UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — J. Randall “Randy” Woolridge, professor of finance in the Smeal College of Business; Goldman Sachs and Frank P. Smeal Endowed University Fellow; and president of the Nittany Lion Fund LLC, recently received the 2024 Lion’s Paw Medal during the society’s 2024 Convocation Ceremony. The ceremony took place during Blue-White Weekend at Penn State.
Lion’s Paw is an honor society that seeks to promote the welfare and perpetuate the traditions of Penn State. Since 1965, the society has awarded its Lion’s Paw Medal annually to recognize individuals who have gone above and beyond in terms of their service to Penn State.
“The Lion’s Paw Medal stands alone in the awards given in the Penn State community as it is the sole award intended to recognize an individual’s service, above and beyond the norm, to the University and its students,” said Rebecca Friese, Penn State class of 1993, chair of the Lion’s Paw Medal Committee.
During his 44-year tenure as a professor of finance, Woolridge has spent a lifetime in service to Penn State and has put the University on the map on Wall Street and within the finance industry. He has done everything from mentoring and coaching students, fostering job and internship opportunities to building relationships with financial institutions, and fostering fundraising connections for Penn State.
“The intent of the Lion’s Paw Medal is to award someone who emulates the values of Lion’s Paw,” added Lisa Bistline, class of 2006, president of the Lion’s Paw alumni interest group. “Someone who is humble, who values service to our Penn State community, and is a leader among leaders. Randy has worked tirelessly to serve our students and our community, reinventing his job over and over again as he adds valuable programs to the suite of opportunities he created for student’s direct benefit.”
The Lion’s Paw Alumni Interest Group is one of many affiliate groups of the Penn State Alumni Association which give alumni a creative way to stay connected with the people they knew during their student years at Penn State. These groups also give alumni a way to interact and network with folks with similar interests after they leave the University.
The group selected Woolridge for this year's award in recognition of his enduring focus on students, going over and above his teaching and job responsibilities.
“We’re thrilled and honored to welcome Randy among the company of Lion’s Paw Medal recipients,” said Bistline. "His impact has benefited the entire Penn State community. His work in founding and cultivating the Nittany Lion Fund, a student-managed investment fund, has created countless opportunities for both students and alumni within the finance industry. His creation of and work with the Wall Street Bootcamp has given students the valuable tools they need to prepare themselves for a job in the finance industry. Randy has also created another group called Leverage Lion Capital to create the nation's first student-run syndicated loan and high-yield bond paper portfolio.
"Through his tenure as a professor, his work with these organizations, and the relationships and reputation he has built within the finance industry he continues to open new doors and opportunities for his students and the University," she added. "Through his consistent actions, dedication, persistence, passion for the work, and commitment to teaching and his students, Randy has established himself as a pillar of the Penn State community and has been going above and beyond for decades."
Woolridge received the award at the Spring Convocation on April 13 in the presence of his family, Lion's Paw actives, taps, alumni and former Lion's Paw Medal recipients.
Additional information about Lion’s Paw and the award can be found at www.lionspaw.org.