MALVERN, Pa. — Penn State Great Valley recently launched a campus Giving Society, inaugurating more than 30 companies and 20 people at a dinner and awards celebration on Friday, Oct. 11.
“It’s really great to have this Giving Society event to recognize donors that have been such a key part of the campus over our 50-year history,” said Chancellor James Nemes.
Though there are multiple giving societies across Penn State, there was nothing, until now, specifically for Penn State Great Valley donors. Erica McLeod, director of development at Penn State Great Valley, began implementing a campus giving society in the summer of 2018. By January 2019, the proposal for Penn State Great Valley’s Giving Society had been approved.
The Giving Society features four levels of recognition. The Silver Circle ($25,000 to $49,999), Gold Circle ($50,000 to $99,999), and Platinum Circle ($100,000 and up) all recognize a donor’s lifetime contribution to the Great Valley campus, while the Chancellor’s Circle is comprised by those whose annual giving totals $1,000 or more.
Joe Henry, a member of the Penn State advisory board and campaign committee chair, and his wife, Marilyn, were inducted into the Platinum Circle and Chancellor’s Circle.
“What I think is special is the way [Penn State Great Valley] relates to the community,” Henry said. “Tuition can only go so far in terms of providing facilities and services to the community. Through a lot of the contributions we received, we created the new Knowledge Commons and we grew the cultural programs.”
In addition to planning an event to recognize donors, McLeod also wanted to create a donor wall on campus to recognize the philanthropic support of Great Valley Giving Society members. The donor wall, located in the Knowledge Commons in the Main Building, was designed and manufactured in-house and installed using campus resources: The marketing department created the design for all components, the Innovation Center engraved the materials, and tech services installed all the elements.