Penn State University (PSU) will begin a need-based program this fall to financially support underrepresented engineering students with a $15.5 million donation and an additional institutional match of $10 million.
The A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation recently committed the donation to create the A. James Clark Scholars Program in the Penn State College of Engineering to support high-achieving engineering students with significant financial need. PSU then added to that, in what is its largest match to a private philanthropic gift in the university’s history.
The objective of the Clark foundation is “to enable students who are really smart, driven and hard-working but don’t have resources,” and that is Penn State’s priority too, said Dr. Justin Schwartz, Harold and Inge Marcus Dean of Engineering at the university, to Diverse. That’s why the university matched the foundation’s gift.
“We had a match program for scholarships, which aligns perfectly with the Clark program; it was a match made in heaven,” said Schwartz, referring to the university’s Open Doors scholarship program, which seeks to ensure “that each student, regardless of heritage, individual characteristics or financial well-being, has access to a timely degree.”
The Clark Scholars program will have a total cohort of 40, with the first 10 Clark Scholars admitted this fall to the Penn State College of Engineering. Students will be supported through all their years of study. The funding from both the Clark Foundation and Penn State is endowed, so it will continue to support the program in perpetuity. The Clark Scholars Program is currently in place at 10 universities, including Johns Hopkins University, the University of Pennsylvania and Virginia Tech.
“We chose to partner with Penn State because of their powerhouse engineering program, but also because of where they want to go — the Open Doors imperative of the ‘Greater Penn State’ campaign closely aligns with the Foundation and Mr. Clark’s beliefs that one’s financial status should not determine one’s path in life,” said Joe Del Guercio, president and chief executive of the Clark Foundation, in a statement.
The Clark Scholars will be selected on academic merit, extracurricular leadership and demonstrated commitment to civic improvement, in line with the foundation’s ideals. The engineering school has reached out to broadly eligible students admitted for this coming fall and pointed them to the scholarship program. Those who want to apply will write essays demonstrating the qualities that make them eligible for the scholarship.
