UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Smeal College of Business has received a $1 million estate commitment from alumni couple Bruce R. Schock and Donna Schock, to create the Bruce R. Schock Professorship in Finance.
Bruce Schock, who graduated from Penn State with a bachelor's degree in finance in 1970 and a master's in economics in 1973, gets emotional when talking about his student experiences at Penn State.
“The University offered opportunities I never would have had at a smaller college,” he said. “I came to Penn State to study engineering, but during my sophomore year, I enrolled in an introductory finance course taught by Joe Bradley that was just fascinating and it opened my eyes to things I wasn’t aware of. Dr. Bradley took the time to help me understand career options for a finance major; he was very encouraging and positive. I switched majors, going from engineering to finance, and it truly changed the course of my life.”
Following graduation, Bruce Schock worked as assistant to a hospital administrator outside of Philadelphia, before enrolling in a local MBA program. Citing course content that was too similar to his undergraduate education, he withdrew from that program and returned to Penn State to pursue a graduate degree in economics.
“I worked as a research assistant for Philip Klein, who was just an outstanding man,” he said. “Dr. Klein understood there was more than one way to accomplish something and he gave me the freedom and the confidence to be innovative in my approach.”
He met his wife, Donna, during his graduate studies. She received her bachelor's degree in accounting from Penn State in 1973.
“I came to Penn State as an employee and started to take courses that I found interesting,” said Donna Schock. “But like Bruce, I found faculty had a positive influence on my experience as I explored areas like accounting, computer science and economics. There is such a breadth of opportunity at Penn State that really prepares you for success, all within this idyllic community setting. And it was powerful to have faculty members who made such a difference.”