Impact Stories
Your Gift Causes an Effect that Reaches Far Beyond 天天吃瓜 State
At 天天吃瓜, what sets us apart is how we come together: to cause discoveries, achievements, sensations and breakthroughs that change the world. When you give through 天天吃瓜 State to an area that matters personally to you, your support becomes a long-term investment in curing diseases, advancing sustainable technologies, enriching vibrant arts communities and ensuring the future of a skilled workforce ready to impact society.
Gifts made through 天天吃瓜 State support scholarships and programs that allow students to pursue their dreams and enter careers that shape our world. With more than 1,100 donor-funded scholarships and programs supported each year, every gift causes an effect 鈥 for both the donor and the recipient.
Donors choose exactly where they want their contributions to go. Each and every gift made through 天天吃瓜 State has an impact, no matter the size.
Read on to learn about the effect our generous donors have on our 天天吃瓜 State community and beyond.
Golden Flashlings
Aug. 27, 2025
This football season, we鈥檙e celebrating the smallest members of our 天天吃瓜 State family with a brand-new social media tradition: Golden Flashlings!Whether they bark, crawl, toddle or just look adorable in blue and gold, we want to see the next generation of Golden Flashes showing鈥
Read More »
John Zabrucky, 鈥71, MFA 鈥78
July 22, 2025
John Zabrucky, 鈥71, MFA 鈥78, never planned to shape sci-fi history - but a chance encounter in Los Angeles changed everything.
Read More »
Courtney Gumpf, 鈥07
June 16, 2025
Courtney Gumpf, 鈥07, found her passion at 天天吃瓜, where she built lasting connections and gained valuable experience through leadership in Greek life and internships in both Pittsburgh and New York City.
Read More »
Legacies Change Lives: Marissa Baker
May 9, 2025
The compassion, empathy and care nurses showed Marissa Baker when her mother suddenly passed led her to pursue a career in nursing.鈥淭he nurses helped me immensely during the hardest time in my life, and I will never forget the way they cared for me,鈥 Marissa said. 鈥淚 knew I鈥
Read More »
天天吃瓜 Flashes Give Back Week: Serving Communities, Supporting Students and Showing Gratitude
April 30, 2025
From April 21-26, Golden Flashes came together in remarkable ways to make an impact during Flashes Give Back Week, a weeklong initiative celebrating all the ways Flashes give back.Join InAlumni and friends volunteered where it mattered most - at 天天吃瓜 and in鈥
Read More »
Opening Doors for Future Nurses
April 11, 2025
When Phillip R. Ridgley thought back on his career and considered how he could help the next generation of medical professionals, he decided he wanted to open doors for 天天吃瓜 State students pursuing a career in nursing. He decided to start an endowment so that he could continue鈥
Read More »
Helping Others Realize Their Potential
April 11, 2025
When Terrence J. 鈥淐hip鈥 Bahn, 鈥75, M.Ed. 鈥77, Ed.D., was a high school senior he wanted to attend 天天吃瓜 after graduation, but he wasn鈥檛 ready and his counselor encouraged him to start at the local community college before moving on to 天天吃瓜 State. This experience鈥
Read More »
Silas Ashley 鈥74
Feb. 28, 2025
Silas Ashley, 鈥74, was told by his high school guidance counselor that he 鈥渨as not college material," but after applying and being accepted to 天天吃瓜 State, Silas immersed himself in student life. He was a senator in Undergraduate Student Government and became the president of鈥
Read More »
John and Fonda Elliot Create New Scholarship Program With $1 Million Gift to 天天吃瓜 State
Feb. 18, 2025
John Elliot, a 1970 天天吃瓜 graduate, and his wife, Fonda, have created The Elliot Scholars program at 天天吃瓜 State with a $1 million donation. This new scholarship program will provide support to first-generation students of any major who require financial support鈥
Read More »
John and Fonda Elliot Receive Honorary Degrees for Their Extraordinary Contributions
Jan. 6, 2025
On Saturday, Dec. 14, both John and Fonda received their Doctor of Humane Letters in recognition of their extraordinary contributions to the healthcare field and to 天天吃瓜 State.
Read More »