This morning an AP story has been picked up around the country about our innovative fundraising initiative that was begun by several of our students’ parents to help other Scholars who are in financial need. This special appeal encourages parents who are able to do so to make a gift equivalent to the $3,500 Academic Excellence Scholarship their son or daughter is receiving from the Schreyer Honors College or in any amount that they may choose. Each year even after the AES and other scholarships are counted, many of our Scholars have significant financial need. Last year at this time there was well over $1 million in unmet need.
Some history about this fundraising initiative: Over a year ago parents of current Schreyer Scholars approached us and said that while they have been happy to give back to the SHC to help other students they realized that there are likely many other parents in similar financial situations who could help others. So last year a letter went out from one of our parents and the result was over $200,000 dollars raised, including a $100,000 endowment for a Trustees Scholarship. For the 2008-09 academic year, $120,000 was given out to 34 students who had high financial need.
The appeal has gone out again this year with a letter sent from another parent. It is important to note that in neither campaign have students ever been asked to “give up” their scholarship. This appeal is directly to the parents of students who have not applied for financial aid. It is very exciting and encouraging that it in such times of financial difficulties for so many there are those who are in a position to donate who come forward and enable us to support our students.
The announcement of this tremendous gift to the SHC went out on the Penn State news wire today. I have had the opportunity to get to know the Polis’ over the last two years and they are a wonderful couple who are thoroughly committed to Penn State and the Schreyer Honors College. It was our students who inspired the the Polis’ to give their gift.
“I was incredibly impressed with the quality of the students and what they were doing,” Polis recalled, “They are really motivated. At that point, I felt this was something I would want to support.”
Be sure to read the full story at Penn State Live. The news wire announcement:
Gift to Schreyer Honors College reflects Penn State’s lifetime impact
Listen to a conversation with Jerry Polis, and his Penn State connection
comes through loud and clear. “The biggest thing Penn State taught me was how
to think, and I believe that’s helped me a lot in life,” said Polis, who
graduated from the University in 1953 with a B.A. in commerce and has lived in
Nevada ever since. “I feel like Penn State was very good to me, and I would
like to be able to repay it in a small way.” Repayment came recently in the
form of a $1 million commitment from Polis and his wife, Lotty, to establish
the Jerry Polis Family Honors Scholarship to benefit students in the Schreyer
Honors College.
This video was prepared by the Lion Scouts and is a great reminder of what was just accomplished this past week at Penn State. As in years past I spent time with our Scholar dancers and recorded interviews with them. I hope to have the podcast done this weekend.
Merrill Lynch and their CEO have been in the news lately, but this past week the news about ML, at least for potential Schreyer Scholars, is very good. We just announced a $1 million scholarship endowment from their foundation. Mr. Schreyer is the CEO emeritus of ML. We are very grateful for this outstanding scholarship endowment.
University Park, Pa.–The Merrill Lynch & Co. Foundation has committed $1 million to endow four undergraduate scholarships in Penn State’s Schreyer Honors College.
Consideration for the Merrill Lynch Honors College Scholarships will be given to students in the college who have earned a high school grade point average of 3.5 or higher, and who contribute to the ethnic or cultural diversity of the student body.
“The funding of these scholarships and the enhanced relationship between Merrill Lynch and the college is in keeping with the vision that William and Joan Schreyer had when they made their gift to establish the college,” said Dean Christian M.M. Brady. “Their vision — to provide the highest level of academic excellence, build global perspective, and foster leadership and civic engagement — is being realized thanks to Merrill Lynch’s support.”
William A. Schreyer, Penn State class of 1948, retired as chairman emeritus of Merrill Lynch in 1993. The Schreyers gave $30 million to endow the college in 1997, and in 2006 contributed an additional $25 million.
The foundation is the philanthropic arm of Merrill Lynch & Co., one of the world’s leading wealth management, capital markets and advisory companies, with offices in 38 countries and territories. Previous support to Penn State includes a faculty chair in the Smeal College of Business.
Penn State’s Schreyer Honors College enrolls about 1,800 undergraduates and affords students exceptional opportunities to engage in research, travel abroad and leadership. Each Schreyer Scholar majors in a program in one of the University’s academic colleges and takes any of more than 300 honors courses that emphasize active and in-depth learning. Many Scholars have multiple majors and minors, and their academic career culminates in an honors thesis. The college is widely acknowledged as one of the best in the nation.
To learn more about the Schreyer Honors College, visit www.scholars.psu.edu online.
Today I gave a presentation to the University’s Board of Trustees.
Penn State Live has a brief review of my comments. I thought I would share here some of the stats and figures from the presentation as given in the Penn State Live article.
Admitted first-year students are offered the Academic Excellence Scholarship, a renewable four-year grant of $3,500 per year. The fall 2007 incoming class represents 18 states plus the District of Columbia and includes one international student from China. As of Friday, May 11, the college has logged 288 paid accepts; 81 percent of them are from Pennsylvania and 51 percent are female. The class’ middle 50 percent range of average GPA, based on Penn State’s 4.33 scale, is 3.98 to 4.33, and its middle 50 percent range for average SAT score, which also includes converted ACT scores, is 1370 to 1470.
