Penn State’s senior vice president for finance and business and treasurer Sara F. Thorndike and her husband, J. Philip Thorndike, have created the Sara and Phil Thorndike Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship.

The $100,000 scholarship will be used to help support funding for undergraduate students in all areas throughout the university.

Unlike most scholarships, the Thorndike Scholarship will be an unrestricted scholarship, which means that any qualified student from any campus or academic unit at the university can receive the funds.

Thorndike and her husband stated that they wanted to structure their gift in a way so that Penn State could help as many students as they could. Their creation of the scholarship is largely due to the family’s personal belief in higher education.

“I worked full time to put myself through college, so I know that affording an education can be a real challenge,” Thorndike said. “Year after year, it’s getting harder for many students to overcome that challenge. We are fortunate to be in a position to give back, and we’re excited to help others follow their dreams to Penn State and beyond with this scholarship.”

Not having certain criteria on the scholarship allows any student in any major to be eligible for it. Because of this, the Office of Student Aid can use the funds in the most appropriate manner.

“All that matters to us is that we’re helping students to succeed, but it will be especially gratifying if our scholarship makes a difference for some students who might not otherwise be able to receive support,” her husband, Phil, added.

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