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Gifts That Impact
Archive I-K

Ingersoll-Rand invests in the future of engineering at Penn State

October 30, 2003 - Ingersoll-Rand Company Limited (NYSE: IR) and the College of Engineering at Penn State have built a strong partnership based upon endowment, research, and innovation. Ingersoll-Rand generously provided about $673,928 in gifts and grants and over $1.47 million in research contracts in support of the University's College of Engineering as well as other units. Ingersoll-Rand plays an active role in on-campus recruiting, pursuing engineering students for their Leadership Development, Direct Hire, and Co-op/Internship programs. Through focused financial and professional support, Ingersoll-Rand continues to participate in the future of engineering at Penn State.

Ingersoll-Rand's roots go back to 1871 with the invention of the rock drill. Today, Ingersoll-Rand has diversified into the markets of security and safety, climate control, industrial solutions, and infrastructure. The company's industry leading products include Schlage and Kryptonite locks, Thermo King transport temperature control equipment, Hussman commercial and refrigeration equipment, Dresser-Rand turbo-machinery, Bobcat compact equipment, Club Car golf cars, PowerWorks micro-turbines, and Ingersoll-Rand brand industrial and construction equipment. The company employs over 45,000 workers in excess of 100 locations throughout the world.

Ingersoll-Rand maintains a solid presence at Penn State through its many contributions and 163-person alumni base. Since 1997, the company donated $59,600 toward mechanical engineering research and contributed $50,000 for scholarships. Ingersoll-Rand sponsors the Learning Factory, a hands-on engineering laboratory that is built into the students' curriculum. The Learning Factory allows students the opportunity to solve real-world problems and to gain valuable career experience. Over the past eight years, students from various engineering departments participated in forty-two Ingersoll-Rand sponsored Senior Design projects. As a result of the company's collaboration with the Learning Factory, Ingersoll-Rand earned its place as a premier corporate sponsor. In May 2003, Ingersoll-Rand was awarded the first John Lamancusa Outstanding Industry Sponsor Award in honor of the company's relationship with Penn State and continuous involvement with the senior design projects.

In addition to the Learning Factory, the company established the Ingersoll-Rand Scholarship in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering to recognize exceptional academic performance and financial need. Scholarships are awarded per year in the amount of $3,125 to undergraduate scholars enrolled in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering. One of the scholarships is given to a student whose ethnicity or background brings diversity to the University. The scholarship recipients, chosen by an appointed committee, are given the opportunity to complete a paid summer internship with Ingersoll-Rand. The company awarded four scholarships in 2003 to Industrial Engineering students Jennifer Domaradzki, Jay Nealis, Doug Ackley, and Steve Tracy.

"Ingersoll-Rand provides amazing opportunities for students," said Jennifer Domaradzi, a senior in Industrial Engineering. "When I first began working at the company after my sophomore year in college, I wasn't sure about majoring in engineering. Ingersoll-Rand, however, made me feel like an integral part of the team and influenced me to pursue an engineering degree. Then, I received the scholarship and it was more than I could wish for. My college career would have been completely different without Ingersoll-Rand - it took a turn for the better."

Each of the four scholarship recipients also completed a co-op at the Ingersoll-Rand Athens Plant in Pennsylvania prior to winning the award. "During my co-op with Ingersoll-Rand, I was treated more like a professional than a student," said senior Jay Nealis. "Every two weeks, the students were required to give presentations. It was very flattering when even the plant manager would reschedule his meetings just to hear what we were doing. I came to Ingersoll-Rand hoping to leave a good impression on them. Instead, they left a good impression on me."

In 2001, a $75,000 gift courtesy of Ingersoll-Rand led to the creation of a new student lounge for the Harold and Inge Marcus Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering. The lounge, located in the new Leonhard building, is called the Ingersoll-Rand Industrial Engineering Undergraduate Lounge. The lounge provides a comfortable study and meeting area for undergraduate engineering students.

"This is a wonderful addition for our students," said Rick Koubek, head of the industrial engineering department. "It's an important statement of Ingersoll-Rand's commitment to engineering education and its relationship to Penn State."

Several times a year, Ingersoll-Rand visits Penn State in search of fresh talent. The company attends career fairs and provides opportunities for hire via cooperative education, internships, entry-level positions in business, positions in the Technical Sales Training Program, or positions in the Leadership Development Program. Based upon the University's academic integrity and previous hiring success, Ingersoll-Rand dedicates a team of 15-20 employees from a range of backgrounds to recruit at Penn State each year.

"We started a partnership with the University about seven years ago," said Mike Marino, co-leader of the company's Penn State recruiting team. "Penn State is one of Ingersoll-Rand's six key recruiting schools."

Furthermore, for the past two years, Ingersoll-Rand has endorsed an educational field trip to the NY Stock Exchange for students within the Smeal College of Business Administration. In investing financial support, lending facilities and services, and recruiting tomorrow's leaders, Ingersoll-Rand goes above and beyond the norm. The company leaves a lasting impression on students as well as the University in general.

