Special Gift Helps Employee Campaign Set New Record
Published 09.22.2009
A Pennsylvania College of Technology faculty member's donation has pushed the total of gifts to The Penn College Fund Employee Campaign to a new record.
Steven R. Parker, assistant professor of physics, recently donated $1,664 to The Penn College Fund. Parker's gift puts the total for the 2009-10 Penn College Fund Employee Campaign at $82,246 about $600 over the old record, set in the 2008-09 campaign.
Parker said he received the money as a travel stipend for a training session he conducted for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security at Kirkwood Community College in Iowa.
"My travel was already paid," Parker said. "They told me I should use the stipend however I thought was best for assisting with travel costs. I thought about it and decided the best thing I could do was use it to help Penn College. I'm glad I could do this for the students. I encourage others to do the same if they have the chance."
Parker's gift was unrestricted, meaning he did not designate a specific use for the donation.
"Unrestricted gifts are especially important," said annual giving officer Jim Finkler, "because the college has the flexibility to use the money in response to the greatest needs in providing scholarships, advancing technology and enhancing program quality."
Penn College Foundation Executive Director Robb C. Dietrich noted that faculty and staff also can consider using stipends, honoraria and similar payments to seed scholarship funds.
"A great example is the Lamont E. Butters Memorial Scholarship Fund," Dietrich said. "Jo Ann Stephens (associate professor of civil engineering technology) led the effort to establish that scholarship, and she used the monetary award accompanying her 2006 Excellence in Teaching Award as the initial gift to start the endowed fund."
For more information on how you can make a gift to 2009-10 Penn College Fund Employee Campaign, visit online or contact Finkler at 570-326-3761, ext. 7658; or by e-mail . For more information about establishing a scholarship fund through the Penn College Foundation, visit on the Web or contact Dietrich at 570-326-3761, ext. 7481, or by e-mail at e-mail .
For more about Penn College, visit online , e-mail or call toll-free 800-367-9222.