UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Students in the College of Agricultural Sciences who have a demonstrated financial need are the beneficiaries of a new scholarship endowment created by a Penn State alumnus and his wife.
With a $50,000 gift, William and Teresa Robinson, of Freeburg, created the William D. and Teresa L. Robinson Trustee Scholarship. First preference for funds will be given to students enrolled in the Poultry and Avian Science minor.
The Trustee Matching Scholarship Program maximizes the impact of private giving while directing funds to students as quickly as possible, meeting the urgent need for scholarship support. For Trustee Scholarships created through the end of For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students on June 30, Penn State will provide an annual 10 percent match of the total pledge or gift.
This level is an increase from the program's original match of 5 percent, and it is available only for new endowments of $50,000 or more. The University match, which is approximately double the endowment's annual spendable income, continues in perpetuity, multiplying the support available for students with financial need.
William Robinson graduated from the College of Agricultural Sciences in 1984 with a degree in Agricultural Business Management. He attended Penn State Schuylkill before completing his studies at the University Park campus.
The Robinsons, who have two daughters, own two businesses: Kreamer Feed Inc. and BJE Poultry. William Robinson, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps, is retired president of Kreamer Feed.
"Teri and I are pleased to begin giving back to Penn State," said William Robinson. "The University has meant so much to us personally and to my respective businesses, which have benefited specifically from Poultry and Avian Science minors. We are excited about helping out future Penn State Ag Sciences students."
The Robinsons' gift will help the College of Agricultural Sciences to achieve the goals of For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students. This University-wide effort is directed toward a shared vision of Penn State as the most comprehensive, student-centered research university in America.
The University is engaging Penn State's alumni and friends as partners in achieving six key objectives: ensuring student access and opportunity, enhancing honors education, enriching the student experience, building faculty strength and capacity, fostering discovery and creativity, and sustaining the University's tradition of quality. The campaign's top priority is keeping a Penn State degree affordable for students and families. The For the Future campaign is the most ambitious effort of its kind in Penn State's history, with the goal of securing $2 billion by 2014.