A chemical engineering alumnus, who has chosen to remain anonymous, is continuing their legacy of giving back to Penn State with an $8.5 million estate pledge. Credit: Kelby Hochreither/Penn State.
$8.5 million estate pledge crowns legacy of chemical engineering alumnus
Apr 24, 2025
By Ty Tkacik
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A Penn State alumnus, who earned their degree in the 1960s and has since built a successful career in the chemical industry, has pledged an $8.5 million estate commitment to the Department of Chemical Engineering, funding multiple initiatives that will support the growth of students and faculty in the department for generations to come. The donor has chosen to remain anonymous.
"One of the strongest features of University’s community is the commitment and gratitude our alumni express to the school, even years after their graduation,” said Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi. “This incredible gift directly supports the next generation of University faculty and students in transformative ways, ensuring that future engineers continue to innovate, advance safety in the field and make a meaningful difference in the world. We are deeply grateful for their investment in the University and our mission.”
A portion of the commitment, in the amount of $500,000, will be used to establish an academic excellence endowment in chemical engineering. The new initiative will fund curriculum development in process plant safety, enhancing the department’s ability to teach students how they can keep workers safe when operating around hazardous chemicals. The endowment will provide seed money for new college programs and equipment, support students and researchers attending conferences and fund the next generation of process plant researchers in the form of scholarships and awards.
The remainder of the commitment, in the amount of $8 million, will be distributed to programs across the chemical engineering department. These initiatives include but are not limited to an early career professorship in chemical engineering, the academic excellence endowment and the University Military Fund, which provides assistance to outstanding students actively enlisted in the military and their dependents.
“We are incredibly thankful to the alumnus and their family for their generous gift to our department,” said Phil Savage, Walter L. Robb Family Chair and head of the Department of Chemical Engineering. “Their gift will directly support the work of our students and faculty across the college and play a positive role in their educational and research experiences at the University.”
The donor, who was the first in their immediate family to attend college, credited their decision to pursue an education rather than immediately entering the workforce for their professional success. After graduating with a degree in chemical engineering and completing military service, the donor built a distinguished career, working extensively in process safety and loss prevention.
The alumnus and their wife previously established an early career professorship at Penn State. The professorship financially supports a faculty member, covering salary, research expenses, education and travel expenses, while providing additional support to the graduate and undergraduate students involved in the faculty member’s research.
“The professorship has allowed me to escalate research efforts that would have been challenging without the support,” said a recent recipient. “As a department, we have also been able to improve our research experiences for exceptional undergraduate students.”
“The work that comes out of the Department of Chemical Engineering is consistently excellent and inspiring,” said Tonya Peeples, Harold and Inge Marcus Dean of Engineering. “I have no doubt that the additional support provided by this commitment will further accelerate the impact of research coming out of the college and allow us to stay at the leading edge of work in the field.”
Donors advance the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students to join the University 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.
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