“I got involved with SHM and making this gift because I want students to be aware of Chick-fil-A’s corporation and the benefits I have enjoyed since joining the company,” Bruce Herold said. “I am passionate about leadership and recognizing, and building on, those skills in undergraduates. I believe that one’s ultimate success in leadership is found in their character — what drives what they do.”
The Chick-fil-A corporation and its franchises have provided around 47,000 team member scholarships over the years, Herold said.
“Education is important both in my company and in my family. Both of my parents taught at Penn State," said Herold. "It’s important to us to provide that financial opportunity to those who wouldn’t otherwise have it. We believe everyone should have the opportunity to benefit from a choice education."
Donna Quadri-Felitti, Marvin Ashner Director and associate professor of the School of Hospitality Management, said Bruce and Lori Herold understand that supporting students financially is a critical piece in creating future hospitality industry leaders.
“Bruce, in hospitality industry parlance, ‘walks the talk,'” said Quadri-Felitti. “In addition to this meaningful gift, Bruce also mentors students in the Hospitality Management Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ENTI) minor, speaks to our students in professional club leadership positions, and is engaged in many of our Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society alumni events.”
Gifts like the Herold Chick-fil-A Leadership Scholarship in the School of Hospitality Management will advance "A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence," a focused campaign that seeks to elevate Penn State’s position as a leading public university in a world defined by rapid change and global connections. With the support of alumni and friends, “A Greater Penn State” seeks to fulfill 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 fueling discovery, innovation and entrepreneurship.
To learn more, visit greaterpennstate.psu.edu or contact Kathleen Rider, director of development in the College of Health and Human Development, at 814-863-1064 or kmr8@psu.edu.