Private
Giving
Penn State Intercom......April
3, 2003
Foundation's gift will help
Philadelphia students succeed
Penn State has teamed
up with the Philadelphia-based Brook J. Lenfest 
Foundation,
Philadelphia Futures and White-Williams Scholars to create a new undergraduate
scholarship initiative at the University.
The Brook J. Lenfest Scholarship Program will assist eligible low-income Philadelphia public high school students who show the motivation and academic ability to attend Penn State and succeed in their life pursuits.
The University will manage and operate the program in cooperation with the Lenfest Foundation, and Philadelphia Futures and White-Williams Scholars, two Philadelphia-based organizations that help financially disadvantaged Philadelphia public high school students to graduate and pursue further education.
The foundation, headed by Brook J. Lenfest, will initially provide an estimated $1.4 million for the first four to five years of the program. The foundation's gift, in combination with traditional forms of financial aid, will cover the college costs of Lenfest Scholars through all eligible years of attendance at Penn State.
Lenfest is president and chief executive officer of Brooks Capital Group, based in Bala Cynwyd, which invests in both public and private companies, particularly companies that relate to media, telecommunications and the Internet, especially Philadelphia-area firms. He also is chairman of NetCarrier, an integrated communications provider in the Delaware Valley area.
Philadelphia Futures and White-Williams Scholars will work cooperatively with high school counselors to identify likely Lenfest scholarship candidates and will work in conjunction with the Penn State Philadelphia Community Recruitment Center to assist eligible students in applying for admission, financial aid and scholarship support, as well as assist with the scholarship selection process.
The University will manage the admissions and financial aid program processes and also the Lenfest Scholarship application and selection processes through the Office of Student Aid, in cooperation with the Penn State Philadelphia Community Recruitment Center and Academic Advancement Programs. In addition, the University will make available on both campuses opportunities for academic and social support, including additional courses to counter any academic deficiencies, counseling and tutoring services, and a residential learning experience for first-year students at University Park.
The goal of the program is to recruit at least 15 Lenfest Scholars for admission this fall. Additional students will be recruited over the next four years. Provided that the students meet the requirements for admission to Penn State, the foundation will guarantee each scholarship until graduation as long as the student maintains satisfactory academic progress toward a degree.
Citizens Bank Foundation
gives
$500,000 to Downtown Theatre project
Citizens Bank Foundation has given $500,000 to help create the Penn State Downtown Theatre Center.
In recognition of the foundation's generosity, the 13,000-square-foot, 150-seat, two-story live theatre space inside the building will be named the Citizens Bank Theatre. The Penn State Downtown Theatre Center, in the former Danks department store building, will open its doors for ticket sales on May 19, with its first show previewing June 2.
In addition to the theatre space, which includes the stage and seating area, the Penn State Downtown Theatre Center will hold a ticket center, fine arts gallery, lobby, dressing rooms and an administrative office. The entrance is on Allen Street.
The Citizens Bank Foundation is the principal charitable contributions vehicle of Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. The foundation's support is focused on housing, community development and basic human needs.
"Penn State's vision is to provide a quality educational experience for our theatre students in a downtown venue that will engage the community and stimulate the economic vitality of the region," said President Graham B. Spanier. "The support from the Citizens Bank Foundation will play a major part in achieving this vision."
The theatre, intended for both town and gown use, will provide the first performing arts center in the downtown business district of State College and alleviate the limited facilities burden for students and faculty in the School of Theatre and its professional arm, Pennsylvania Centre Stage. The School of Theatre has long sought a third performance space to complement two existing theatres on the University Park campus, The Playhouse and The Pavilion, according to Dan Carter, director of Penn State's School of Theatre.
"We couldn't be happier with this opportunity to reach out to existing and new audiences, an opportunity that only a theatre in the heart of town can offer," said Carter. "This is an exhilarating time for Penn State Theatre and the community, and I foresee exciting things in our future due to the ongoing support of President Spanier and our downtown business partners."
To promote the new location, all Pennsylvania Centre Stage shows for the 2003 season will be held in the new theatre. The Penn State Downtown Theatre Center is another example of the longstanding outreach mission of Pennsylvania Centre Stage, which serves both the University community and the surrounding region.
The theatre's premiere season -- and Pennsylvania Centre Stage's 19th -- will open on June 2 with the Neil Simon comedy classic "Broadway Bound," which will run through June 21.