WAVERLY, Pa. — Citing the urgent need for sustainability research, innovation and engagement, Mort and Sue Fuller, longtime philanthropists and advocates for ecological restoration, have initiated a transfer of Overlook, their 355-acre estate in North Abington, Pennsylvania, to the ownership and stewardship of Penn State. The Fullers’ gift, which also includes a monetary commitment, has a total valuation of $23.3 million and inaugurates a new era as "Penn State Fullers Overlook." The property will provide opportunities for cutting-edge research, facilitate on-site learning and enable collaborative partnerships with sustainability-oriented organizations.

“With this extraordinary gift, Mort and Sue are making a commitment not just to our institution, but to Pennsylvania and the future generations who will benefit from the education and discovery that will unfold at Fullers Overlook,” said Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi. “Their generosity will serve as a cornerstone of Penn State’s work to advance sustainability and resilience in our commonwealth and beyond, serve as a responsible steward of our commonwealth’s natural beauty and resources and drive innovation in sustainability through world-class academic and research opportunities. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Fullers for their visionary leadership and their commitment to sustainability, education and innovation.”

The University will administer Fullers Overlook through Penn State Sustainability, which will facilitate faculty research, student engagement, curriculum development and community and external partnerships. Corey Gracie-Griffin, professor of architecture and director for research, will serve as the inaugural director.

Lara Fowler, chief sustainability officer for Penn State, described Fullers Overlook as an important landscape that will empower efforts around ecological preservation and rejuvenation, cultural and historical preservation and socio-ecological engagement.

“As the Fuller family has stewarded this landscape and cultural heritage for more than 125 years, we are honored to be the next stewards of this land and its resources to connect people with nature through research, learning and engagement,” said Fowler. “The considerable size and variety of terrain at Fullers Overlook — including more than 120 acres of forests, wetlands and meadows, as well as a lake that stretches across 39 acres — combined with a substantial array of buildings and infrastructure, mean that there is incredible potential for hosting educational events and programs that only a few of our peer institutions can lay claim to. That advantage will really set Penn State Fullers Overlook apart as a powerful beacon for hands-on learning and major scientific research.”

A storied legacy

Overlook, located 16 miles northwest of Scranton, Pennsylvania, in the pastoral Abington Hills, has been under the stewardship of the Fuller family for 125 years. Mort’s great grandfather, Edward L. Fuller, commissioned iconic landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted to develop a master plan for a weekend and summer retreat from their Scranton home. Fuller began assembling the property in 1899, completing the purchase by 1902. So began a more than 30-year relationship with the firm, which was expanded by Olmsted’s sons, Frederick Jr. and John C, under the name Olmsted Brothers. From that initial partnership, the Fuller family oversaw a steady progression of structural elaborations, expansions and enhancements.

During the intervening years, Overlook has been continually owned and occupied by E. L. Fuller’s direct descendants. Three generations of Fullers grew up on the premises. Following the death of Mort’s grandmother, Kathryn Steel Fuller, in 1964, parts of the property were divided among the family. While some pieces were sold, the majority of the land remained in the Fuller family. In 2012, following a dedicated effort to reassemble much of the original core footprint, Mort and Sue Fuller engaged Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects to draft a plan to rejuvenate and modernize the property for the next 100 years. Under the leadership of Thomas Woltz, the resulting master plan garnered the 2015 American Society of Landscape Architects Honor Award.

In concert with these restorations, the Fullers established enduring relationships with the University of Oregon and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF). At Oregon, the Fullers established the Fuller Center for Productive Landscapes, an interdisciplinary hub anchored by an annual summer field school experience. Sue Fuller organized this “study afar” program to bring students to a non-urban setting in the Northeast to experience an evolving natural landscape. Meanwhile, SUNY ESF faculty and students spearheaded an ecological assessment, or BioBlitz, to generate information that would support the master planning process. Penn State will work alongside these two institutions to foster research and educational experiences that enrich the training of students and contribute to the knowledge of ecological stewardship practices that can be disseminated regionally.

In addition to its significant acreage of woodlands, meadows and marshes, Fullers Overlook contains an assortment of historic and modernized buildings, including a manor-style home, several residential and row houses, modern farm structures, a boathouse and facilities dedicated to administrative activity. The old barn, built in 1903, houses a museum and large event space for convening classes, workshops and symposia.

Overlook initially included stables for horses, a small creamery, a dairy herd and a modest vegetable garden. In 2014, Mort and Sue hired two first-generation farmers to transform ten acres of the property using regenerative agricultural practices.

A new era

With its transfer to Penn State, Fullers Overlook will continue its agricultural lease to Endless Roots Farm at Overlook. The farming operation serves the community through its Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, which provides weekly bundles of fresh, nutrient-dense produce throughout the harvest season. The farm emphasizes the principles of sustainability by enriching the soil, improving watersheds and enhancing biodiversity. Its regenerative practices include reduced tillage, mulching and cover cropping. These techniques bind greenhouse gases into the soil, creating a net positive impact on climate change.

In recent years, the Fullers have explored options for the future of Overlook that would at once protect and preserve its natural beauty and also strengthen the property’s positive impact on the community and region.

“Our goal was to identify an institution that respected the proud ecological legacy that Overlook represents, but which also had the organizational heft and depth of expertise to make the most of its abundant potential for research, education and community outreach,” said Sue Fuller. “Penn State has really stepped forward to prove it is poised to meet and even exceed our expectations. That’s why Mort and I are confident we are passing the torch to responsible stewards who are able to guard and advance Overlook’s habitats and remarkable variety of resources.”

Mort, who was raised at Overlook, earned a bachelor's degree from Princeton University, an MBA from Harvard Business School and a juris doctorate degree from Boston University School of Law before going on to become chief executive officer and chair of the board of Genesee & Wyoming Inc. Fuller served for 30 years as CEO and 40 years as chair until his retirement in 2017. His wife, Sue Fuller, is a graduate of the University of Oregon who went on to a successful career in the marketing and communications industry.

The Fullers’ gift builds on a partnership with Penn State that was launched in 2022. Since then, University faculty and students have pioneered several significant projects. Ecology specialists conducted wetland monitoring to measure the effects of climate change, as reflected in benchmarks such as invasive species, water quality, biochemical interactions and extreme weather events including flooding and drought. A forest management team developed a woodland stewardship plan based on extensive data that was gathered on overstory tree species, diameter, health and vigor; a regeneration assessment; and analysis of competitive plants and deer pressure. A third project collected data on the Japanese Barberry, an invasive broad-leaved evergreen shrub native to East Asia that not only contributes to the proliferation of tick populations but also poses a risk to the forest understory.

Additional research projects are now slated to ramp up with the transition in stewardship now formalized. Anyone interested in learning more about Penn State Fullers Overlook can visit its new website.

“As the world confronts dwindling biodiversity, ecological disruptions and the destabilizing effects of climate change, it is more critical than ever that Penn State takes a leading role on the global stage in researching ecological challenges and incubating actionable solutions,” said Tracy Langkilde, Penn State interim executive vice president and provost and the Verne M. Willaman Dean of the Eberly College of Science. “Penn State Fullers Overlook will be an invaluable staging ground for our faculty—from our campuses across the commonwealth—to engage in research that cuts across disciplines, as well as for hosting on-site educational and community programs that are accessible to the entire region. I’m excited to see these projects gear up as we embark into a new era.”

Donors like Mort and Sue Fuller 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.