WYOMISSING, Pa. — As Penn State Berks Athletics continues to grow, Jeff and Sue Berkel and their family recently made immediate and estate commitments totaling $100,000, representing the largest single gift in the program’s history. The campus is home to six men’s and six women’s teams at the NCAA Division III level that engage more than 160 student-athletes.
“Athletics present a wonderful opportunity for our campus and local communities to come together and show their pride in Penn State Berks,” says Penn State Berks Chancellor Radha Pyati. “I am so grateful for the Berkel family’s support. At this exciting moment, their generosity will help us to provide the best possible experience to our student-athletes and our fans.”
The family's gift will provide flexible-use program funds to Penn State Berks Athletics that dovetail with recent campus facilities projects and the hiring of new athletics staff. In 2022, the campus celebrated the opening of the new Beaver Athletics and Wellness Center, the home facility for the Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball and Women's Volleyball teams. The $30 million project — which included renovating courts and adding state of the art cardio and weight training rooms, multipurpose gym space, locker rooms and athletics staff offices — expanded prior structure’s training and rehabilitation facilities. The updated building also houses the kinesiology program at Penn State Berks, including multipurpose classrooms, exercise physiology and biomechanics laboratories and faculty offices.
Berks athletic director Barry Beal noted that for growing programs like those at Berks, institutional funds can update buildings, but philanthropy is essential in enhancing the spaces, equipment and programming that greatly improve the experience of student-athletes and fans.
“Whether it's high-quality Penn State Berks-branded gear for our student-athletes or enhancements to our athletics facilities such as new scoreboards or banners, philanthropy gives us the flexibility to build a program that stands out among our Division III peers — one that our students and campus community can truly be proud and excited to cheer on,” Beal said. “Thanks to the Berkel family’s generosity, we’ll be able to do just that.”
Jeff Berkel studied at Penn State Berks and earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from University Park in 1986. He currently works as a principal of Project Insight, a California-based project management software development company, and he has held various leadership roles in the consumer electronics and recycling industries. His wife, Sue, recently retired as the chief financial officer of CareConnectMD and holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Indiana University. They have three children; Katherine, Emily and Benjamin, a graduate of Penn State Berks in 2022 and Penn State University Park in 2023 and former Penn State Berks baseball player.
For the Berkel family, philanthropy was not just a way to have a tangible impact on the campus landscape, but a path to creating more opportunities for its students. Their recent commitment also includes an estate gift of $200,000 to the Berkel Family Next Step Scholarship at Penn State Berks, a scholarship that they originally endowed in 2021 and that supports first-generation students with demonstrated financial need.
“Penn State Berks played an important role in my life,” said Jeff. “I am a first-generation college student, and I would not have been able to attend college had it not been for Penn State Berks. When my son decided to attend Penn State Berks and play baseball, I got to see first-hand how the athletic department works. I firmly believe athletics enhances the University as a whole. Athletics create a sense of community, and that community attracts talented students and talented athletes. It means a great deal to our family to be able to support the future generations of Penn State Berks students and student-athletes.”
Donors like the Berkel family advance the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students 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.