New veteran scholarship honors Brian Clark's Penn State career

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The new Brian Clark Veterans Scholarship in Educational Equity, established by local State College businessman Terry Losch, celebrates Clark’s 41-year career in Penn State’s Office of Veterans Programs, honors his July retirement from the University, and will create new opportunities for student veterans for generations to come.

“I don’t know of anyone else who is more deserving of this type of recognition for their commitment to military service members and veterans than Brian Clark,” said Marcus Whitehurst, vice provost of Educational Equity at Penn State. “Brian is a well-respected and trusted colleague, who has always been attentive to trends or changes that may affect our veterans and armed services. With this scholarship, we’ll be able to support student veterans who need a helping hand in reaching their personal and professional goals.”

Clark, who holds three degrees from Penn State, joined the University as director of the Office of Veterans Programs in 1979. A veteran of the U.S. Army, Clark committed his tenure to enriching student veterans’ Penn State experience. He developed a team that reflects the diversity of the armed forces, built strong relationships with offices across the University and advocated — at Penn State, on Capitol Hill and beyond — for enhanced federal-aid protections for veterans and their families.

During his tenure, Clark oversaw the development and implementation of a student veteran peer-mentoring and faculty-staff mentoring program, played an instrumental role in establishing the new Student Veteran Center, implemented consistent veteran benefit certification protocols across Penn State and contributed to the improved graduation rates for veterans and adult learners.

With the Brian Clark Veterans Scholarship, Clark’s lifelong commitment to student veterans’ educational achievements will continue after his retirement. The endowed fund was established with a $50,000 gift from Losch, a friend of Clark and a State College native.

“Brian has given so much of himself to Penn State, veterans and their families and the broader community,” explained Losch. “Through this gift, I wanted to give something back to honor Brian’s lifetime of service to Penn State, while also helping to continue the important work he did to support our armed forces throughout their lives.”

Roger Williams, retired director of the Penn State Alumni Association and a former classmate of Clark in the College of Education’s doctoral program in higher education, said, “Brian has been extraordinarily devoted to the Veterans Program at Penn State. Due to COVID, he retired quietly, without fanfare and accolades, but he is largely responsible for building the impressive program that is in place today, and I’m glad that we all have an opportunity to join with Terry Losch in celebrating Brian through gifts to this scholarship.”

The Brian Clark Veterans Scholarship will provide awards to full-time undergraduate students enrolled or planning to enroll at the University who are United States military students. For the purposes of the fund, "United States military students" are defined as veterans, active duty, reservists or National Guard from all the U.S. military services. Each scholarship shall be awarded for one academic year and may be renewed for subsequent years.

Donors who share Clark’s commitment to student veteran opportunity — and who wish to honor Clark’s career and retirement — are invited to make a gift to the endowed fund at raise.psu.edu/BrianClark.

Additional support will increase the resources available to student veterans.

“I hope others will join me in recognizing Brian and celebrating his extraordinary career,” said Losch. “This is our opportunity to say, ‘thank you,’ to both Brian and our veterans.”

The Brian Clark Veterans Scholarship 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 hard-working 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.