More than 50 alumni and friends attended the gala celebrating the Alle-Kiski Society reaching the $100,000 level for its scholarship endowment.
Alumni group thanks donors at gala
UPPER BURRELL, Pa. -- A jug of wine, a loaf of bread and a 100 thou.
With apologies to the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, the Alle-Kiski Society of the Penn State Alumni Association celebrated a major milestone -- surpassing the $100,000 level of its scholarship endowment -- with sandwiches and vino May 20 at the Wooden Door Winery in Lower Burrell.
"The $100,000 Gala" was the theme of the celebration of achievement, and the event provided an opportunity to honor former donors and recognize past scholarship winners via an informal and entertaining evening of catered food and refreshments. More than 50 alumni and friends attended the soiree.
The society surpassed the coveted mark at its monthly meeting two days earlier. The alumni group, which is based at Penn State New Kensington, presented the campus a $10,000 check for the scholarship fund. The endowment now stands at $109,000, more than double its number of $51,000 five years ago.
Among the special guests at the festivities were: Charlene Gaus, regional director of volunteer services for the Penn State Alumni Association; former chancellor Larry Pollock and his wife, Sudee; Jim and Lynn Ramage; and Chancellor Kevin Snider and his wife, Sarah. Gaus serves as the PSAA contact for society presidents and alumni relations directors. She praised the Alle-Kiski Society as one of the most successful societies in the commonwealth.
The Pollocks routinely support the society’s activities, including the annual Alumni Golf Scramble, which funds the scholarship endowment. The Washington Township couple recently fulfilled a $10,000 pledge to the campus’ general scholarship fund. A fountain at the main entrance to the Administrative Building honors Pollock’s 35-year legacy as chancellor and director of student affairs.
The Ramages not only donated to the society’s scholarship, they established their own endowed scholarship, “Dr. James Ramage and Lynn Ramage Trustee Scholarship.” The Ford City residents desired to support students who are pursuing a degree in the STEM fields. As per the donor's wishes, first preference is given to students who enroll in the math course, Calculus with Analytic Geometry I, a required course for the science, technology, engineering and math majors. The Ramages' connection to the campus has spanned more than 20 years, beginning in the 1990s when Jim served on the campus Advisory Board.
Snider, who succeeded Pollock in 2008, spoke of the importance of the student scholarships. He noted that private support allows the University to further its efforts to keep a Penn State degree affordable for students and families. To commemorate the gala, Snider presented Tom Oberlin with a framed certificate of appreciation that will be displayed at a prominent location on campus.
Tom Oberlin, president of the Alle-Kiski Society, welcomed the guests, and recapped the endowment’s five-year growth spurt. He credited Roger Williams, the retiring president of the Penn State Alumni Association, as the impetus for the dramatic increase. In 2010, Williams challenged all Penn State alumni societies to increase their scholarship endowments by 50 percent by 2014, the end of the “For the Future” campaign. The Alle-Kiski alumni group took up the gauntlet and fulfilled its $26,000 pledge a year ahead of schedule, increasing its scholarship from $51,000 to $77,000. In the following year, using the proceeds from the alumni golf tournament and bowl-a-thon, the society donated $15,000 more to the endowment. By the end of the campaign, the principal had risen by 78 percent.
A $7,000 donation by Tony Moret, owner of Moret Construction Co., took the endowment to the precipice at $99,000. The society’s latest check breached the barrier.
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Penn State New Kensington Chancellor Kevin Snider, center, and former
chancellor Larry Pollock, right, present Alle-Kiski Society president Tim Oberlin
with a certificate of appreciation.
Scholarship endowment
The “Alle-Kiski Society Endowed Scholarship” was established in 1992 and fully endowed at $15,000 six years later. Former society president Bill Salem founded the Alumni Golf Scramble in 2000 to nourish the scholarship fund. Proceeds from the tournament were earmarked exclusively for the endowment. Endowed gifts are held by the University in perpetuity. The initial gift is invested, and only a portion of the average annual investment return is spent. The remaining income is added to the principal as protection against inflation.
As the scholarship fund grew, so did the amount of the annual awards. A total of $1,300 in scholarships went to the first campus recipients -- Kelly Doyle, Tara Murrell and Nicholas Wichowski. This past year, the society awarded $4,400 in scholarships to Nathan Piluso, Nathan Schartner, Justine Rojeski and Jay Eiler. For the upcoming academic year, the amount awarded jumps to $5,500. The new recipients will be chosen in August by the society’s Scholarship committee. Since 1998, the society has awarded $48,000 to 55 campus students.
Funding campus projects
The endowment is not the only beneficiary of the society’s largesse. The society engages in various projects throughout the year, including interacting with current students through networking activities. Social events include a reception for student award winners, a Penn State TV football party, and a basketball pizza social.
During the For the Future campaign, the alumni organization made a $10,000 gift to campus athletics for equipment for the cardiovascular fitness room. The society also sponsors an annual reception for more than 100 campus students and their families for their accomplishments at the annual Academic and Student Achievement Awards ceremony.
Fundraising events include the bowlathon in the spring and a golf outing in the summer. While proceeds from the golf tournament go directly to the scholarship endowment, proceeds from the bowlathon are used for both the endowment and special projects. The spring bowlathon raised $6,600. Last year’s golf scramble raised $7,800.
Alumni golf tournament coming up
The march to a $200,000 endowment begins 11 a.m., Friday, Aug. 14, with the Alumni Golf Scramble. The shotgun-start tournament at the Links at Spring Church in Apollo is open to alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff and friends of Penn State. The entry fee is $110 and includes green fee and cart, lunch, dinner, prizes and refreshments on course. A foursome may sign up, or individuals may sign up and be assigned to a short-handed team.
Various golf packages are available, including foursomes, tee sponsorships and "dinner only." Tee sponsorships are available for $100. Registration and sponsorship forms are online, http://nk.psu.edu/Information/News/46218.htm#NEWS46218
For more about the Alle-Kiski Society, visit http://nk.psu.edu/Information/News/46218.htm#NEWS46218
AKS Scholarship Recipients
1998-2015
1998: Kelly Doyle, Tara Murrell, Nicholas Wichowski
1999: Jillian Savko, Edward Lee, George Madalay
2000: Holly Bell, Karen Bridge, Kimberly Lowers, Theresa Smith, Toni Vokes
2001: Wendy Jarmul, Nicole Palucacos, Joseph Caliguri, James Dykes
2002: Ray Mastre, Matthew Marziale, Charlotte Caldwell, Dana Tolatta
2003: Pat Olstein, Kenneth Kocon, Charlene Barker, Shawn Vause
2004: Jeffrey Arvay, Krista Goch, Jamie Conrad, Crystal Gilliland, Kelly Mitchell
2005: Shirley Betush, Melissa Franklin, Danica Myers
2006: Jeffery Mangone, Marie Rosenberger, Julie Arvay
2007: Kristin Clyde, Danica Myers
2008: Julie Arvay
2009: Katie Shoemaker
2010: Melissa Gemballa, Ericka Watson, Jaclyn Burkett
2011: Gretchen Toy, Shanna Williams, Vanessa Peck, Justin Tinnemeyer, Corey Zell
2012: Lauren Richards, Brandi Ritenour
2013: Joshua Swinehart, Jennifer Phillips, Caitlyn Cody
2014: Nathan Piluso, Nathan Schartner, Justine Rojeski, Jay Eiler