$1.5 million estate commitment to fund equity-targeted scholarships

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Inspired by his love for his alma mater and a determination to drive forward equity at Penn State, alumnus W. Forrest Coley Jr. has designated $1.5 million in an estate commitment to fund three endowed scholarships, each of which is designed to recruit, retain and support students who contribute to the diversity of the student body.

“Diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging are central to Penn State’s academic, research and service mission, as well as to our commitment to access and affordability for all students who are prepared to learn,” said Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi. “When we create an institution in which all students are welcome and all have equitable access to opportunities for growth, enrichment and success, it is not only Penn State and our students who benefit, but also the world. Forrest has shown tremendous leadership in stepping forward to fund multiple scholarships that support diversity and equity at our University. I am truly grateful for his generosity and his commitment to our students and to giving back.”

A portion of Coley’s estate commitment will fund the William F. Coley Jr. Memorial Bunton-Waller Merit Hospitality Scholarship in the Office of Educational Equity, which will be awarded annually to undergraduates enrolled in the Bunton-Waller Program who have met a high standard of academic achievement, with preference going to students in a degree program offered in the School of Hospitality Management in the College of Health and Human Development. Established in 1994 and named to honor the first African American alumna and alumnus to graduate from the University — Mildred Settle Bunton and Calvin H. Waller — the Bunton-Waller Program enhances Penn State’s educational mission by convening a community of curious, talented and diverse students.

Coley’s gift will also create the W. Forrest Coley, Jr. Memorial Graduate Scholarship in the Smeal College of Business, with consideration going to Smeal graduate students who contribute to the diversity of the student body and who are members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council chapters at University Park. Coley is himself a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, having pledged the Mu Eta Lambda graduate chapter in 1995.

A third portion of Coley’s gift will be allocated to an existing account, the W. Terrell Jones Memorial Bunton-Waller Scholarship, which is designated to assist students in the program who are rated as having the highest level of financial need.

Carla Roser-Jones, widow of former Vice Provost for Educational Equity W. Terrell Jones, commended Coley for his commitment to equity.

“When I created this fund years ago in Terrell’s memory, I knew it would make a big difference, but I also knew my efforts would need to be joined by others in the Penn State community who share Terrell’s and my passion to create a diverse and vibrant student body in which everyone feels welcome,” said Roser-Jones. “Forrest has taken up that mantle, and I want him to know how grateful I am for the devotion he’s shown to this cause.”

William Forrest Coley Jr. was born in Philadelphia in 1963, but he and his two younger brothers, David and Neil, grew up in the Lang Manor projects of Steelton, Pennsylvania, a low-income, predominantly Black neighborhood, where he was raised by a single mother. Coley recalled that his mother, Joyce, had the foresight to enroll him in a Swatara Township school district in Dauphin County, where she thought the educational system was better resourced.

“To be honest, I was one of the highest-achieving students in my neighborhood and classes, but at times I felt like I did not belong,” recalled Coley. “When I outscored my peers’ academics, my success was often challenged with accusations of cheating, or I’d be forced to re-take a test in isolation. It seemed unbelievable to some of my educators that someone like me, and from ‘that neighborhood,’ could excel beyond my white classmates, and over time I came to understand how the school district was subtly rigged with obstacles bounded by class and race.”

Coley’s life was forever changed when Renee Mims Payne, an agent from Penn State Extension and herself a 1977 graduate of Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, saw his potential and introduced him to 4-H. At age 16 he traveled to University Park for the 4-H Leadership Congress summer camp at Penn State, where he was so impressed by the welcoming campus environment that it became the only university he applied to. In 1985, he emerged with a bachelor’s degree in hotel, restaurant and institutional management, followed several years later by a master of business administration degree from Smeal in 1990.

“I applied for every funding source I could find. Scholarships, grants, work-study jobs, hours at the dining hall, an RA [resident assistant] position to help with room and board — anything and everything to scrape by, because I couldn’t leave with a degree if I didn’t come up with the money,” said Coley. “I ended up graduating with only $4,000 of debt, but I realized then that no one should live the razor’s edge of financial disaster while you’re supposed to be focused on getting a world-class education.”

After two years in the hospitality industry and a year working for Penn State, Forrest leveraged his MBA into 27 years of leadership in the field of healthcare sales and marketing. Now “actively” retired since 2017, he spends his time as a member of the National Association of Realtors and real estate investor in Atlanta, Georgia. He also spends time volunteering in his community, serving in various leadership roles in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward, including chair of the Neighborhood Planning Unit, board member of the Historic Fourth Ward Park Conservancy, past president of the Fourth Ward Neighbors and board member for Our House Atlanta, an organization providing transformative care to end the cycle of homelessness.

For all his ties to Atlanta, Coley has not wavered in his commitment to Penn State or in his hopes for the positive ways it has continued to evolve since his introduction to the University in the late 1970s.

“During my undergraduate years, only about 3% of the student body was African American, and I don’t want to sugarcoat it, I occasionally heard racial epithets in the dorms, dining halls and on campus, and I also encountered bias from some professors,” said Coley. “But I pushed through those obstacles and left with so many friends from so many different cultures and backgrounds that it really set me on the path for who I am today. Fortunately, times have changed to a degree and I find that today’s youth are a lot more open to the importance of inclusion and equity than they were in my time, and that’s something Penn State can be proud of.”

But while social attitudes have improved, Coley noted, the financial pressures facing many Penn State families have become even more burdensome.

“My intention all along was to make a gift that would specifically help students from underrepresented backgrounds with financial need because having grown up in the projects I wanted to extend a helping hand to those who weren’t born into privilege,” Coley said. “It comes down to this: Every Penn Stater deserves a shot at their dreams.”

University leaders said they believe that Coley’s generosity will inspire others who share his passion for achieving equity of access and affordability.

“Forrest understands that when we marshal the resources to provide students with greater financial security, the result is not only a more diverse and more inclusive environment but also a student body that is empowered to dedicate itself to pursuing academic excellence,” said Marcus A. Whitehurst, vice provost for Educational Equity. “The entire community is strengthened by his philanthropic leadership, and the impact of these scholarships will reverberate for generations in the future.”

Donors like Forrest Coley advance the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students to join the Penn State family and prepare for lifelong success; driving research, outreach and economic development that grow our shared strength and readiness for the future; and increasing the University’s impact for families, patients, and communities across the commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting raise.psu.edu.