And our goals in the upcoming capital campaign.
As the Schreyer Honors College celebrates its 10th year, University-wide dedication to undergraduate honors education has been solidified through the University’s upcoming capital campaign. The “Enhancing Honors Education” campaign objective seeks to add $101 million, of which the Schreyers’ $25 million has been acknowledged as the lead gift, to facilitate programming and scholarship funds. These resources will help the college recruit the best students in the nation.
Additionally, $5 million of the campaign objective’s funds will secure establishment of the Schreyer Lecture, to be given at Penn State annually by a prominent world leader. This event will complement the college’s annual Luchinsky Memorial Lecture, offered since 1996 and given by a speaker who exemplifies intellectual honesty, personal integrity and joy in learning.
I just received a message via Facebook from a student at Tulane. They are starting their first dance marathon (for Children’s Hospital) this weekend! Go Green Wave!
I happened upon your facebook profile and saw all of the posts about Penn State’s Dance Marathon, so despite not knowing you personally, I thought you may be excited to hear that Tulane is having it’s first Dance Marathon next weekend! It’s been a very long, tedious process, but we’re hoping that the strings get all pulled together by next week! Even if we only have a handful of dancers, we’ve already raised close to $10,000 for the families at Children’s Hospital, and there’s a whole bunch of kids from the hospital who can’t wait for the event. It’s not very exciting, but feel free to check out our website (www.tulane.edu/~tudm)!
It turns out that there is a very direct link. Jenny Smith, a junior at Tulane, grew up in Hershey where her brother was diagnosed with leukemia, but who is now cured and a sophomore at PSU, was helped through THON. The story can be found at The NewWave.
Jenny Smith, a Tulane University junior in theater and French, has been attending and working dance marathons since she was 4 years old, when her brother, Cory, was diagnosed with leukemia at age 3. Cory was treated at Hershey Medical Center in Pennsylvania, where he received help through the Penn State Dance Marathon. Now a sophomore at Penn State University, Cory is cured of leukemia.
There is certainly room for more giving to such wonderful causes! We wish you all the best TU Thon!
Chris Lucas, one of our Scholars sent the following email Dr. Oz, our Associate Dean:
Hey Dr. Oz,
THON was amazing this year. I am sure you heard of the $5.2million+
total this year but also my team (Atlas House) was first place in the
independent organization division with $86,595.68 raised this year. Of course, us nerdy kids almost immediately realized that this is a palindrome and have made plans to
accomplish that feat again next year.
Additionally, Springfield House THON (based out of Simmons) was second with around $62,000. So, in total, the SHC-based teams raised about $160,000 this year.
Being a Scholar is more than just good grades. At Penn State anyone who has a high enough GPA and class ranking can graduate with highest distinction, but a Schreyer Scholar is a student who not only succeeds academically but also engages the world around them and leads others in bringing a true, positive, and lasting change in this world.
Penn State is, of course, full of students, faculty, and staff who work for just such positive change every day and perhaps the single most obvious example of that effort is the annual THON. The Penn State Dance Marathon is the largest student-led college philanthropy in the world. Last year students raised $4.2 million for pediatric cancer research and for the last 30 years they have been partnered with the Four Diamonds Fund, a charity of the Penn State Children’s Hospital. Over 700 dancers will take to the floor tonight, February 16th and will not leave until 46 hours have passed. Thousands of friends, students, faculty, and staff will be there to support them. Most importantly, 187 THON families, children and their families who are directly benefiting from this charity will be there joining in on the fun, dancing, playing, and one will even celebrate his 8th birthday.
As a parent it is impossible for me to read about these young children, from 3 months to 23 years old, who are struggling for their very lives, and not be moved. But with the welling tears my pride swells to know that our students are working so hard for something so very good. The Schreyer Honors College has three teams representing the best of SHC. Our “official” team is SHC-THON, but the residents of Atherton and Simmons were not content with just one team and so Atlas House and Springfield House have been working just as hard to raise funds and a select group of dancers, who have forgone caffeine for the last two weeks, will take to the floor and eschew sleep for the next two days.
Leadership is not about giving orders or rushing into battle. It is providing the right example to others and a willingness to do it oneself and all the while doing it for the good of others. Our THON teams and all those at PSU who have worked to make this multi-million dollar success are leading the way, giving of themselves to help the lives of thousands of young children and their families.
This weekend is THON, the Dance Marathon fundraiser that is the largest college fundraiser in the country. It raises funds (last year $4.2M!) for pediatric cancer patients. Below is a moving video, be sure to watch it. SHC has at least 3 THON teams. Be sure to check out the THON entries at our student blog. All of the students who participate say that it is the most important thing they feel they have ever done. The stories of these children and their families are amazing. Be sure to go by the THON website to see ways that you can participate even if you are not in Happy Valley. And donate here.
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