Fundraising’s Record Year

A best-ever year for university development demonstrates ongoing excitement for Penn State’s present, and its potential.

Alumni and friends contributed more than half a billion dollars to the university in the fiscal year ending June 30, setting a record for annual fundraising at Penn State and building excitement for a new campaign in 2026. This past fiscal year, more than 235,000 donors—another record—offered their support across colleges, campuses, and programs. 

“The remarkable generosity shown by Penn Staters this year will touch every aspect of our mission, from offering a world-class education to students, to meeting the economic and health care needs of the commonwealth, to pursuing research with the potential to shape our shared future,” said Board of Trustees Chair David M. Kleppinger ’77 Lib. “As we work toward long-term financial strength for the institution, philanthropy is an opportunity for supporters to communicate their own values and their vision for Penn State.” 

This year’s fundraising success reflects targeted support primarily in areas that matter deeply to Penn State donors, and the results were driven by 19 commitments of $5 million or more, the highest total in any fiscal year. That number includes gifts to support the Beaver Stadium revitalization project, which will fuel economic development in the Centre County region and generate increased revenue for all 31 NCAA Division I teams at the university, and philanthropic investments in Penn State’s academic enterprise, such as an $8.5 million anonymous estate commitment to the College of Engineering. 

The year-end totals also reflect support for student success initiatives, including a new gift from Steve and Nancy Sheetz to Penn State Altoona, and for other priorities expected to define the next campaign, which will launch publicly next spring. 

Giving Thanks

For their exceptional generosity in support of the university, J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox are Penn State’s 2025 Philanthropists of the Year. In 2024, the couple made a landmark gift of $20 million to endow and name the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School at Penn State. “Through their endowment, which will provide support for world-class graduate education in perpetuity, [the Foxes] have inspired us to plan and strive for Penn State’s future as a destination for leaders aspiring for excellence in countless fields,” said Levon T. Esters ’03 PhD Agr, vice provost for graduate education and dean of the Fox Graduate School. 

Ranked Among the Best

New surveys reaffirm Penn State’s place in the top tier of academic institutions worldwide.

QS WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKINGS
Penn State tied for No. 82 in the world in the 2026 QS World University Rankings, placing the university in the top 6% worldwide among the 1,501 institutions ranked by QS.

Out of 192 ranked U.S. institutions, Penn State placed at No. 6 among the 18 Big Ten universities, No. 8 among U.S. public institutions, and No. 24 among all U.S. universities. PSU is the top-ranked public university in the state.

2025 TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION IMPACT RANKINGS
Penn State ranked No. 3 in the United States and No. 64 overall among the top international institutions assessed by the 2025 Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings. The rankings assess universities against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—global goals adopted by all U.N. member states that look to improve life for all people and protect the planet.

Penn State is one of only four U.S. institutions in the top 100 globally, and ranks No. 2 among all Big Ten institutions. The university is in the top 3% of higher education institutions worldwide due in part to its breadth and depth of impactful research, including its status as Pennsylvania’s land-, space-, sun-, and sea-grant university.

The QS and Times Higher Education rankings are two of the three most respected international university ranking systems, along with the Academic Ranking of World Universities, according to Sabine Klahr, vice provost for Penn State Global. 

In Short

UNIVERSITY BUDGET PASSES
The Penn State Board of Trustees voted to approve the university’s 2026-27 operating budget and tuition and fees schedules. Key components include:

• No tuition increase for in-state undergraduates at the commonwealth campuses.
• Limited tuition increases at University Park (2% for in-state, 4% for out-of-state students) and for nonresidents at the commonwealth campuses (1%).
• Graduate assistant stipend increases (4% boost in value).
• Employee annual salary increases (3% pool for merit-based raises).

MAJOR GIFT FOR IST
Greg Roszyk ’89 Sci and his wife, Marnie Salisbury, recently made a $1 million estate commitment to the College of Information Sciences and Technology. When realized, this latest of many gifts from the couple will create two new endowments:

• The $600,000 Gregory Roszyk and Marnie Salisbury Dean’s Discretionary Fund in the College of Information Sciences and Technology will enable the college to have access to funding to address short-term needs.
• The $400,000 Gregory Roszyk and Marnie Salisbury Scholarship in the College of Information Sciences and Technology will be a general endowed scholarship for students who maintain a GPA of 3.5 or higher.

World’s first 2D, nonsilicon computer developed

In a world first,  a team led by Penn State researchers used two-dimensional (2D) materials to develop a computer capable of simple operations. The development represents a major leap toward the realization of thinner, faster, more energy-efficient electronics. They created a complementary metal- oxide semiconductor (CMOS) computer—technology at the heart of nearly every modern electronic device—without relying on silicon. Instead, they used 2D materials to develop both types of transistors needed to control the electric current flow in CMOS computers.

“Silicon has driven remarkable advances in electronics for decades by enabling continuous miniaturization of field-effect transistors [FETs],” says Saptarshi Das, the Ackley Professor of Engineering and professor of engineering science and mechanics at Penn State, who led the research. “However, as silicon devices shrink, their performance begins to degrade. Two-dimensional materials, by contrast, maintain their exceptional electronic properties at atomic thickness, offering a promising path forward.”