Penn State Health and Penn State College of Medicine celebrate success in ‘Greater Penn State’ campaign
Penn State Health and Penn State College of Medicine have eclipsed their fundraising goal, raising $315.96 million and helping the University to achieve record-breaking success in its recently concluded, six-year campaign, “A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence.” June 30 marked the end of both the most successful campaign and the most successful fundraising year in the institution’s history. The Penn State Health and College of Medicine total represents a new high in campaign fundraising and a transformative investment by nearly 575,000 alumni, friends, corporate partners and others in its mission to improve health through patient care, education, research and community outreach.
“The spirit of generosity we’ve seen across our organization and our community is astounding,” said Penn State Health CEO Steve Massini. “Throughout the campaign, our donors helped us grow even during the darkest days of the pandemic. They helped us expand our Children’s Hospital, build a new interfaith chapel and establish Penn State Cancer Institute’s Cancer Assistance and Resource Education – or CARE – Center within Hershey Medical Center. Gifts supported lifesaving equipment at our community hospitals and covered the costs of a new ambulance and isolettes for Life Lion’s fleet. Thanks to the support of so many, Penn State Health has a very bright future. This is good news for the many thousands of people we serve each year, and we are truly grateful.”
The campaign, which began in 2016, was focused on the three key imperatives of a 21st century public university: keeping the doors to higher education open to hardworking students regardless of financial well-being; creating transformative experiences that go beyond the classroom; and impacting the world by serving communities and fueling discovery, innovation and entrepreneurship.
“Through their extraordinary support, our donors have recognized the tremendous potential that our faculty, students and staff have to enhance human health,” said Dr. Kevin Black, interim dean of Penn State College of Medicine. “In just six years, supporters have more than doubled our scholarship endowment and provided critical resources for recruiting and retaining leading faculty across many disciplines. The educational impact of this campaign is substantial: reduced student debt, new teaching tools and strategies, stronger research collaborations, the development of novel therapeutics and increased access to cross-cultural training and community outreach initiatives. Words cannot express our deep appreciation for all the ways our alumni and friends have made the College of Medicine greater.”
Within Penn State Health and the College of Medicine, top campaign gifts and priorities included:
- More than $165 million raised for children’s health by Children’s Miracle Network, Four Diamonds and THON and through gifts made directly to Penn State Health Children’s Hospital
- A $25 million gift from Highmark Inc. to advance research, education and care at Penn State Cancer Institute
- More than $54 million for research through existing funds and 36 new endowments to support discovery in diverse fields or to advance medical innovation
- More than $47 million for specialty care and clinical programs that benefit patients and families throughout the health system
- More than $18 million for medical, graduate and physician assistant scholarships, including the College of Medicine’s largest single scholarship gift of $4 million from the John E. Morgan Foundation and more than $7.5 million leveraged through three scholarship matching initiatives, including the University-funded Educational Equity Scholarship Matching Program that yielded 15 new scholarships
- A $5 million gift from Peter and Marshia Carlino to support inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) research, faculty support and patient care and name the Carlino Family IBD Center
- Gifts to establish 30 new endowments to support faculty, fellows and residents in at least 18 medical disciplines, including faculty positions such as the Chester Ray Trout Chair in Pediatric Surgery, the Children’s Miracle Network and Four Diamonds Chair in Pediatrics, the Cullen/Tombros Early Career Professorship and the Robert and Gail Zelis Career Development Professorship
- A $2 million commitment from the PNC Foundation to support Penn State Startup Week, Penn State PRO Wellness, Four Diamonds’ Mini-THON Leadership Summit and establish the PNC Community Health Impact Endowment
- Nearly $7.5 million to enhance facilities and equipment, including a $5 million gift from The Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation to support the Children’s Hospital three-floor expansion; a $1 million commitment from Di and Dallas Krapf to build a new interfaith chapel at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center; an anonymous $1 million gift to support construction of Penn State Cancer Institute’s CARE Center; support from the Giorgi Family Foundation for an advanced PET/CT scanner for Joseph Medical Center and sponsorship of original, diverse artwork commissioned for Hampden Medical Center
“Over the last six years, I have been privileged to see the Penn State Health and College of Medicine community – faculty, physicians, students, administration and staff, alumni and friends – join together to overcome unprecedented challenges and achieve unparalleled success,” said Peter Tombros, volunteer campaign chair. “I am grateful to all the donors and volunteers that embraced the vision of our leaders and gave their time, talents and treasure to enhance human health, and I am proud of the transformative impact we have made together.”
At the 2022 Generosity & Gratitude Celebration on May 4, Penn State Health and Penn State College of Medicine leaders, volunteers, benefactors and beneficiaries celebrated the success of “A Greater Penn State” in surpassing the unit’s goal of $284.8 million and contributing to the University’s more than $2.1 billion total.
“Whether through financial gifts, volunteering or simply sharing words of encouragement, each act of generosity has made a difference in this campaign,” added Kelly Altland, associate vice president and chief development officer. “Our donors’ contributions are impressive by any stretch, but the countless ways in which their generosity impacts people’s lives can never be fully measured.”
Details about the campaign’s achievements, as well as the results from every Penn State college and campus, are available at greaterpennstate.psu.edu. Stories about philanthropy’s impact at Penn State Health and the College of Medicine can found at engage.pennstatehealth.org/GPSCampaign.
If you're having trouble accessing this content, or would like it in another format, please email Penn State Health Marketing & Communications.