SCHUYLKILL HAVEN, Pa. — Penn State alumnus Louis H. “Herb” Meier has established the Elbert and Helen Meier Scholarship at Penn State Schuylkill, an endowment designed to support first-generation students from Schuylkill County with financial need.
Meier, who grew up in Ashland, Pennsylvania, attended Penn State Schuylkill before completing his bachelor of science degree in health and human development, with a focus in law enforcement and corrections, at University Park in 1973. A first-generation college student himself, Meier said he wanted to give back to help others achieve their educational goals, just as he was once helped through scholarship support.
“My tuition was paid for by a scholarship, and that support made my education possible,” Meier said. “I wanted to give back and help other students the way I was helped — to help them find their dreams and succeed without too many worries.”
The Elbert and Helen Meier Scholarship at Penn State Schuylkill will provide financial assistance to full-time undergraduate students enrolled at or planning to enroll at the campus who demonstrate financial need and are first-generation college students, and whose home address is in Schuylkill County. Each scholarship will be awarded for one academic year and may be renewed for subsequent years if the recipient continues to meet eligibility criteria and funds are available.
Meier established the scholarship in memory of his parents, Elbert and Helen Meier, who he credits with shaping his values and work ethic. His father passed away when Meier was 15, and his mother began working to support their family.
“This scholarship is a way to thank my parents for everything they did for me growing up and to honor their strength and sacrifices,” Meier said. “I hope it will help students who need a little extra encouragement to pursue their education and achieve their goals.”
Meier currently resides in Urbandale, Iowa, where he serves as president of the Penn State Alumni Association Iowa Chapter. He remains an engaged member of the Penn State community and recently returned to Penn State Schuylkill to surprise his friend, artist Chet Davis, during the opening of Davis’s exhibition in the campus Art Space gallery.
Penn State Schuylkill Interim Chancellor Cory Scherer expressed gratitude for Meier’s generosity and continued dedication to his alma mater.
“We are profoundly grateful to Herb Meier for his generous gift honoring his parents and for his continued connection to Penn State Schuylkill,” Scherer said. “His support will have a lasting impact on generations of first-generation students from Schuylkill County, helping them pursue higher education and achieve their dreams.”
Donors like Meier 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.