UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Shortly after Deborah “Bo” Sullivan retired from a nearly 40-year career in financial communications, during which she ascended to vice president and manager of investment communications for PNC, her reflections took her back to the place where her career journey all started — on a stage in the Penn State School of Music.

With memories flooding back and recognition that in the School of Music she found her voice, Sullivan, a 1978 graduate with a bachelor of arts in music, committed a $1 million estate gift to the School of Music to establish the Student Success Program Fund and the Deborah K. Sullivan Scholarship for Vocal Performance.

When Sullivan came to Penn State in the mid-1970s from the Philadelphia area, she started as a communications student, but like most first-year undergraduates, she said, she wasn’t entirely sure that she was on the right track. Over the next two years, she made a few stops, one in criminal justice and one in Soviet studies, but in the back of her mind music was her calling.

Although she was sure her dad was going to be against the idea, she nervously approached him ahead of her junior year with the idea of becoming a music major, she said.

“Then be a music major,” said James T. Sullivan, father of five, and chief engineer of design and construction for Conrail. “All I want is for you to graduate.”

With her father’s support, Sullivan explored her love for music and pursued her dream of becoming a singer, she said. She settled into the vocal performance focus within the music major and discovered a gifted voice that helped her blossom into a first soprano with a three-octave range.

With practice and performance demands increasing each semester, the rigors of being a musician set in for Sullivan.

“As a musician you are so exposed each day. Your every mistake is like a red balloon,” Sullivan said.

The anxiety that comes with being a musician was difficult, Sullivan explained, but she recognized that, because of her father’s support, she didn’t have the added stress of paying for unforeseen expenses student musicians can incur, like buying the college recital gown that still hangs in her closet.

“Music students constantly find themselves asking, ‘How am I going to pay for reeds, how am I going to pay for instrument repairs or a tux?’” Sullivan said. “I was lucky. I had someone who was willing to pay the freight.”

The School of Music Student Success Program Fund and the vocal performance scholarship were created in honor of her father, who died in 2017.

“This is my way of paying forward the unwavering support I received from my father. His belief in my potential and his financial support were pivotal in my journey,” Sullivan said. “I want to extend that lifeline to students who may not have the same familial financial backing, ensuring they have the resources and opportunities to succeed and thrive in their musical pursuits.”

After she graduated from Penn State, Sullivan found that her experience on stage combined with her background in communications opened doors in the professional realm.

Fresh into the workforce in 1981, she worked for Harper Row as an editorial secretary on El-Hi Social Studies books and took on a second editorial job in 1983 with Uarco, a business form printing company.

In 1984, she volunteered for “Americans with Hart,” the campaign organization for Democratic Presidential candidate Gary Hart, and in 1985 she moved on to Wharton Econometrics, an economic forecasting and consulting organization, where she became the U.S. managing editor.

In 1987, she accepted a communications position with PNC and remained with the company for more than 30 years.

“I didn’t realize this at the time, but being a singer was going to prepare me for success in almost all aspects of life,” Sullivan said. “At Penn State, I found my voice.”

Throughout her career, Sullivan said, she recognized more each year the value of being a Penn Stater. Besides the alumni connections, Penn State offered her a diverse educational experience that translated to the professional world in numerous ways. The gift to Penn State, she said, is a way to give back to the university that gave her so much.

“As a Penn Stater, you are part of a huge community of widely varied people with different strengths, different weaknesses, different interests and different opportunities but who all see each other, in a way, as siblings,” Sullivan said. “No matter where you go, there is always a Penn Stater. As a Nittany Lion, you can’t get lost, there’s always somebody there.”

Director of the School of Music Ann Marie Stanley said Sullivan deeply understands the values of the Penn State School of Music and that each year this gift will help multiple students progress toward their professional goals.

“I have always found Bo’s perspective on student needs one of generosity and compassion,” Stanley said. “Starting the School of Music Student Success Fund and funding a vocal music performance scholarship is characteristic of her empathy for students, and her insight into what young musicians really need to make their way in the world. We are so grateful to Bo.”

B. Stephen Carpenter II, Michael J. and Aimee Rusinko Kakos Dean in the College of Arts and Architecture, said that Sullivan’s gift reflects the transformative power of the music education she experienced at Penn State and by establishing the funds, she ensures future students can pursue their own musical aspirations without financial barriers.

"We are profoundly grateful to Bo for her generous support of the School of Music," Carpenter said. "Her commitment to 'paying it forward' embodies the spirit of fostering rewarding educational experiences for students in our college and will most certainly have a lasting impact on generations of young musicians."

The Student Success Program Fund, which welcomes support from other donors, and the Deborah K. Sullivan Scholarship for Vocal Performance 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.