UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State will celebrate its 11th GivingTuesday on Dec. 2 — and the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School invites alumni and friends to be a part of the event by making a gift to support the Penn State Graduate Student Emergency Fund.
Administered through the Office of Graduate Educational Engagement Programs (OGEEP), the Penn State Graduate Student Emergency Fund supports graduate students facing unexpected financial hardship. Financial assistance from the fund is granted to students to help offset the cost of urgent expenses that often arise suddenly — such as medical bills, groceries, utilities, childcare and other essential needs.
The Graduate Student Emergency Fund helps to ensure that students stay enrolled, focused and on track in their studies during times of crisis. With graduate students increasingly vulnerable to financial instability and often excluded from traditional financial aid, emergency assistance is more crucial now than ever.
“With nearly 13,000 graduate students at Penn State, the need for emergency support is significant,” said Stephanie Danette Preston, associate dean for graduate educational engagement and chief diversity officer for graduate education at Penn State. “The Fox Graduate School is committed to holistic student success, and this fund ensures students can continue their academic journeys despite unforeseen challenges. GivingTuesday is a key moment to rally community support and demonstrate the strength of our alumni network.”
The first $3,000 in gifts will have double the impact. Harriet Luell Lampkin, who graduated with a master’s degree in media studies from Penn State in 2007, has pledged a matching gift of up to $2,500. In addition, Candice L. Preston, a friend of the Fox Graduate School and annual donor, has pledged an additional $500, bringing the total available matching funds to $3,000.
Aside from the matching gifts, Jonathan U. Dougherty, who earned his doctoral degree in architectural engineering from Penn State in 2006, will donate $1,000 to the Fox Student Emergency Fund if the campaign reaches 50 donors.
"As graduate alumni, we understand the realities and complexities of pursuing a graduate degree,” Dougherty said. “When you add unfortunate, unexpected challenges, it can deeply impact student success and degree completion. The Graduate Student Emergency Fund is a critical lifeline for students and must be a continued area of philanthropic focus for the Fox Graduate School. I encourage all alumni and friends to join me in supporting this worthwhile endeavor on Giving Tuesday and beyond."
True to Penn State GivingTuesday tradition, the celebration is kicking off early on Monday, Dec. 1, at 18:55 (6:55 p.m. EST) — a nod to the year in which the University was founded. Those interested in contributing to the Fox Student Emergency Fund before December can make an early gift on Penn State’s GivingTuesday event page.
Gifts made on GivingTuesday 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.