IST Scholarship Dinner honors students, donors

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) celebrated the generosity of its donors and offered more than 190 scholarship recipients the opportunity to meet and thank their supporters at its tenth annual Donor Recognition and Student Scholarship Dinner. The event was held on Nov. 3 at the Nittany Lion Inn.

The program featured remarks from IST sophomores Nicole Buitrago, recipient of the Robert and Susan Bardusch Trustee Scholarship, and Philip Chwistek, recipient of the Edward M. Frymoyer Honors Scholarship, who spoke about their experiences in the College and how IST is preparing them for meaningful careers.

“This year, I received the Robert and Susan Bardusch Trustee Scholarship, and I’m so grateful,” Buitrago said. “With their help I am able to focus on my school work without stressing myself or my parents out. It means I get to work less [at my part-time job] and spend more time focused on classes and my hobbies.”

Throughout the event, donors connected with students to share their Penn State memories and reasons for supporting the College.

“Our family scholarships are just one small way that we can support the current generation of Penn State students, just as we benefited from help along the way,” said Joseph Atkinson, IST’s campaign chair. “The annual dinner is a great chance to get to know the IST scholarship students and hear their incredible stories.”

The dinner included a musical performance by the Penn State Concert Choir and remarks from both Andrew Sears, dean of IST, and Elizabeth King, retired vice president of human resources solutions and services for Starbucks Corporation. King is an active supporter of several University units including Intercollegiate Athletics and the College of Health and Human Development, and endowed the Elizabeth King Trustee Scholarship in IST.

Sears closed out the dinner by thanking all in attendance for continuing the success of the College. “In my role as dean of IST, I am humbled by the generosity and support from our alumni and friends, and am in awe of the accomplishments our students achieve in and out of the classroom. Each one of you contributes to IST in a meaningful way.”

Penn State’s alumni and friends 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 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.