$7 Million Gift From Hucks Puts Grand Destiny Campaign Over $1 Billion Mark
July 17, 2001
Abington, PA -- A $7 million gift from Penn State alumni J. Lloyd and Dorothy Foehr Huck has put Penn State’s Grand Destiny Campaign over its original goal of $1 billion, Campaign Chair James S. Broadhurst announced at the University’s Board of Trustees meeting today (July 17).
The Hucks’ gift will support scholarships in the Schreyer Honors College, a dean’s discretionary fund in the College of Medicine, and construction of the new Life Sciences Building at the University Park campus. This most recent gift, their second major commitment since the beginning of the Grand Destiny campaign in 1996, brings their total philanthropic support to the University to $21.5 million.
In May, the Board of Trustees, responding to the need for more resources for students, faculty and programs, voted to increase the campaign goal to $1.3 billion.
“The Hucks’ generosity helps continue the campaign’s momentum as we begin the final two years of our fundraising effort,” said Broadhurst. “A number of donors, like Lloyd and Dottie, having seen the good stewardship and positive impact of their previous gifts, are making another commitment to some of the campaign’s new initiatives.”
Lloyd Huck is retired chairman of the board of the pharmaceutical firm of Merck & Co., and served as a Penn State trustee from 1977 to 1992, including three years as president of the board. Dorothy Huck has held volunteer leadership positions with the University Libraries and the College of Health and Human Development. The Hucks, of Morristown, N.J., are graduates of Penn State’s class of 1943.
The Hucks have a long history of supporting Penn State. Since 1988, they have endowed four faculty chairs in medicine, health and human development, science, and the libraries; elevated a professorship in medicine to a chair; supported construction of Wartik Laboratory in the Eberly College of Science; created a biotechnology innovation fund, a University Libraries acquisitions fund, and funds to support faculty chair activities; created student scholarships in science, health and human development, and medicine; and created a graduate fellowships fund for all fields.
“We could not achieve nearly as much at Penn State without private support, and Lloyd and Dottie have long been among the University’s most generous and dedicated alumni,” said Penn State President Graham Spanier. “Their interests in Penn State have always been broad-based, and their most recent gifts are no exception. The impact of their remarkable generosity will be felt by generations of students and faculty across many disciplines.”
The Hucks designated their new gift as follows:
—$2.5 million for the J. Lloyd and Dorothy Foehr Huck Honors Scholarships in the Schreyer Honors College, to recruit academically talented students. The scholarships will provide full tuition and fees for qualified candidates. All students in the Schreyer Honors College will be eligible for these awards.
—$2.5 million to establish the J. Lloyd and Dorothy Foehr Huck Dean’s Discretionary Fund, to be used at the discretion of the dean of the College of Medicine at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, in order to advance the biomedical sciences and their ultimate application to healing. This includes hiring outstanding clinicians, researchers, and teachers; providing money for new and ongoing research projects; providing assistance for promising students; and underwriting curriculum improvements.
—$2 million to support the construction of the Life Sciences Building on the University Park campus. The new building will help Penn State meet steadily rising student enrollment in the life sciences and provide more opportunities for research impacting everyday life. It will house state-of-the-art classrooms, 38 research laboratories and offices, meeting and gathering spaces, and a 175-seat auditorium. It will be built between Eisenhower Auditorium and the Joab Thomas Building.
“We are delighted to continue our support for Penn State in these areas where the University is preparing itself for long-term academic excellence and leadership,” said Lloyd Huck, to which Dorothy Huck added, “We are very proud of the University and want to see it get even better.”
Currently, Lloyd Huck serves on the steering committee of Penn State’s Grand Destiny campaign, and Dorothy Huck serves on the campaign committee in the College of Health and Human Development.
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