UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State has named Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) as its 2018 Corporate Partner of the Year. The award recognizes EY’s longstanding relationship with the University, which has involved a vibrant recruiting presence and philanthropic support for initiatives that foster excellence and diversity at Penn State.
“The EY organization’s global leadership and dedication to ‘building a better working world’ align perfectly with Penn State’s drive to positively impact the world,” said Penn State President Eric J. Barron. “Our organizations have built a powerful and mutually beneficial relationship over three decades, and in that time, EY US’s support has strengthened our efforts to prepare some of the nation’s finest graduates in a range of business and technical fields. As Penn State continues to enhance its leadership in these areas, we look forward to growing our relationship with EY US and achieving our shared vision of excellence.”
The EY organization is one of the world’s largest professional services organizations. With its headquarters in London, England, and offices in more than 150 countries, the EY organization has approximately 260,000 personnel worldwide. Its multidisciplinary teams serve clients through four integrated service lines: assurance, advisory, tax, and transaction advisory services.
For more than 30 years, Ernst & Young LLP, the EY member firm in the U.S., has strengthened programs at Penn State and helped its students and faculty achieve success through a multifaceted engagement with the University. The firm has made major gifts creating scholarships and professorships in the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) and the Smeal College of Business. In recent years, EY US has established recurring gifts through corporate partner programs in both colleges that provide vital discretionary funding for a range of educational initiatives.
EY US is also a strong supporter of Penn State’s diversity efforts. The firm has hosted, sponsored or participated in such events as a multi-college Diversity Roundtable, and, in the Smeal College, the Striving Toward Awareness and Respect for Tomorrow (S.T.A.R.T.) Conference and the Powerful Women Paving the Way Conference. The firm also sponsors multiple diversity-related student organizations and initiatives, such as the Business Opportunities Summer Session (BOSS) at the Smeal College, a two-week program that gives students from underrepresented groups a close-up look at Penn State and business education, and includes a visit to EY’s offices.
Charles Whiteman, John and Becky Surma Dean of the Smeal College of Business, praised EY’s efforts to improve the workforce through its involvement with Penn State.
“EY has shown a commitment to being on campus and engaging directly with students in accounting and finance, as well as other business majors, engineering and IST. They do this not just through career fairs but also through classroom presentations and career preparation workshops, and by sponsoring student organizations and various activities. So our students get to know EY as an organization of real people. And because many students who benefit from these engagement efforts ultimately work for other companies, EY’s relationship with Penn State is really strengthening the broader workforce as well.”
“Ernst & Young LLP deeply values the relationship we have built with Penn State over the years,” said Angelo Annese and Mike Nichols, EY US’s campus coordinating partners for Penn State. “The University is helping us to achieve our vision of a better working world, and we are especially proud to have more than 700 Penn State alumni employed with us across the globe. We look forward to many more years of working together toward our shared goals.”
The University presented the Corporate Partner of the Year Award to EY US at a luncheon today (Sept. 28).
Former Penn State Corporate Partners of the Year include Schlumberger, AB Volvo, United Technologies Corp., General Electric, Chevron, Toshiba/Westinghouse, Dow Chemical, Boeing, Highmark, PNC, Barnes and Noble, Lockheed Martin and Bank of America.
Support from these and other corporate partners will advance "A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence," a focused campaign that seeks to elevate Penn State’s position as a leading public university in a world defined by rapid change and global connections. With the support of alumni and friends, “A Greater Penn State” seeks to fulfill the three key imperatives of a 21st-century public university: keeping the doors to higher education open to hardworking students regardless of financial well-being; creating transformative experiences that go beyond the classroom; and impacting the world by fueling discovery, innovation and entrepreneurship. To learn more about “A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence,” visit greaterpennstate.psu.edu.