To learn more about Ingersoll-Rand, please visit the company's Web site. For more information on the departments, facilities, and programs highlighted in this article, please refer to the following Web sites:

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation strengthening the presence of generalist physician faculty at the Hershey Medical Center

October 30, 2003 - Penn State's Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, College of Medicine and Children's Hospital are committed to enhancing the quality of life through improved health, the professional preparation of those who will serve the health needs of others, and the discovery of knowledge that will benefit all. It strives to be a national leader in pursuing scientific investigation and developing programs to advance medical and scientific knowledge, which will ultimately contribute to the health of the public, the practice of medicine, and the education of health professionals.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), the largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and health care in the United States, has awarded many grants to the Medical Center and College as well as various areas throughout the Penn State system. Since 1994, RWJF has contributed more than $11 million to the College of Agricultural Sciences, the College of Health and Human Development, the College of Communications, Penn State Abington College, University Libraries, as well as the College of Medicine and the Hershey Medical Center.

The Department of Family and Community Medicine received $1.5 million in grants through the RWJF Generalist Physician Initiative (GPI), an effort to increase the number of graduates entering generalist residency programs. This initial GPI grant, along with the generous dollar-for-dollar match from Pennsylvania's Department of Health, made it possible for the College of Medicine to launch large-scale organizational changes to promote primary care. The Center for Primary Care (CPC) was established and an Associate Dean for Primary Care was appointed to lead all primary care initiatives. The CPC's leadership developed and directed the comprehensive GPI strategy that addressed the continuum of medical education from pre-admissions to practice support. It was a major collaborative effort among the primary care disciplines. The grant's primary goal was to have, by the year 2000, at least 50% of each medical school class working in primary care careers 4-5 years after graduation. Dr. James M. Herman, Chair, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Associate Dean for Primary Care, and the Director of the GPI said, "the GPI empowered our college to create an environment in which students could more easily choose primary care careers."

Over 65 faculty members in the primary care and sub-specialty disciplines, allied health professionals, and external partners worked in teams to accomplish the GPI's strategic plan. Major support and effort were expanded by faculty members in Family and Community Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Pediatrics, with the help of faculty from many other departments, including OB/GYN and Humanities. The College of Medicine also developed strong partnerships with the "Initiative" communities located in rural, small-town, and/or medically underserved areas in the Commonwealth. Community leaders provide tremendous in-kind support by offering clinical educational opportunities in primary care sites, community-related experiences, lodging and meals. These communities included Coalport in Clearfield County, Coudersport in Potter County, and Honesdale in Wayne County, to name a few. Rural locations like these sometimes served as the only medical facility within two counties. "The partnerships created were the most important ingredients in our success," explains Dr. Herman.

Through this carefully planned, collaborative process, the College of Medicine's leadership was able to:

change the medical school's culture to one more favorable to primary care;
provide students and residents with primary care role models and principles throughout their educational experience;
commit to a model of decentralized medical education and help bring a community perspective into the medical school;
develop a wide variety of community partnerships;
allocate resources for practice support and preceptor recognition; and
position the College of Medicine to be recognized as an active participant in the national primary care movement.

The Pennsylvania Area Health Education Center Project (PA AHEC), also in the Center for Primary Care, greatly contributed to the success of the GPI's programs. The two programs nicely dovetailed to establish a community-based medical education and training infrastructure that supported the community-based clinical rotations, offered pre-admission activities to high school and college students, and sponsored preceptor development programs. The synergy and close collaboration between the two projects enhanced each other's effectiveness and played a major role in defining the points of integration post-GPI funding.

Recent statistics show that the College of Medicine continues to meet its primary GPI goals. The percent of students admitted into the College of Medicine with primary care potential has remained above 50%. Today, based on statistics for 2003 graduates, over 50% of the graduates from the primary care residency programs went into primary care careers. This shows the College of Medicine's commitment to stay on target to continue to meet the GPI goals originally established ten years ago.

While the funding for the GPI project has ended, the Initiative itself has not stopped. Those programs and activities that brought the most value to the College of Medicine continues to be funded and supported by the College. The Center for Primary Care (CPC) coordinates these programs and oversees their complete integration. The CPC faculty and staff continue to maintain the strong partnerships developed with the Pennsylvania communities, the PA AHEC, and other external organizations. Faculty members in the departments of Family and Community Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Pediatrics will continue to collaborate and seek funding opportunities to promote and sustain the primary care initiative. Faculty members like Alan Adelman, M.D. in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, is leading the "RWJ Rx for Health Grant," a current grant in the Center for Primary Care funded by the RWJF.

For more information on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation RWJF, please visit their its web site at http://www.rwjf.org. For more information on the departments, facilities, and programs highlighted in this article, please refer to the following Web sites:

Penn State's College of Medicine and the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center can be found at http://www.hmc.psu.edu/college/ and http://www.hmc.psu.edu/
The Department of Family and Community Medicine in the College of Medicine can be located at http://www.hmc.psu.edu/fcm/.
The Center for Primary Care at http://www.hmc.psu.edu/cpc.

Johnson & Johnson and Penn State Collaborate through Research

Winter 2006 --Johnson & Johnson has emerged as a strong corporate partner to Penn State and the relationship continues to flourish and grow. One of the world's largest, most diversified health care product makers, the company operates in three sectors: consumer products, medical devices and diagnostics, and pharmaceuticals. Employing close to 600 Penn State alumni, Johnson & Johnson companies recruit an increasing number of Penn State students each year making them one of the largest on-campus recruiters. Penn State is also the number one university from which the company recruits. There are at least ten alumni in president or vice president roles at the company or its subsidiaries. The company has contributed over $7.2 million to the University and more than $4 million in research grants.

