UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Thanks to a five-figure gift from anonymous donors, the College of Agricultural Sciences has established the Endowment for the Office of Access and Equity.
The endowment will benefit the college’s Office of Access and Equity by supporting activities and programming geared toward ensuring accessible, equitable opportunities and fostering an inclusive, supportive community where all are inspired to reach their full potential.
The donors, Pennsylvania natives and retired egg farmers, are passionate about education, international travel and philanthropy. They said they wanted to create this endowment to open doors for students from all backgrounds and help ensure they can make the most of their education and make an impact in their communities and their chosen fields.
“This endowment is wonderful in many ways,” said Laura Leites, the college’s assistant dean for access and equity. “First, it provides a foundation for other private supporters who value our mission to build upon. Second, it offers stability to plan long term and launch initiatives that will have the sustained resources required. It also gives us flexibility to respond to immediate or unexpected student needs.
“This gift has been critical and appreciated in launching many new initiatives in the Office of Access and Equity," Leites added, "including opening the AgAccess student lounge, purchasing school supplies and snacks for our learning assistance hours, and in supporting a minigrant program for graduate student organizations to lead activities building community and enhancing belonging and well-being.”
The Office of Access and Equity supports and empowers students, particularly those from historically underrepresented communities, students who are the first generation in their families to pursue a degree, and students from low-income households. The office provides services such as one-on-one coaching and mentoring, career and professional development advising, learning assistance and community building programs.
“We are committed to the success of all members of the College of Agricultural Sciences community and tailor our support to the different needs of our members,” Leites said.
Funds from the endowment can be earmarked for a variety of activities and programs, including, but not limited to, travel for student clubs to partner with similar programs at other schools, first-generation programming, wages for student tutors, student recruitment activities, graduate student programming and support for the office’s multipurpose lounge.
“As a land-grant institution, we are committed to making higher education accessible and a degree attainable to individuals from all backgrounds,” Leites said. “Offices like ours contribute to fulfilling this commitment by working to ensure that students from backgrounds historically underrepresented in higher education or chartering a new path for themselves, their families, and their communities have the access, support and tools needed to succeed.”
The creators of this endowment said they believe in the power of philanthropy, which was instilled in them by their parents and is something they have instilled in their own children, all of whom are Penn State graduates. In addition to this endowment, they also created a research endowment in the college and have established scholarships for nurses in India and for agricultural students at educational institutions in Zimbabwe and Gambia.
Leites said she is hopeful that this endowment is followed by others that will make an impact for students, especially those from nontraditional backgrounds.
“I hope this endowment and gift inspires similar private support from people who, like these donors, believe in what we do and may have had the access, support and resources to succeed and wish to pay it forward,” she said. “Every day I see the commitment our students bring to their success and how much they enrich our college community and beyond. Investing in them is truly an investment in our future.”
Gifts like the Endowment for the Office of Access and Equity 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.