UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Alan and Rungnapa Routh will give $100,000 through the Penn State Parent Philanthropy program. The funds will be divided between an endowment for the College of Communications, named the Routh Family International Education Fund, and funds for new equipment for the Career Services Center at Penn State.
“Many of our students know the importance of studying abroad to expand their understanding of the world, but they don’t have the means to do it,” said Dean of College of Communications Marie Hardin. “This endowment will provide that opportunity. As it opens doors to our students, it will also change lives. That’s incredibly exciting," she continued.
The Rouths have a long-standing history with Penn State. Their daughter Alexandra is currently enrolled in the College of Communications, and son Nicholas graduated in 2015 with an economics degree from the College of the Liberal Arts. Their other two other sons, Jonathan and Christopher, graduated from the University of Wisconsin and Muhlenberg College, respectively. Alan Routh holds electrical engineering and masters of business administration degrees from Oklahoma State University, serves on Penn State’s Parent Philanthropy Committee and Muhlenberg College’s Board of Observers, and is vice president of the Chatham (New Jersey) Education Foundation. He met his wife Rungnapa when they were employees of Esso Thailand, an affiliate of ExxonMobil. They reside in Chatham, where their children attended public schools in the School District of the Chathams.
"Penn State believes in the value of studying abroad but, due to limited funding for these experiences, they rank among the lowest in the Big Ten for percentage of undergrads who study internationally," Alan Routh said. "As Penn State parents and volunteers, we understand that global experiences are life-changing for our students, both personally and in their future careers. One of the initiatives that Parent Philanthropy presented to us was the opportunity to help students become global citizens who make a positive impact on the world. As a family that lived abroad, that aligns with our values and moves the University toward a strategic plan goal at the same time. In addition to our support of the study abroad effort, we have given funds to Penn State Career Services to help connect companies with students seeking employment in a difficult and fast changing job market. We are honored to help."
“One of Penn State Career Services’ long-term core goals is to expand its reach and impact via utilization of new technologies,” said Bob Orndorff, senior director career services. “Thousands of employers and alumni visit the University Park campus each year, offering advice to students. Too often, this advice is offered to a relatively small subset of Penn State students in a ‘once-and-done’ manner. The new equipment will empower Career Services to strategically capture the invaluable advice from employer and alumni visitors and distribute it to students at all Penn State campus locations, including the World Campus, while having it accessible over time for students to view at their convenience.”
The Rouths’ gift is comprised of personal contributions plus very generous matching funds from the ExxonMobil Educational Matching Gifts Program. This program is intended to encourage giving to higher education by ExxonMobil employees, retirees and surviving spouses.
Penn State Parent Philanthropy’s mission is to engage parents in philanthropic relationships with Penn State in support of University initiatives. Parents provide generous support for every college, every campus and every unit across the University – they align their giving with their students’ area of study, area(s) of engagement, or with their own area of professional involvement or personal interest.
Penn State’s parents, alumni, and friends are invaluable partners in fulfilling the University's land-grant mission of education, research, and service. Private gifts from parents, alumni, and friends enrich the experiences of students both in and out of the classroom; expand the research and teaching capacity of faculty; enhance the University's ability to recruit and retain top students and faculty; and help to ensure that students from every economic background have access to a Penn State education. The University's colleges and campuses are now enlisting the support of parents, alumni, and friends to advance a range of unit-specific initiatives.