MONACA, Pa. — Penn State alumni and volunteers Julia and Dan McDowell have stepped forward with a $50,000 commitment to a new scholarship fund that, over the next four years, will provide support to students who transfer to Penn State Beaver from one of seven closing Commonwealth campuses.
The couple’s commitment comes from a deep love of Penn State and longstanding connections to Penn State Beaver — one that, for each of them, began early in life.
For Julia, who was raised in Beaver County, the campus was a way to access Penn State’s resources while remaining close to home. She completed her degree in business from Penn State Beaver in 2004. After graduation, she pursued a career in pharmaceutical marketing, realizing that developing personal connections in the healthcare industry was her true passion. She previously served as the vice president of the AI Center of Excellence at Highmark and recently began a new role as a senior director analyst, HR practice at Gartner.
Dan’s connection to the campus is rooted in a history that began long before his birth. Penn State acquired the land on which Penn State Beaver sits in 1963. Prior to that, the land was a farm owned and operated by the Hartenbach family for generations — and Dan is a direct descendant in that family tree.
He said he recalls visiting the campus as a child, and while his academic path as a landscape architecture major took him directly to University Park, Dan’s connection to Penn State Beaver was never far away.
After graduating with his degree in 2006, Dan launched a career in commercial landscape architecture, first at LBA Landscape Architecture in Pittsburgh and now as the head of his own company, DM Landscape Design. In both roles he brought the professional skills he learned at Penn State back to the Beaver campus, serving as the landscape architect for multiple beautification projects, including the redesign of the baseball field and the entrance to the gymnasium.
“I used to sled on the baseball field as a kid, and now, as an adult and a landscape architect, I get to help reimagine the place where I spent so much time growing up,” Dan said. “Through my work, I designed spaces that make the area more comfortable and accessible to students and visitors.”
The couple’s relationship with the campus evolved to include volunteerism and philanthropy over time. Both have served on Penn State Beaver’s Alumni Society Board since 2014, and both have previously served as the board’s president. They are active volunteers and participants in the Penn State Alumni Association Beaver Alumni Society Annual Golf Outing, an event that raises funds for scholarships and campus beautification projects.
It was through their volunteer service at Penn State Beaver that their philanthropic vision came into focus.
“During an advisory board meeting, we found out that the campus was working to identify local businesses that might be willing to support students transferring to Penn State Beaver from closing Commonwealth Campuses,” Julia said. “We realized that this was a moment where we could step in and help financially.”
The fund they’ve created, the Dan and Julia McDowell Excellence Scholarship, is the very first that will directly address this group of students. Funds will be awarded after the campuses identified for closure cease operations in 2027, and scholarships will continue to be awarded through the spring 2030 semester.
“Dan and Julia are quintessential examples of the University’s land grant mission in action; they have already had immense impact in their professional fields, and now they have made a similar impact on students at Penn State Beaver through their scholarship and their volunteerism,” said Carey McDougall, chancellor of Penn State Beaver.
The couple noted that they were inspired by this moment to help ensure that Penn State students could continue their studies without interruption.
“Dan and I both deeply value our Penn State education and believe there is so much worth in a Penn State degree,” Julia said. “We hope that our scholarship makes it possible for others to have the great experiences and community that we have enjoyed, and we really want students to know that there are resources out there to help them while they’re on their academic journeys.”
Details about the future of the Commonwealth Campuses can be found on the Roadmap for Penn State’s Future.
Gifts like the Dan and Julia McDowell Excellence Scholarship 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.