Penn State’s graduate school got a name change Friday after two philanthropists pledged a $20 million, an amount the university said would accelerate its rise as one of the top destinations for students pursuing advanced studies.
The university’s board of trustees unanimously voted Friday to name the graduate school the “J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School.” According to the university, the gift from J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox is the largest in the graduate school’s century-long history.
In a statement, Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi said the school will serve as the “keystone of our work preparing future leaders who have dedicated themselves to advancing their fields at the highest levels of study.”
“The Foxes’ visionary support speaks both to their tremendous generosity and the perennial importance of graduate-level studies in achieving the most noble aims of higher education: to elevate human knowledge and change our world for the better,” Bendapudi said. “This commitment from Jeff and Ann Marie represents the first college naming gift in Penn State’s new campaign, and their leadership stands as an example of what we can achieve through the combined power of philanthropy, education and partnership.”
The gift put the Foxes among what the university described as an “elite group of Penn State donors” who have their names attached to high-level academic units.
The graduate school, which enrolls more than 13,000 students across 300 degree programs, became the sixth at Penn State to be named after a donor. Those others include the Eberly College of Science, the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing, the Schreyer Honors College and the Mary Jean and Frank P. Smeal College of Business.
The graduate school is only the third of its kind to be named across the Big Ten and the Ivy League. Named colleges and schools are among the most “prestigious and valued commitments across higher education,” board of trustees Chair Matthew W. Schuyler said in a statement.
“They communicate to our peer institutions, as well as to students, faculty, alumni and other supporters, that the donors believe in Penn State’s mission and our potential for future achievement,” Schuyler said. “This gift from Jeff and Ann Marie Fox feels especially meaningful because, although they are not Penn State alumni themselves, they see the profound impact that our graduate alumni can achieve across every discipline and sector.”
Income from the Foxes’ endowment will be directed toward scholarships, fellowships and other direct aid to grad students, the university wrote in its statement. There will be a special focus on military personnel and their families.
Levon T. Esters, the university’s vice provost for graduate education and dean, said in a statement that the gift will help take the school to a “new level of national and international prominence.”
“The resources and prestige of a naming gift will be invaluable to our institution and to the many future leaders who will earn their advanced degrees here and carry forward the Foxes’ legacy into the wider world,” Esters said. “I am deeply grateful for the faith that they have shown in our institution and in our graduate students and faculty.”
Jeff Fox is an entrepreneur and served with the Boys and Girls Club for more than a decade. Ann Marie worked with children with special needs. Each served on corporate and not-for-profit boards of directors.
“We chose to name the Fox Graduate School because we believe that our shared future will be shaped by the scientists, scholars and leaders in every discipline who pursue advanced studies and prepare for successful careers at Penn State,” they said in a statement shared by the university. “We see our gift as an investment in the world that they will create, and we will take the greatest pride in their professional achievements and the academic reputation of the Fox Graduate School that they will carry forward into their careers.”
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