Teaching International (TI), a program designed to internationalize the campus experience for students.

As part of the meeting, attendees were invited to write their philanthropic passions on quilt patches, which will be joined together into a quilt to represent the organization.   The quilting theme included throughout the event was in recognition of Molly Barron’s passion for quilting. Ann Fetterman, instructor in English at Penn State York, created the patches for the quilt.

To learn more about becoming a member of the WPN at Penn State York, please visit york.psu.edu/wpn or contact Di Hershey at (717) 771-4127 or dkh13@psu.edu.

Last Updated November 30, 2015