Johnson & Johnson, in partnership with the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, the Materials Research Institute, and the College of Medicine, established an Innovative Technology Research Seed Grant Program with a $200,000 grant in early 2005. Penn State matched that amount to create a focused program to achieve collaborative research goals in life sciences and health-related areas. Funds from the program provide a platform for faculty in materials and life sciences at Penn State to explore new ideas and opportunities within these rapidly expanding scientific arenas. The research is to be life science-related and must benefit health science areas with a focus on aging, cancer, cardiovascular, diabetes, genomics, proteomics & bioinformatics, neuroscience, or drug design and drug delivery.

"Theoretically, research collaborations at universities should know no boundaries; in practice there are often institutional impediments to interdisciplinary research," commented Eva Pell, senior vice president for research and dean of the Graduate School at Penn State on the initiative. "Penn State is proud of the research environment that actively promotes and facilitates cross-disciplinary research. Based on this unique environment, the University is in a position to truly foster innovation."

Recently, Johnson & Johnson and Penn State expanded their collaborative research partnership through two investments made by the company totaling $400,000, and matched by the University. A $300,000 gift from the Johnson & Johnson Corporate Office of Science and Technology will expand the Innovative Technology Research Seed Grant Program into its second year. In addition, a gift of $100,000 from Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products Worldwide has been matched by the College of Health and Human Development to establish the Health Behaviors and the Quality of Life: Research Innovation Grants 2006.

"Our developing relationship with Penn State exemplifies what we want to accomplish with our funding of university research," said Donald Bone, in Johnson & Johnson's Corporate Office of Science and Technology. "With these matching funds, innovative university research programs are supported, research collaborations are strengthened between the Hershey and University Park campuses, and we get a glimpse into these and other exciting R&D activities at Penn State. We are delighted with this partnership and look forward to seeing it grow and prosper."

Johnson & Johnson demonstrates its desire to maintain a strong relationship with Penn State through its support of collaborative research, outstanding faculty, and the recruitment of Penn State's students. To learn more about Johnson & Johnson, please visit the company's Web site. Information on the programs highlighted in this article can be found at the following Penn State Web sites:

Johnson & Johnson - Focused Giving Builds Research and Student Diversity

July 17, 2003 - Whether it is outstanding faculty research in the company's areas of interest or recruiting talented Penn State students for employment, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is maintaining its presence on campus. By identifying appropriate topics for collaboration, this partnership continues to strengthen.

One of the world's largest, most diversified health care product makers, the company operates in three sectors: consumer products, medical devices and diagnostics, and pharmaceuticals. Employing almost 500 Penn State alumni, J&J companies recruit an increasing number of Penn State students each year making them the largest on-campus recruiter. The company has contributed over $5.5 million to the University for various programs and departments including faculty directed research, Career Services, and the LateNight-Penn State initiative.

J&J contributes funds to researchers under the company's Focused Giving Grant Program. Since the inception of this program in 1980, more than $41 million has been awarded to academic investigators engaged in basic research to advance science and technology in medical fields. This competitive program opens doors to new scientific developments, as well as promotes mutually beneficial relationships between scientists working for the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies and those who carry out their work at universities or research centers.

Penn State has received five focused giving grants from J&J over the years. Recipients include faculty from the Eberly College of Science and the College of Agricultural Sciences: Jean Brenchley, professor of microbiology and biotechnology (in 1985 and 1988); Ming Tien, professor of biochemistry (in 1988); Harry Allcock, Evan Pugh professor of chemistry (in 1991); and Avery August, assistant professor of immunology in the department of veterinary science (in 2000). In May 2003, the company announced Penn State's most recent recipient, Erwin Vogler, associate professor of materials science and engineering, for his research applying new insights into protein absorption in the development of blood-compatible biomaterials.

Dr. Avery August, assistant professor of immunology in the Department of Veterinary Science, received a focused giving grant from J&J for his work on the role of ITK in regulating T cell responses. Dr. August's research uses a combination of methods to determine how ITK regulates T cell function in vitro and in animals. By doing so, the experiments determine whether ITK is a suitable target for pharmaceutically manipulating the immune systems in transplantation and autoimmune disease.

"Theoretically, molecules controlling the immune response can be targeted pharmaceutically to manipulate the immune system, however, the molecular basis for these processes is still murky," explains Dr. August. "The overriding rationale behind my work in this area is gaining an understanding of this process which will lead to the ability to manipulate the immune system for defense against pathogenic microorganisms, tumors, and autoimmune and allergic disease."

J&J's support helped Dr. August secure additional funding from the National Institutes of Health. "I am honored that Johnson & Johnson selected me as a recipient of a focused giving grant," shares Dr. August. "The company's commitment was a critical component to getting the NIH funding, and I am grateful to have such support and be part of a network of distinguished researchers." While research is ongoing, some of Dr. August's findings were published in a recent issue of the Journal of Immunology (May 15, 2003; 170:5053).

In addition to research at Penn State, Johnson & Johnson is interested in recruiting talented Penn State students. Representatives of many of Johnson & Johnson's Family of Companies travel to campus for various events including fall and spring recruiting fairs, on-campus interviews, and special interest events such as the multicultural career fair. Campus recruiting by the company has steadily increased from over 180 interviews in the 1998/1999 academic year to over 300 interviews during the 2002/2003 year. In recognition of this important corporate activity, the company has sponsored an interview room in the new MBNA Career Services Building with a $25,000 commitment over five years.

