UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Two of Penn State’s most generous supporters and prominent alumni leaders have made a new commitment to support students impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Helen S. Hintz, class of 1960, and Edward “Ed” R. Hintz, class of 1959, have directed $100,000 to the Student Care and Advocacy Emergency Fund. It is the largest gift to date for the fund, which will provide financial support for those students who are challenged to afford housing, transportation, resources for remote learning or other basic needs.
“The Hintz family has long led the way in supporting Penn State students and helping them to fulfill their potential for leadership and success,” said Penn State President Eric J. Barron. “The family’s gifts to the Student Care and Advocacy Emergency Fund will not only provide critical assistance to those struggling to overcome the many challenges created by COVID-19. The generosity of the Hintz family will also affirm that no Penn Stater is alone and that our community remains strong, united and supportive of each other, even in difficult times.”
In 2016, the Hintz family was named the University’s Philanthropists of the Year for their support of areas across Penn State, including the Hintz Family Alumni Center, The Arboretum at Penn State, and the Presidential Leadership Academy. Throughout the present crisis, they have remained in touch with the students who are currently participating in the latter program, which prepares Penn Staters to be ethical leaders in a complex world. Through weekly Zoom calls with students, the Hintzes have learned about the challenges many are facing, and they were inspired to help.
“The Student Care Fund is relatively modest, but the need for students is great,” said the Hintzes. “The COVID-19 virus is powerful and historic. We want to help those students who, through no fault of their own, face obstacles at an important time in their student life.”
The Hintzes have led through their volunteer service, as well as their philanthropy. Ed Hintz is a past chair of Penn State’s Board of Trustees, and he has served as president of the Penn State Development Council and the Smeal Alumni Society Board of Directors. He chaired the University’s “Grand Destiny” campaign. In that effort, Helen Hintz was vice chair of the College, Campus and Unit initiatives, chair of Health and Human Development’s committee and chair of the University’s Women in Philanthropy committee. Helen received the University’s Fundraising Volunteer of the Year award in 2006, and Ed was named a Distinguished Alumnus, Penn State’s highest honor for its graduates, in 1987.
The Hintzes met as Penn State students. Ed received his undergraduate degree in finance from the Smeal College of Business in 1959, and he earned a master of business administration from the Harvard Graduate School of Business. He is president of Hintz Capital Management, a private money-management firm. Helen is a 1960 graduate of the College of Health and Human Development with a degree in consumer services. She holds a master’s degree in nutrition from New York University.
To learn more about the University’s response to the COVID-19 crisis, visit virusinfo.psu.edu. Gifts to the Student Care and Advocacy Emergency Fund, coronavirus research, and other urgent needs can be made at raise.psu.edu/response.