Penn College President Emeritus endows emergency fund to honor father

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The College of Health and Human Development (HHD) recently received a $25,000 gift from Penn College President Emeritus Davie Gilmour to endow the George R. Saxton, Jr. Student Emergency Fund to honor her late father and help undergraduate students navigate unexpected crises as they pursue their academic careers. The fund will deliver support to HHD students who are faced with personal difficulties or emergency circumstances that inhibit their ability to remain enrolled, providing many with the needed stability to complete their degree.

“When you think about students who don’t have access to food, about those who have to make a choice between books and shelter or those that suffer from tragedy, it becomes clear that there needs to be a fund to cover those types of emergencies,” explained Gilmour. “Too many times, we lose students for preventable reasons. A manageable problem should never end someone’s college career.”

Unforeseen circumstances can create insurmountable obstacles for students. According to a national survey conducted at four-year higher education institutions, 39% of students experience some form of food insecurity, while 14% are affected by homelessness. With an average loan debt for HHD graduates $15,000 above the national average, Craig J. Newschaffer, Raymond E. and Erin Stuart Schultz Dean of the College of Health and Human Development said the need for emergency funds is clear.

“The George R. Saxton, Jr. Student Emergency Fund will be a tremendous boon to generations of HHD students and addresses one of the college’s most critical needs,” said Newschaffer. “While financial insecurity is an ever-present concern for students, economic instability in the wake of the pandemic highlighted the need for emergency assistance. Student emergency funds allow us to help our students overcome temporary adversity and complete their education in the face of unforeseen stressors.”

Born Davie Jane Saxton, Gilmour was raised in Enola, Pennsylvania, where she attended East Pennsboro High School in the suburbs of Harrisburg. Gilmour’s father, George R. Saxton, was a welder by trade and worked on the construction of Beaver Stadium, as well as the expansion of the stadium. Gilmour remembers the admiration her father had for the University.

“He loved Penn State, and he was thrilled to be working on those projects,” she said.” I remember growing up saying there was blue blood in our bodies, because ‘We Are’ Penn State.”

She recalls, from an early age, the family tradition of Penn State football games. “It used to be a Saturday ritual in our family, back when you’d get dressed up to go to football games,” she said. “My dad would wear a sports coat, my mom would wear a dress and my sister and I would get dressed up. It was always a big deal.”

Beyond a love for Penn State, Gilmour’s father also instilled in her an understanding that you need to make the most of every opportunity and that you have an obligation to your community, “I lost my father early, but the one thing he taught me was to make every day count,” said Gilmour. “Don’t put off for tomorrow what you should be doing today.”

She added, “When I was growing up, my mother and father were very committed to our community and often helped others through what you might call an unofficial community emergency fund. My mother was a first-grade teacher, and both of my parents were very active in community organizations in our home town. They would see what was needed in the community and always reached out to help those families in any way they could.”

Gilmour carried her father’s sentiment throughout her life and applied it to every stage of her career. After high school, she went on to receive an associate degree in dental hygiene, as well as a bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene education from West Liberty University in West Virginia. Later, she moved on to Penn State, earning both her master’s and doctoral degrees in health education from the College of Health and Human Development at University Park in 1981 and 1993, respectively.

Gilmour initially joined Penn College as an instructor and curriculum developer in the dental hygiene program. She also served the institution in a number of administrative positions, including coordinator of dental hygiene, division director for health sciences and dean of instruction, eventually leading to her promotion to the vice president for academic affairs. In subsequent years, her role was expanded to the vice president for academic affairs and provost. In 1998, Gilmour became the president of the college.

During her time as president, she oversaw extensive expansions to the entire campus. She is credited with more than a dozen facility expansions, enabling college-wide program expansions, creating over seventy new scholarships and developing relationships with an expansive roster of businesses — all with the goal to help students create professional connections and increase post-graduation employment. As Gilmour explained it, “We put students first when we made our decisions. I’m very proud of that.”

Gilmour hopes that this fund will offer solace to Penn State students who are struggling. She said, “I wouldn’t be where I am without my degrees from HHD. So, when I learned about the emergency fund, with all the real-world need that exists, it really resonated with me, and I knew it would resonate with my father. He was a big influence in my life. He believed in service to the community and in helping people.”

With the record-breaking success of “A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence,” which raised $2.2 billion from 2016 to 2022, philanthropy is helping to sustain the University’s tradition of education, research and service to communities across the Commonwealth and around the globe. Scholarships enable our institution to open doors and welcome students from every background, support for transformative experiences allows our students and faculty to fulfill their vast potential for leadership, and gifts toward discovery and excellence help us to serve and impact the world we share. To learn more about the impact of giving and the continuing need for support, please visit raise.psu.edu.