Another interesting initiative funded by J&J are the LateNight-Penn State activities in the Hetzel Union Building (HUB). J&J contributed $20,000 to the program in March 2000. The mission of LateNight-Penn State is to make quality late night entertainment available to students during prime social times Thursday through Saturday. LateNight provides an alcohol-free environment with opportunities for students to gain experiences in programming, leadership development, and responsible social interaction. LateNight has blossomed from its conception into the successful program it is today.

The relationship with Johnson & Johnson continues to grow with the company's latest innovative commitment—a $20,000 gift to fund a J&J Ambassador Scholarship at Penn State. This initial gift from J&J's Corporate Contributions Committee will support two students in the 2003/2004 academic year. It is the first step in what is proposed to be an ongoing program. During this initial year of the scholarship, a freshman and junior student in the Smeal College of Business Administration's Undergraduate Diversity Enhancement Program will be selected to receive this prestigious award. With ongoing funding, these same students will receive a second J&J Ambassador Scholarship. It is anticipated in the third year that a new freshman will be selected to continue the cycle. "We believe this scholarship will strengthen the partnership with Penn State, while driving the very important goal of increasing diversity within the student body." says Michael McGranaghan, vice president of Group Finance and Penn State Executive Champion.

From research to student-centered initiatives, J&J is maintaining a presence and commitment to Penn State. Working together to recognize outstanding faculty and talented students continues to strengthen Penn State's relationship with this multi-faceted, international company. For more information about J&J, please visit their Web site.

Information on the various programs, departments, and facilities at Penn State highlighted in this article can be found at the following Web sites:

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Supports Diabetic Retinopathy Center at Penn State College of Medicine

Spring 2006--The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRF) is the leading charitable funder and advocate of type 1 juvenile diabetes research worldwide. The mission of JDRF is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research.

JDRF was founded in 1970 by parents of children with type 1 diabetes. Since that time, JDRF has awarded more than $900 million to diabetes research, including over $98 million in 2005 alone. More than 80 percent of JDRF’s expenditures directly support research and research-related education. In 2005, the Foundation funded 500 centers, grants and fellowships in 19 countries. Over the years, Penn State has been the recipient of over $10.2 million from the Foundation.

Diabetic retinopathy—a degenerative eye disease that affects millions—is the leading cause of new blindness among Americans aged 20 to 74. It occurs when the retina, a thin, light-sensitive tissue that lines the back of the eye and transmits visual images to the brain via the optic nerve, is damaged by the deterioration of nerves and small blood vessels that supply the retina with vital oxygen and nutrients.

Penn State College of Medicine recognized the need for a comprehensive basic and clinical-research-team approach to diabetic retinopathy that encompasses the full spectrum of ocular and systemic pathophysiology. This type of research design provides the opportunity for direct clinical translation of laboratory discoveries and for laboratory investigations of clinical observations. This led to the largest grant that Penn State has received from JDRF. The $6.3 million grant was awarded for the creation of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Center for Mechanisms and Intervention of Diabetic Retinopathy at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. The research center is one of the world’s largest diabetic retinopathy centers.

The research center, led by Thomas Gardner, M.D., M.S., Vice Chair of Research, Department of Ophthalmology, and Professor of Ophthalmology and Cellular and Molecular Physiology, utilizes the combined expertise of established basic and clinical researchers, laboratories, core facilities, and clinical care resources. It is the culmination of a focused, dedicated effort to identify and attract researchers to the College of Medicine whose interests and expertise can contribute to the understanding of diabetic retinopathy. The researchers meet on a regular basis to share knowledge, identify points of common interest, discuss how their respective areas might contribute to retinopathy research, form collaborative groups, and begin to generate preliminary data. The research center includes numerous National Institutes of Health (NIH) and JDRF-funded experts in cell metabolism, signaling, gene expression, immunology, genetics, neurobiology, ophthalmology, and clinical diabetes.

It also unites twenty outstanding researchers who, prior to the establishment of the research center, were separately focused on various aspects of eye development and disease. Among them is a vast knowledge of the normal functions of all cell types in the eye, and how metabolic disorders can impact on and ultimately devastate normal function. Building on this knowledge, the fundamental hypothesis of the center is that the disturbances in normal retinal metabolism, specifically that seen in diabetes, triggers a chain of events that involves all of the cell types of the eye, causing increased vascular permeability and nerve cell death. This nerve cell death leads to blindness.

“JDRF takes a revolutionary approach to research in that it actively seeks novel approaches, incentivizes researchers to work together and share information, and to rapidly move laboratory findings into clinical testing, all with the goal of curing diabetes and its complications,” says Gardner. “The world-class researchers at Penn State share the same passion as the people of JDRF, so we have an excellent partnership. Hopefully together we can make a real difference in the lives of people with diabetes and eliminate the fear of losing vision.”

Major scientific breakthroughs are made possible through the generosity of organizations like the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and through the research done at Penn State College of Medicine.

