UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Tom and Colleen Weber, both 1987 Penn State graduates, have committed $250,000 to endow the Mary and Tom Moore and Betty and Leroy Weber Memorial Scholarship in the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing. The couple provided an additional $25,000 in immediate funding to award scholarships in the fall 2025 semester.
Both from Erie, Pennsylvania, the Webers met while attending the University Park campus, where Tom studied business marketing and Colleen studied nursing. After receiving their undergraduate degrees, Tom attended the Dickinson School of Law, now Penn State Dickinson Law, and Colleen realized her goal of becoming an ICU nurse.
“We’re passionate about Penn State. I got an excellent education there,” Colleen Weber said. “I feel like the program afforded me the chance to find my way.”
As first-generation college students, the Webers credit their parents’ sacrifices with making their Penn State degrees possible. They said they established this fund in their parents’ honor and have earmarked the scholarships for first-generation Pennsylvania residents pursuing a bachelor of science in nursing degree at any of the college’s affiliated campuses.
“We are certainly cognizant of the expense, as well as the pressure, placed on students now,” Tom said. “We hope that we can relieve some of that pressure and enable others to have the same outstanding opportunity that Colleen was able to enjoy.”
Bridget Duffy, a 2026 Nese College of Nursing graduate from Lansdale, Pennsylvania, received support from the fund during the final year of her bachelor of science in nursing degree. Duffy said the scholarship helped her purchase a vehicle to travel to clinical sites, reduced how much she needed to borrow and gave her more time to devote to academics.
“It allowed me to focus on my studies without having to work, which was very helpful because the nursing program can be challenging,” Duffy said. “I was able to dedicate my full attention to my studies and succeed academically.”
Laurie Badzek, dean of the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing, said the gift comes at a critical moment for the profession.
“In a time when the health care system is heavily impacted by nursing shortages, the Webers’ generosity emboldens the next generation of nurses and nurse leaders to pursue their careers with a reduced financial burden,” Badzek said.
The Webers’ longstanding commitment to Penn State includes annual support for THON. Their three children, Ashley, Shaun and Brandon, are also Penn State graduates. Beyond the University, the Webers support other philanthropic causes, including United Cerebral Palsy and the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition.
Scholarships such as the Mary and Tom Moore and Betty and Leroy Weber Memorial Fund 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.