Pennsylvania State University (PSU) has announced a $1.5 million estate commitment from alumnus W. Forrest Coley, Jr. to fund three endowed scholarships, each designed to recruit, retain, and support students who contribute to the diversity of the student body.

A portion of Coley’s estate commitment will fund the William F. Coley Jr. Memorial Bunton-Waller Merit Hospitality Scholarship in the Office of Educational Equity, which will be awarded annually to undergraduates enrolled in the Bunton-Waller Program who have met a high standard of academic achievement. Preference will be given to students in a degree program offered in the School of Hospitality Management in the College of Health and Human Development. Established in 1994 and named to honor the first African American alumna and alumnus to graduate from the university—Mildred Settle Bunton and Calvin H. Waller—the Bunton-Waller Program enhances Penn State’s educational mission by convening a community of curious, talented, and diverse students.

The gift also will create the W. Forrest Coley Jr. Memorial Graduate Scholarship in the Smeal College of Business, with priority going to Smeal graduate students who contribute to the diversity of the student body and who are members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council chapters at University Park. And the third portion of Coley’s gift will be allocated to an existing account, the W. Terrell Jones Memorial Bunton-Waller Scholarship, which is designated to assist students in the program who are rated as having the highest level of financial need.

“Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are central to Penn State’s academic, research, and service mission, as well as to our commitment to access and affordability for all students who are prepared to learn,” said PSU president Neeli Bendapudi. “When we create an institution in which all students are welcome and all have equitable access to opportunities for growth, enrichment, and success, it is not only Penn State and our students who benefit, but also the world. Forrest has shown tremendous leadership in stepping forward to fund multiple scholarships that support diversity and equity at our university. I am truly grateful for his generosity and his commitment to our students and to giving back.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/treese094)