Information on the programs highlighted in this article can be found at the following Penn State Web sites:

W. M. Keck Foundation Supports Penn State's Cutting Edge Research

November 23, 2004 - William Myron Keck, the founder of The Superior Oil Company, placed a priority on imagination, innovation, and new technology. These principles led The Superior Oil Company to become one of the largest independent oil-producing companies of its time. In 1954 Mr. Keck established the charitable foundation bearing his name, and through his foundation, Penn State has been the recipient of grants totaling $975,000.

The W. M. Keck Foundation was established with the vision of providing far-reaching benefits to humanity through imaginative grants supporting scientific discoveries and new technologies. In 1979, more than $43 million was transferred from the W. M. Keck Trust to the W. M. Keck Foundation, which turned it into one of the nation's largest philanthropic organizations, with assets of more than $1 billion.

The Foundation's grantmaking is focused primarily on cutting-edge areas of science, engineering and medical research-fellowships, chairs, awards for renovation and construction, endowment, and equipment.

In July 2000, the Foundation awarded an $800,000 grant to Penn State's Materials Research Laboratory (MRL) in the Materials Research Institute for a new laboratory specially designed to support MRL's work in smart materials. Smart materials are those that react to changes in the environment, such as temperature, illumination, or pressure, in a useful way. Smart materials can be applied to a variety of applications including smart medical systems that treat diabetes with blood sugar sensors and insulin-delivery pumps, smart houses that have photosensitive windows that control the flow of heat and light in response to changes in the weather, smart dental braces made out of shape-memory alloys, and smart muscle implants that are made from rubbery gels that respond to electric fields.

The Keck grant made possible a 1,200 sq. foot laboratory containing a controlled-environment clean room and state-of-the-art equipment used to create thin films and imprinted patterns used in semiconductor applications and microelectronics. The W.M. Keck Smart Materials Integration Laboratory is located at the Materials Research Laboratory at Penn State University Park campus and is open to all Penn State scientists and engineers, including undergraduate and graduate students, who are interested in “beyond cutting edge” materials research.

“The Keck Foundation gift for the Smart Materials Integration Laboratory has been instrumental in creating a prototyping facility for materials integration,” explains Susan Trolier-McKinstry, Director of the W.M. Keck Smart Materials Integration Laboratory. She adds, “This has significantly enhanced our abilities both to do fundamental scientific research and to interact with industry.”

The W.M. Keck Smart Materials Integration Laboratory is designed to allow Penn State scientists to create a new generation of smart integrated components that combine electrical, mechanical, and optical functions. The laboratory enables the integration and miniaturization of smart materials and the fabrication of components that go beyond conventional semiconductor-based materials. This is done by utilizing both semiconductor and low temperature co-fire ceramic technologies.

In 1989, the Foundation provided Penn State with a $165,000 grant to build a wave machine in the Department of Mathematics. The laboratory, named The William G. Pritchard Fluid Mechanics Laboratory, after the sole experimentalist at the beginning of the endeavor, is one of a few research laboratories housed in a Mathematics Department. At this facility, faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students conduct experimental research on fundamental problems in fluid mechanics using physical experiments, mathematical analysis, and numerical analysis. Various approaches are integrated to conducting research, such as analysis, experiments, and numerical computations, in order to understand the basic physical and mathematical questions that arise in a variety of different problems.

The research mission of the laboratory has grown to include a wide variety of topics in fluid mechanics. These include the study of free-surface flows, non-Newtonian fluids, reaction-diffusion systems, rotating fluids, waves, singularity formation, chaotic dynamics, and pattern selection.

Foundation contributions to Penn State, such as the funding received from the W.M. Keck Foundation, provide vital support to innovative facilities that continue to help the University maintain its strong research standing among institutions of higher education.

For more information on the W.M. Keck Foundation, please visit the W.M. Keck Foundation Web site.

For more information on the Penn State programs highlighted in this article, please refer to the following Web sites:

Materials Research Institute
W.M. Keck Smart Materials Integration Laboratory
The William G. Pritchard Fluid Mechanics Laboratory

Kennametal Advances Penn State Students and Research in Strategic Alliance

March 6, 2003 - Penn State has long valued the support received from Kennametal Inc. The company has invested more than $530,000 in support of programs, research, and students in the College of Engineering, the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, the Smeal College of Business Administration, the Materials Research Lab, and the Applied Research Lab at Penn State. Kennametal, headquartered in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, provides a broad range of technologically advanced tools, tooling systems, and engineering services aimed at improving manufacturing competitiveness. With 14,500 employees worldwide, the corporation's annual sales are approximately $1.8 billion, with a third coming from sales outside the United States. Founded in 1938 by metallurgist Philip M. McKenna, today Kennametal has representation in more than sixty countries with European operations headquartered in Germany and Asia Pacific operations headquartered in Singapore.

The relationship with Penn State was formalized in August 2001 when Kennametal announced their University Alliance Program and named Penn State one of three partner institutions. The strategic alliance enables both organizations to collaborate in several areas, with particular focus on advancing new metal cutting technologies and manufacturing processes, developing employment opportunities for University students, and providing higher education opportunities for Kennametal employees. Members of the company's University Alliance Program were identified through a competitive process.

"Kennametal and the Kennametal Foundation are very pleased to be able to support the work of the selected engineering departments at Penn State. Our strategic alliance has enabled us to re-energize existing ties and establish some very important new ones," commented David B. Arnold, vice president and chief technology officer at the company.

