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Senior Director of Development and Alumni Relations
Lydell Sargeant

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A gift directed to the College of the Liberal Arts makes it easier for us to provide a transformative liberal arts education to any diligent student who seeks it, strengthen our academic programs, broaden our portfolio of professional development experiences, and recruit and retain the leading scholars within the liberal arts disciplines. 

Scroll down to learn more about donating to a specific fund.

Liberal Arts students Casey Sennett (left) and Ima Bazan (right) sit on Old Main lawn in October 2022
Liberal Arts students Casey Sennett (left) and Ima Bazan (right) sit on Old Main lawn in October 2022
The scholarship I received from the College of the Liberal Arts was immensely important because it allowed me to focus entirely on my studies without having to devote time and energy to a part-time job. Before having been awarded this scholarship, I held a part-time job at FedEx, where I would lift and load boxes for five hours a day, three days a week. Needless to say, this scholarship also alleviated much mental and physical stress.
KatoGriffiths (1)
Kato Griffiths

Scholarships

Scholarships help relieve the financial and emotional anxiety of students for whom a Penn State education may otherwise be out of reach 

This fund provides support to students registered as part-time, half-time, or full-time with at least one major in the College of the Liberal Arts. This scholarship is not endowed, so all contributions go directly to students. 

Make a gift to the General Scholarship Fund

Established in April 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency scholarships are available to Liberal Arts undergraduate, graduate, and World Campus students who are experiencing unforeseen financial setbacks and demonstrate a need for temporary assistance. This scholarship is not endowed, so all contributions go directly to students. 

Make a gift to the Emergency Scholarship Fund

Established in 1993 by the Liberal Arts Alumni Society Board of Directors, this endowed scholarship supports full-time Liberal Arts undergraduate students who have completed their second year. 

Make a gift to the Alumni Society Endowed Scholarship Fund

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Career-Readiness

To fully benefit from all a liberal arts education has to offer, students need to engage in internships, education abroad, research, conferences, and other experiences beyond the classroom. These experiences allow students to step out of their comfort zones, cultivate intangible skills, and apply what they have learned in the classroom in real-world settings. 

These kinds of opportunities can be out of reach for many students—especially those from lower-income families. With the help of alumni and friends, the college can provide supplemental funding for out-of-classroom experiences that many students simply cannot afford.  

In addition to supporting the Career Enrichment Network’s mentoring, career development, and curriculum development programs, the Liberal Arts Edge Fund also supports undergraduate students who are completing internships, global experiences, research, or other out-of-classroom experiences. 

Make a gift to the Liberal Arts Edge Fund

This endowment supports the Chaiken Center for Student Success’ mission to provide resources, counseling services, programming, and support to Liberal Arts students. 

Make a gift to the Chaiken Center for Student Success Endowment

This endowment provides recognition and financial support to outstanding undergraduate students enrolled or planning to enroll in the Paterno Fellows Program, an innovative program offered jointly by the College of the Liberal Arts and Schreyer Honors College that encourages students to challenge themselves academically and distinguish themselves in areas traditionally associated with the liberal arts. 

Make a gift to the Paterno Family Student Fund

Gifts to this fund give the Career Enrichment Network greater flexibility to support students seeking opportunities to engage in career, international, and professional development activities. 

Make a gift to the Career Enrichment Network

Established in 2001 by the Liberal Arts Alumni Society Board of Directors, this endowment provides Liberal Arts undergraduate students with support for internships, education abroad, and research. 

Make a gift to the Alumni Society Undergraduate Enrichment Endowment

I was really grateful and lucky to get the Chapel Internship funding. It covered all of my housing this summer, so I’ve been able to be a little more financially-stress free.
Benjamin Burlovic
Benjamin Burlovic
Enrichment FundingInternational ResearchUndergrad Research

Sarah Paterno

’22
Anthropology
|
Psychology
Anthropology
Psychology
Sarah received enrichment funding to spend two months on an archaeological excavation in Bolivia. “This project has taught me how archaeological research is carried out, and I believe it has prepared me for continuing research at a graduate level,” she said.
Sarah Paterno
Career Enrichment NetworkCommunication Arts and SciencesEducation AbroadEnglishEnrichment FundingPaterno FellowsPhilosophyResearch

Daniel Zahn

’20
English
|
Philosophy
|
Communication Arts and Sciences
English
Philosophy
Communication Arts and Sciences
As a student, Daniel, a Paterno Fellow alumnus, participated in a linguistics research project in Bassila, Benin made possible by the Career Enrichment Network, where his research focused on everyday language use.
DanielZahn (1)
Enrichment FundingGermanMultidisciplinary StudiesPaterno Fellows

Kiara Smith

Letters, Arts, and Sciences
|
Nutritional Sciences
|
German minor
Letters, Arts, and Sciences
Nutritional Sciences
German minor
Kiara spent a summer in Berlin earning credits towards her German minor. “The Paterno Fellows Program and the College of the Liberal Arts helped to fund my trip, which meant that while I was in Berlin I was able to focus more on my experiences and learning than on calculating and worrying about the cost of everything. Instead of staying in my room to save money, I went out and took day trips to places just outside of Berlin and a weekend trip out of Poland; I went to museums and cafes and bars where I got to meet Germans and make German friends.”
KiaraSmith2 (1)
BusinessChapel InternsEnrichment FundingInternshipLabor and Human ResourcesPolitical Science

