UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — For students at Penn State, finding a way to connect is crucial to finding success on campus. For the veteran students served by the Office of Veterans Programs (OVP), housed within the Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity, connecting requires an even greater level of comfort that isn’t always easy to come by.
OVP’s service-program dog, Podrick, helps veteran students build those crucial connections, providing a friendly presence that helps put students at ease so they may be open to exploring all the opportunities within the Office of Veterans Programs and on campus.
Podrick’s support has helped thousands of veteran students thrive and connect, and a gift from Penn State alumni Jeff and Jeanine Goldberg will help support service-animal programming and efforts to grow and help students at University Park for years to come.
According to Renée Thornton-Roop, senior director of the Office of Veterans Programs, Podrick plays a crucial role in the office.
"Podrick is trained with multiple cues including greeting behaviors, physical assistance, and even a ‘pressure’ behavior where he'll lay across the student's lap to provide a calming effect," Thornton-Roop said.
She added that, more than the commands and training, Podrick is a friendly face that helps puts student veterans at ease, and starts conversations.
Thornton-Roop described times where “new students come in the lounge and maybe they’re a little bit guarded and are reluctant to have a conversation, but then Podrick comes into the lounge and they're sitting on the floor and they’re starting to have conversations, and they are learning more about each other ... he’s just kind of this bridge ;to connection. He’s an amazing dog and it’s an amazing program.”
Learning about Podrick and having a unique connection made it natural for Jeff and Jeanine Goldberg to get involved with the program.
For the Goldbergs, connecting with the Office of Veterans Programs was an easy decision, they said. A 1999 Smeal College of Business graduate, Jeff has a strong family history and passion for the military. Jeanine, a 1999 Eberly College of Science graduate who trains at Mount Vernon Dog Training Club in Virginia and is a member of Mount Nittany Dog Training Club in State College, has both a passion for service animals and an award-winning training history.
The Goldbergs explained they understood how important and special the program is, and they had wondered what the plan would be after Podrick retired from service.
With Podrick’s eventual retirement and the cost of training and supporting service animals, the Office of Veterans Programs needed a plan. Podrick was trained by Susquehanna Service Dogs, who began working with the office in February 2022. The original cost of a service animal for OVP was about $5,000, with the lifetime cost of each dog being close to $40,500.
Known as “Rudy’s Fund” in honor of the Goldbergs’ first dog, their gift will ensure that the support Podrick provides will continue, as well as assist with funding another service animal when Podrick retires. Thornton-Roop noted the Goldbergs’ support will help in several major ways. It will help maintain OVP’s current programming, increase programming opportunities in which Podrick can attend or assist, and help to continue the OVP service dog program after Podrick retires.
SeriaShia Chatters, interim vice provost for Educational Equity, noted that “This gift allows OVP to focus on ensuring it has what it needs to both sustain Podrick’s legacy of service and support our student veterans. I am extremely grateful to the Goldbergs for their generosity in support of Educational Equity.”
Donors like the Goldbergs 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.