Part of Kennametal's commitment to Penn State as an alliance partner includes support of research and graduate students in the departments of Mechanical Engineering and Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering in the College of Engineering and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. Kennametal will benefit by having access to University faculty and staff for consultations on technical issues relating to their business as well as opportunities for Kennametal employees to pursue advanced degrees at Penn State. In the first two years of this partnership, each of the three targeted departments received grants from the Kennametal Foundation. These funds were distributed to the departments in the amount of $10,000 each year, for a total of $60,000, and were designated for graduate fellowships and supplemental support.

All three departments used these supplemental funds to provide assistance for student activities and fund travel expenses associated with student attendance at professional meetings and conferences. In addition, Kennametal is planning an event to host the Kennametal Fellows from Penn State, Carnegie-Mellon University, and the University of Illinois at the corporate center in Latrobe, on April 30, 2003. The company has invited each student to present a poster on their background, interests, and current research to Kennametal executives. Kennametal has arranged for the students to attend the Carnegie Science Awards being held that evening in downtown Pittsburgh. All seven Penn State Kennametal Fellows plan to attend the event to represent the University.

Kennametal funding in the 2002 fiscal year provided support to nine graduate students, initiated the company's participation in the Smeal College's Institute for the Study of Business Markets, and funded research in advanced materials and product issues facing their business. Part of the support included the sponsorship of student design projects in the Learning Factory, an interdisciplinary hands-on laboratory that integrates design, manufacturing, and business realities into the engineering curriculum. A portion of the Kennametal funding for the Learning Factory was used to sponsor the "Project Kickoff" event held every semester to initiate the capstone design course projects. Students, faculty, deans, and industry sponsors attend the event, which gives students in the various departments an opportunity to meet project sponsors and ask questions prior to selecting a semester design project.

The company's interest in the Learning Factory is not new. Kennametal has sponsored nearly a dozen projects for student teams over the years. A recent Kennametal student design project earned the design team an honorable mention award for its Web site design. The project involved developing a more efficient testing procedure for mining tools.

"Kennametal's long term and continued support of the Learning Factory for the last seven years is deeply appreciated," said John Lamancusa, professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Learning Factory. "Where other companies have come and gone, Kennametal has been a steady friend. I look forward to future collaboration with Kennametal through the strategic alliance."

A key component of Kennametal's Alliance Program is contracted research at strategic universities. At Penn State, these totals are on the rise. In fiscal year 2002, research contracts totaled just over $91,000. So far, totals have surpassed $150,000 with four months remaining in this fiscal year. The establishment of a master research agreement between Kennametal and the University has helped to increase these numbers. Signed in August 2001, this document is designed to outline basic terms agreed to by the two organizations. The umbrella agreement, crafted under the leadership of Penn State's Industrial Relations Office, allows faculty to collaborate with corporate representatives in a timely fashion without the need to renegotiate the details of each individual project.

Dr. Eva J. Pell, Penn State's vice president for research and dean of the Graduate School said, "Making Penn State's world-class expertise in materials science, manufacturing processes, and metal cutting technology available to Kennametal also gives our students the opportunity for real world experience with an industry leader. That's a 'win-win' partnership that offers exciting potential for both sides. We look forward to growth in this alliance, which is the latest stage in Penn State's longstanding research partnership with Kennametal."

"These grants demonstrate our commitment to making the partnership between Kennametal and Penn State a long-term, fruitful relationship." added Arnold.

Penn State is fortunate to have developed such a broad, multifaceted relationship with this large Pennsylvania-based company. Kennametal's support to students, faculty, and research at all levels is impacting the University and the Commonwealth. For more information about Kennametal's business, technologies, and products, please visit Kennametal's Web site. To learn about the programs mentioned in this article, please visit the following Web sites:

Kimberly-Clark Corporation supports Penn State students, faculty, research, and facilities

December 1, 2002 - Kimberly-Clark Corporation is a leading consumer products company with strong interest in Penn State. Its global personal care, tissue, and health care brands include Huggies, Kotex, Depend, Kleenex, Scott, and others. This Irving, Texas-based company continues to lead its competitors in tissue product sales around the world, with manufacturing operations in 42 countries and product sales in more than 150 countries. New products and acquisitions have helped the company grow and continue to lead competitors in the market. Such business success has the company turning to Penn State in many respects such as research, recruiting, and philanthropy.

Recruiting talented students is a top priority for Kimberly-Clark and Penn State is one of the handful of schools where the company has chosen to recruit. Last year, they conducted almost eighty interviews on campus and at career fairs through Penn State's career services office. To support this activity, the recruiting team funds scholarships, internships, and program memberships.

As part of their strategy to maintain visibility on campus, Kimberly-Clark funded the construction of the KC Café in the new MBNA Career Services Center. The gift of $100,000 was used to build a facility to provide food and beverage service to students, staff, interviewing employers, and others using the center. The café is managed and operated by Penn State's JAVA Company, a division of Penn State Food Services, and was modeled after other similar eateries that JAVA operates around the University Park campus. The café includes nearby tables for indoor dining or customers may choose to dine outdoors in the patio area on the south side of the building.

"The KC Café has given faculty, students, recruiters, and Penn State visitors a convenient break or lunch location on a section of campus that otherwise lacked food service. It fits perfectly with our goal of establishing convenient food service operations to every part of campus," commented Kevin Caldwell, supervisor of administrative services with Penn State Food Services. "We have already received many comments from the faculty and staff of surrounding buildings thanking us for this beautiful addition to our food services. We are truly appreciative of the Kimberly-Clark Corporation for their support, without which the establishment of the KC Café in the Career Services Building would not have been possible."