Dan Risser

’23
Political Science
|
Labor and Human Resources
Political Science
Labor and Human Resources
Dan, a York, Pennsylvania native, had the opportunity to blend his two majors through a summer internship at Southwest Airlines, thanks to funding he received through the Virginia Todd Chapel Executive Internship Program in the College of the Liberal Arts.
DanRisser (1)
ArabicEnrichment FundingInternational PoliticsLatin American StudiesMiddle East StudiesPaterno FellowsSpanishUndergrad Research

Luisina Kemanian-Leites

’23
International Politics
|
Arabic minor
|
Middle East Studies minor
|
Spanish minor
|
Latin American Studies minor
International Politics
Arabic minor
Middle East Studies minor
Spanish minor
Latin American Studies minor
Luisina received funding from the Career Enrichment Network and Paterno Fellows Program to complete research in the Children, Media, and Conflict Zones Lab at Penn State. She plans to study human rights law after graduation.
LuisinaKemanianLeites
Enrichment FundingSpanish

Stevens Gustafson

’24
Spanish
|
Marketing
Spanish
Marketing
Stevens spent nearly three months of his summer in Spain through two faculty-led study abroad programs offered through the College of the Liberal Arts. He received enrichment funding through the Career Enrichment Network to participate in both experiences.
Gustafson_Stevens

Graduate Education

Our ability to attract and retain outstanding graduate students is influenced greatly by our ability to provide fellowships, assistantships, and other financial support that make our programs attractive to them. Providing support that “frees” students to learn from and work alongside the leading faculty in their disciplines, conduct meaningful and influential research, share their research and network at professional conferences, and mentor undergraduates is a core ingredient in building a graduate program that is both nationally prominent and the birthplace of the leading scholars of tomorrow. 

Gifts to this fund provide the Office of Research and Graduate Studies with unrestricted support for graduate education. Funds may be used by graduate students for research, conference travel, assistantships, and emergency support. 

Make a gift to Graduate Student Support

This endowment provides the Office of Research and Graduate Studies with funding for new initiatives, programs, and unrestricted support for graduate student scholarships and awards. 

Make a gift to the Kearney Family Fund

Faculty Excellence

World-class faculty are the cornerstone of any great college. They examine our past through a variety of lenses to help shape our present and create a better tomorrow for everyone, and they prepare future scholars to do the same. That is why recruiting and retaining faculty remains one of the college’s highest prioritiesa priority that is more easily attainable with gifts from alumni and friends that support professorships, career advancement, innovative teaching approaches, and groundbreaking research endeavors. 

The Liberal Arts Future Fund provides the Office of the Dean with unrestricted support for new initiatives, faculty development, and programming and allows the dean to support the college’s most pressing needs. 

Make a gift to the Liberal Arts Future Fund

This endowment provides the Office of Research and Graduate Studies with funding to enrich faculty members in the humanities and social sciences. 

Make a gift to the Faculty Development Endowment

Gifts to the Rock Ethics Institute support ethics research, interdisciplinary collaboration, development and delivery of ethics-related courses, and the promotion of ethical literacy and leadership at Penn State. 

Make a gift to the Rock Ethics Institute

The Mathues Innovation Fund supports faculty research and education and provides funding for visiting faculty and support services for junior faculty development. 

Make a gift to the Mathues Innovation Fund

Kirk French
AnthropologyFaculty AchievementFaculty Research

Kirk French

Teaching Professor of Anthropology
Teaching Professor of Anthropology
In the summer of 2022, Kirk’s documentary—which explores environmental challenges faced by a Mexican community—was nominated for a Mid-Atlantic Emmy.

Schools, Departments, and College-Level Programs

Gifts from alumni and friends to the college’s academic units provide much-needed support for students, faculty, and broader initiatives within those areas. 

College-Level Centers and Institutes

The College of the Liberal Arts is home to numerous cross-disciplinary centers and institutes that promote scholarly collaboration, outreach, and student engagement. Support from alumni and friends allows these centers and institutes to bring their research and scholarship into the public domain, helping to inform practitioners and policy makers well beyond Penn State.  

Want to talk to someone about your gift?

Lydell Sargeant, Senior Director of Development and Alumni Relations, will work closely and confidentially with you and your financial advisers to ensure that your gift achieves your individual goals and expresses your personal vision. You can contact Lydell by email at lrs197@psu.edu or by phone at 814-865-3173.  

Gifts to the College of the Liberal Arts by check should be made payable to
The Pennsylvania State University and mailed to the following address: 

College of the Liberal Arts Alumni Relations and Development 
Attn: Lydell Sargeant
The Pennsylvania State University 
13 Sparks Building 
University Park, PA 16802-5200 

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