Penn State University has announced a $30 million gift from alumnus and television legend Donald P. Bellisario ('61) to its College of Communications.

The gift from the writer, producer, and director of shows such as "Magnum P.I.," "Quantum Leap," and "NCIS" will establish a scholarship fund for communications students, with  preference given to undergraduates who are U.S. military veterans, active-duty service members, reservists, and members of the National Guard. The gift also will be used to create an endowment that supports programs offering undergraduates "real-world" work experience, internships and residential programs in media markets elsewhere in the country, and the Donald P. Bellisario Media Center, which will house the college's television studios, its growing digital media agencies, student-media operations, and space for film and video production.

Bellisario first enrolled at Penn State in 1953, left to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps, and returned to State College in 1957, where he earned his degree in journalism and worked for the Centre Daily Times, establishing a reputation in advertising before making the leap to Hollywood in the mid-1970s. With his wife, Vivienne, he gave one of the largest gifts ever made to the university through PSU's Trustee Matching Scholarship Program and, in 2006, endowed the Donald P. Bellisario Trustee Scholarship with a $1 million commitment.

"In the fast-moving fields of media and journalism, the greatest advantage we can give our students is hands-on experience, as they learn from faculty who are themselves leaders and game-changers," said Marie Hardin, dean of the School of Communications. "Thanks to the Bellisarios' unsurpassed generosity, we will be able to create more opportunities on campus and in places such as Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, for our students to interact with top professionals."