Another contribution from the company is a gift of $100,000 in support of the University's new Information Sciences and Technology Building. The gift will directly support the Kimberly-Clark Display and Demonstration Laboratory, a public space where state-of-the-art technology will be showcased.

"We, at Kimberly-Clark, believe that this gift and our ongoing partnership with Penn State will benefit the University's faculty and students and Kimberly-Clark for generations to come," said Mark Jamison, Kimberly-Clark vice president for consumer logistics. "We are pleased to help make the Information Sciences and Technology Building a reality." The building, currently under construction with completion expected November 2003, will span Atherton Street to create a pedestrian overpass integrating the western and central portions of campus. The Kimberly-Clark Laboratory will be located on the bridge level of the building. A glass enclosure will allow passers-by to view research projects taking place in the building and demonstrations of the latest technologies by top companies and inventors. This 600 square-foot laboratory will be just steps away from the building's central atrium and Cybertorium, a 150-seat state-of-the-art classroom for programs and conferences.

"This gift puts us a significant step closer to making this facility a true focal point for learning and research in the field of information technology." said James B. Thomas, dean of the School of Information Sciences and Technology.

Kimberly-Clark's interest in research at Penn State focuses on the Center for Supply Chain Research (CSCR) in the Smeal College of Business Administration. Established in 1989, the Center is one of the nation's leading organizations dedicated to supply chain management, research, and education. The Smeal College's internationally recognized business logistics faculty provide expertise in areas such as distribution, warehousing, transportation, procurement and supply, customer service, systems modeling and design, logistics information systems, and global logistics. As a member of the Center, Kimberly-Clark plays a leadership role as a board member. The board identifies key issues in logistics and decides the topics of immediate concern, thereby determining the research agenda for the Center. The results of this research are then published in working papers and refereed journals. CSCR also maintains three active benchmarking consortiums that study import, rail car fleet, and customer service processes related to the field of logistics and supply chain management.

In 2000, Kimberly-Clark contributed $50,000 to the John J. Coyle Jr. Faculty Endowment in Business Logistics. Dr. Coyle, professor emeritus of business administration, retired from the business logistics faculty in 2000 but continues to work with the CSCR as director of corporate relations. Coyle received his bachelor's degree from The Smeal College of Business Administration in 1957 and his master's in 1959 and spent his entire career at Penn State. This endowment honors Coyle's contributions to the department, the University, the field of business logistics, and the countless students whose lives he touched over the course of his career. The fellowship provides supplementary funds to an outstanding member of the Department of Business Logistics in The Smeal College of Business Administration faculty to assist the holder in continuing and furthering his or her contributions in teaching, research, and public service.

Recently, an annual scholarship fund was established in the amount of $30,000 to benefit students in the Smeal College of Business Administration, the School of Information Sciences and Technology, and the College of Engineering. This fund was designed to provide recognition and financial assistance to outstanding undergraduate students enrolled in these colleges. Candidates to receive the award must be in their junior year, who have achieved superior academic records, and have demonstrated financial need. Additionally, it is the company's intent that students who will contribute to the diversity of the University be considered. Twelve scholarship recipients will be selected annually and each will receive $2,500. The company is committed to funding this scholarship for a minimum of three years. The first scholarship recipients were notified in late November.

Kimberly-Clark Corporation demonstrates its desire to maintain a strong relationship with Penn State through its support of scholarships, research, and improved facilities for the University community.

Center for Supply Chain Research
School of Information Sciences and Technology
Career Services and the MBNA Career Services Center

The Kresge Foundation Challenge Grants Support Building Construction at Penn State

August 5, 2004 - Throughout the years, The Kresge Foundation has contributed over $2.4 million to Penn State. Recently, the trustees of The Kresge Foundation approved a $1 million Challenge Grant to support the construction of the new Smeal College of Business building at Penn State.

The Kresge Foundation was established in 1924 by Sebastian S. Kresge to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the S.S. Kresge Company. Kresge’s initial gift to the Foundation was $1.3 million, and by the time of his death at the age of ninety-nine in 1966, he had made additional personal gifts totaling over $60 million. Sebastian Kresge’s philosophy for the foundation was to “promote the well-being of mankind,” and indeed it has--since its inception, the Foundation has awarded 8,222 grants totaling $1.92 billion.

The Kresge Foundation, one of the few foundations that focus exclusively on building construction and renovations, makes grants though its Bricks and Mortar Program. Through this program, the Foundation offers challenge grants to help nonprofit organizations and educational institutions pay for building construction, renovation, equipment, and purchase of real estate. Challenge grants are paid only if the grantee organization raises additional funds from private sources. The purpose of a challenge grant is to stimulate giving from an untapped constituent base--thus helping to build momentum in a building campaign.

In 1993, the Foundation awarded a challenge grant to Penn State for Penn State’s Pattee Library renovation and expansion campaign. At the time, Pattee Library had serious space constraints and could not accommodate the increasing number of users. The Library lacked space for new collections, suffered from overcrowded shelving, and crowded telecommunication pathways. Penn State Head Football Coach Joe Paterno and his wife Sue stepped forward and launched the Campaign for the Library.

