Giving

For the Future: The Campaign for Chemistry

You are investing in one of the best chemistry programs in the country. Your support ensures that the Department of Chemistry at Penn State will continue to provide world-class educational opportunities, with distinguished faculty and outstanding research, for all students, now and in the future.

We invite you to explore ways in which you can make a difference through your contribution. Regardless of the levelt you choose to contribute, your gift will have an impact.

For the Future

Penn State Chemistry is acknowledged to be one of the premier chemistry departments in the nation. The Department of Chemistry is committed to continuing its leadership role in preparing the future researchers and educators who will make significant contributions to enriching lives, improving society and addressing global challenges.

We ask that our alumni and friends help the department provide opportunities for faculty members and students to study and work in the best facilities available. Your past generosity has enabled the Department to provide resources, scholarships and laboratory facilities that have attracted some of the best talent in the world. Please consider making a gift to the Legacy Fund for the future of Penn State Chemistry. 

The Legacy Fund

This new fund will provide a future, stable source of support for the most critical needs of the Department of Chemistry. The income from this general and discretionary fund provides flexibility to the chemistry department. Income from this fund will be used to provide research enhancement to the best graduate students; support undergraduate education with financial support and research opportunities; and help provide access to state-of-the-art research instrumentation. 

• Stewardship. Each donor will receive an annual summary showing how the income from the fund was used during the previous year.
• Donor Recognition. Each year the department newsletter will list all donors to the Legacy Fund. Gifts can be made in honor of a friend, family member or a prominent Penn State chemist. Gifts can also be specified as anonymous.
• Special Recognition. Donations of $10,000 or a pledge of $2,000 per year for five years will be recognized by a brass plate permanently installed on a seat in the Neidig Seminar room in the Chemistry Building (room 102). 

Make a gift to the Legacy Fund.

Opportunities for Major Gifts

In 2008 the Chemistry Advisory Committee identified several opportunities for major gifts.

•  Named Graduate Fellowships. No department can reach the top without world-class graduate students. It is the graduate students who translate the research ideas of faculty into groundbreaking discoveries. At the moment, the pool of talented chemistry graduate students is relatively small and the competition is intense. The ability to provide generous fellowships to the best and the brightest will go a very long way in our effort to stay competitive with the top ten chemistry programs around the country. A gift of $250,000 will create a named endowment fund that will support a graduate student. 
• Career Development Professorships. This is a much-needed tool for hiring promising young faculty in today’s very competitive environment. At a time when the chemistry department is competing against the top ten chemistry programs for academic talent, the ability to provide such a professorship makes our offers to new faculty that much more attractive – it provides prestige and much needed discretionary funds for the young faculty members. Your gift of $500,000 will provide the support to help us attract the emerging stars in the field. 
• Department Head Chair. A department head chair will give financial flexibility to the department. A gift of $3.0 million will create a named endowment fund that will support innovative ideas in both research and teaching. It will also be used to foster collaboration between faculty members through appropriate seed funding. Finally, it will provide discretionary money that can be used in attracting new faculty and graduate students.
  

Make a gift to the Department of Chemistry.

Giving Contact

Have questions about the Legacy Fund? Need help with deciding on how to direct your gift? Please feel free to contact:

430 Joab L. Thomas Building
University Park, PA 16802
Phone: 814-863-8454
Email: rym4@psu.edu