ALTOONA, Pa. — Steve and Nancy Sheetz, the most generous donors in Penn State Altoona’s history, have stepped forward with new commitments to enhance two signature programs they established at the Altoona campus, the Sheetz Fellows Program and the Sheetz Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence. Steve Sheetz is a 1969 Penn State business management graduate and a longtime leader of Sheetz Inc., one of the nation's largest family-owned-and-operated convenience store chains.
The couple were celebrated at a Feb. 27 event hosted by University President Neeli Bendapudi and Penn State Altoona Chancellor and Associate Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses Ron Darbeau.
“Nancy and I are profoundly grateful to Altoona and Penn State as the launchpads for our success, and we are glad to offer support to the students and business leaders who are looking to forge their own paths in our region,” said Steve Sheetz. “We also want to ensure that new generations of our own family, including our daughters, Megan Sheetz and Nicole Sheetz Frith, can take pride and play a part in the programs we have helped to create. We hope that our philanthropy will communicate how deeply we believe in both Penn State Altoona and the surrounding community.”
The Sheetz Fellows Program offers mentorship, special programming and financial support to Penn State Altoona students with the capacity to lead and serve in the local community and beyond, and the program makes its home at the Sheetz Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence, which offers a range of educational and professional opportunities for both students and local citizens.
“Steve and Nancy Sheetz are truly visionary leaders for Penn State Altoona and central Pennsylvania, and we are honored by their continued investment in the future of the campus and the region,” said Bendapudi. “Their generosity is fueling entrepreneurship, driving economic revitalization in Blair County and inspiring new generations of leaders to follow in their footsteps — ensuring lasting impact in the area and creating new opportunities for student success for years to come.”
In addition to the Sheetz family, Penn State leaders, campus faculty and friends, six current Sheetz Fellows who serve as leaders for the program attended the event. To date, more than 130 Penn State Altoona students have graduated from the program, which provides scholarships as well as career development programming and resources, access to leaders in the region and community engagement opportunities. Each participant must complete 80 hours of community service with organizations, and they are encouraged and supported in gaining international experience. The program is co-located at the Sheetz Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence, which also houses the Altoona LaunchBox supported by the Hite Family.
“The Sheetz Fellows Program has transformed and impacted our students’ lives, enabling them to discover their passions and strengths while developing the skills necessary for future success.” said Donna Bon, the Steve and Nancy Sheetz Senior Director of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Leadership at Penn State Altoona. “Thanks to the generosity, vision and support of Steve and Nancy, we are able to offer the students financial support and hands-on learning experiences that foster personal and professional growth. We can also point to the Sheetz family as an example of entrepreneurs and leaders who are investing back in the community, just as we believe that the Sheetz Fellows will do.”
The new commitment from Steve and Nancy Sheetz will help to grow the number of Sheetz Fellows to more than 30 in every entering class by providing additional scholarships and staffing. The gift also allows for an expansion of the Sheetz Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence to accommodate the larger cohort and allow the center to ramp up its events and services for current and aspiring business leaders in the Altoona area. A newly endowed position, the Steve and Nancy Sheetz Associate Director for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Leadership, will ensure staff capacity to oversee established and emerging initiatives.
“No leaders have done more for our region than the Sheetz family, and we are honored that we can carry forward their family’s name and values on our campus,” said Darbeau. “By growing both the Sheetz Fellows Program and the Sheetz Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence, their gift will allow us to reach even more students and citizens and continue to spark achievement and inspire service in Blair County and beyond. Steve and Nancy pour their hearts into our students’ success, and it is humbling and remarkable watching them mentor their fellows. Penn State Altoona is honored to call them friends.”
Steve and Nancy Sheetz grew up in Altoona, and they have built both a celebrated business and a family in the region. Steve began his Penn State journey at his hometown Penn State Altoona campus, then known as the Altoona Undergraduate Center before completing his degree at University Park. He went on to a series of leadership roles at Sheetz Inc. The company headquarters remain in Blair County, and Steve and Nancy Sheetz have taken on many roles in the community, at Penn State Altoona and at the University. Steve has served as a member of the University's Board of Trustees and has been a member of the Altoona campus’ advisory board since 1984. He also chaired several fundraising initiatives on behalf of Penn State Altoona. He was named a Distinguished Alumnus in 1994, the highest recognition Penn State bestows upon its graduates, and in 1999 he was named an Alumni Fellow, the most prestigious honor given by the Penn State Alumni Association. In 2015, Steve and Nancy were named Penn State Altoona Renaissance Honorees, and they both have served as Presidential Counselors since 2010.
“Steve and Nancy Sheetz are inspirational leaders for their region, their hometown campus and the University community as a whole,” said Alyssa Wilcox, vice president for development and alumni relations. “As we move into a new campaign, we thank them for their longstanding dedication and powerful endorsement.”
Past philanthropy from Steve and Nancy Sheetz has included, in addition to the gifts that created the Sheetz Fellows Program and the Sheetz Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence, several scholarships that have provided support to more than 1,500 students over the years, funds for programming at the Sheetz Center and the Penn State Altoona campus and resources to help students facing food insecurity and other hardships. The couple belongs to the Elm Circle of the Mount Nittany Society, Penn State’s highest level of recognition for its donors, and they were named the University’s Philanthropists of the Year in 2010.
Donors like Steve and Nancy Sheetz 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.