In December of 1993, The Kresge Foundation approved a $750,000 challenge grant for the expansion and renovation of Pattee Library. The estimated cost of the renovation and expansion, including endowment, was $34.4 million. The challenge portion of the grant required Penn State to raise $2.3 million in five months to complete the project. The University not only raised the $2.3 million required by the Foundation, but exceeded the challenge by raising a total of $5.7 million in only four months to complete the funding of the renovations and expansion.

The construction began in April 1997, and the Paterno Library dedication was held on September 8, 2000. The dedication was a culmination of the three-year project that included construction of Paterno Library and extensive renovation of the adjoining Pattee Library. The key elements of the new Pattee and Paterno Libraries include:

130,000 square feet of new space and 360,000 square feet of renovated space;
seating for approximately 2,000 users that occupies nearly 490,000 square feet;
a new library for special collections with improved security and environmental controls for rare books, manuscripts, and University archives;
state-of-the-art information retrieval and telecommunications technologies;
flexible work spaces to accommodate future changes;
new entries and exits to move large numbers into and out of the library with efficiency;
subject libraries with specialized holdings for life sciences, humanities, social sciences, business, and education.

In 1992, the University received a $600,000 Kresge challenge grant for the construction of the Biomedical Research Building at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center. The Biomedical Research Building is the hub for more than $60 million in basic and clinical research programs administered by Penn State's College of Medicine. Other successful challenge grants were received for buildings at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College and at The Dickinson School of Law of The Pennsylvania State University .

The Smeal College of Business building, Penn State’s newest Kresge Foundation challenge, broke ground in October 2003, and we expect to complete it in summer 2005. The $1 million Kresge Challenge Grant will only be awarded if the college raises $28 million of its original $29 million private fundraising goal by January 1, 2006. Once complete, the 210,000 square foot building will be the largest academic facility at the University. To date, friends, alumni, faculty, staff, corporations, and foundations have committed over $22 million to the construction project.

"The Kresge Foundation has long been an important sponsor of the construction of educational facilities with the goal of changing lives through improved learning," said Penn State President Graham B. Spanier. "For the Smeal College of Business, this new building will do just that, creating a learning environment for business leaders of the 21st century.”

Penn State is grateful to The Kresge Foundation, its trustees, and staff for challenging Penn State and helping to broaden the Penn State donor base by encouraging volunteer involvement. The Kresge Foundation truly is promoting the well-being of mankind.

For more information about The Kresge Foundation, please access The Kresge Foundation Web site.

Information on the programs highlighted in this article can be found at the following Web sites:

The Kresge Foundation Challenge Grant Supports Construction of the New Smeal College of Business Building

Spring 2006--The Kresge Foundation was established in 1924 by Sebastian S. Kresge to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the S.S. Kresge Company. The Foundation, one of the few that focuses exclusively on building construction and renovations, makes grants though its Bricks and Mortar Program. Through this program, The Kresge Foundation offers challenge grants to help nonprofit organizations and educational institutions pay for building construction, renovation, equipment, and purchase of real estate. Challenge grants are paid if the grantee organization is able to raise additional funds from private sources. The purpose of a challenge grant is to stimulate giving from an untapped constituent base, thus helping to create momentum in a building campaign.

Throughout the years, The Kresge Foundation has contributed over $3.4 million to Penn State. Penn State recently received its largest grant ever from the Foundation for the construction of the new Smeal College of Business building. A $1 million challenge grant was awarded in agreement with the terms set by The Kresge Foundation.

As a challenge grant, the Kresge funds would only be awarded if the college raised $28 million of its original $29 million private fundraising goal by December 31, 2005. The Smeal College of Business team raised the $28 million, and went over the goal by $210,016.

The challenge grant increased dollars raised and greatly increased participation by thousands of alumni, faculty and staff, friends, foundations and corporations. Over 5,000 gifts were received which broadened the base of support for the project considerably. The Smeal College Board of Visitors took a significant leadership role during the challenge campaign as demonstrated by their giving and by their participation as coaches and volunteer leaders.

22 undergraduate and MBA classrooms,
six research and teaching laboratories including the Smeal Trading Room,
10 recruiter interview rooms,
a café,
an auditorium,
an atrium capable of seating 400,
conference rooms,
undergraduate and MBA commons,
club offices for student organizations,
breakout rooms and study pods, and
wireless internet access throughout the building.

"The Kresge Foundation has long been an important sponsor of the construction of educational facilities with the goal of changing lives through improved learning," says Penn State President Graham B. Spanier. "For the Smeal College of Business, this new building will do just that— creating a learning environment for business leaders of the 21st century.”

Dedicated on September 30, the new 210,000-square-foot Smeal College of Business Building is the largest academic facility at Penn State.

The second largest grant from the Foundation was a $750,000 challenge grant for Penn State’s Pattee Library renovation and expansion campaign. The estimated cost of the renovation and expansion, including endowment, was $34.4 million. The challenge portion of the grant required Penn State to raise $2.3 million in five months to complete the project. The University raised the $2.3 million and exceeded the challenge by raising a total of $5.7 million in four months instead of five.

Foundation contributions to Penn State, such as the challenge grant funding received from The Kresge Foundation, provide vital support to the construction of new buildings on the Penn State campuses while ensuring the preservation of the character, culture, tradition, and beauty of the campuses.