UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences alumnus Jeffrey A. Conrad has made a $100,000 gift to support the college’s Office of Access and Equity. The gift will help remove barriers to success for the next generation of students in the college.
The Jeff Conrad Access and Equity Fund in the College of Agricultural Sciences will serve to enrich the Office of Access and Equity by providing discretionary funds for activities and programming geared toward ensuring accessible and equitable opportunities and fostering an inclusive, supportive community.
“Talent is equally spread across all communities, but opportunities and resources are not,” said Laura Leites, the college’s assistant dean for access and equity. “Our mission is to ensure our brilliant, talented students access all the opportunities and resources they need to become our future professionals, scientists, producers and farmers. Jeff Conrad’s gift helps us to do just that. His generosity, and the trust it reflects, affirms the importance of our work. His clarity of purpose and his thoughtful approach remind us that meaningful change begins with genuine, intentional action. We are very grateful.”
Established in 2024, the Office of Access and Equity supports and empowers students, particularly those from communities historically underrepresented in higher education, students who are the first in their family to pursue college degrees and students from low-income households. The office provides one-on-one coaching and mentoring, help with navigating co-curricular opportunities and career pathways, and learning assistance and community building programs.
The office heads into its second year looking to build upon the past year’s successes and hopes to expand programs and implement new initiatives, Leites noted. Some of these include a First-Gen Lighthouses Program, which pairs incoming first-generation students with a faculty or staff member who was also a first-generation student.
Other initiatives under consideration include a program designed to reduce cost-related barriers to participation in enriching academic and extracurricular opportunities for undergraduate students, and a grant program for graduate student organizations to host events that foster belonging and build community across the college. However, all these activities require resources, a need that Conrad’s gift will help to meet.
Conrad, the founder and president of AgIS Capital based in Boston, Massachusetts, understands how important funding is for making these types of programs a reality.
“As I’ve become more involved in supporting academia and offices like this one, it’s become clear how important funding is for centers like this one,” Conrad said. “I’m grateful that I’m in a position to help.”
In addition, Conrad said he also understands the value of flexibility, adding, “When I learned about the different programs the Office of Access and Equity offers, I decided I didn’t want to direct my money to a specific initiative because I don’t feel like I’m in the best position to know where they can maximize the return. I want to know where the money goes and why, but I want to give it to the professionals, like Laura, who are best equipped to make the decisions about how and where to spend it.”
Conrad is a longtime supporter of Penn State, the College of Agricultural Sciences, the LGBTQ+ community and rural 4-H. Previous support includes three scholarships; a $1 million gift for facility renovations and enhanced programming for the Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity at University Park, which was named in his honor; and a gift supporting Penn State’s chapter of Students for Cultivating Change. He also joined forces with fellow graduate and lifelong friend MeeCee Baker to cover 4-H membership fees for youth in Juniata County.
“I am so blessed to be able to give back,” Conrad said. “I give back because I’ve been successful. You can’t take it with you. When I look back on what helped me get here, along with my personal struggles, I realized I wanted to provide resources to today’s programs and offices that many from my generation didn’t have.”
Gifts like this advance the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students to join the Penn State 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.