Rein's million-dollar gift endows Trustee Scholarships in Liberal Arts

University Park, Pa. -- Penn State alumna Catherine Rein has given $1 million to establish the Catherine Shultz Rein Trustee Scholarship in the College of the Liberal Arts. The scholarship will be awarded to students who have financial need and will include a matching component from the University.

Rein, a native of Lebanon, Pa., is a 1964 graduate of the college, majoring in labor management relations. She is senior executive vice president and chief administrative officer for MetLife in New York City.

Now well established in her field, Rein said that there were times during her Penn State career when achieving such a post was hard to imagine.

"One semester during my college years I was within $100 of having to drop out of Penn State," she said. "Being in a position where I can help some of today's students avoid that anxiety makes me feel very good. My education has made many things I never dreamed of available to me. It is my time to give back."

Rein already has given back to the College of the Liberal Arts in numerous ways, including the creation of two graduate fellowships, an earlier Trustee Scholarship and an endowment supporting co-curricular activities. She maintains close ties with Penn State, attending football games and participating in alumni affairs.

The Trustee Matching Scholarship Program is designed to ensure that a Penn State education is accessible to qualified students, regardless of their financial means. Implemented in 2002 upon approval by the University's Board of Trustees, the program has a unique matching component where the University matches five percent of the principal of each gift annually and combines these funds with income from the endowment to effectively double the financial impact of the scholarship. The program assisted nearly 4,400 students University-wide in 2006-07.

"Cathy Rein has given generously to the college and the University for many years," said Susan Welch, dean of the College of the Liberal Arts. "Her gifts have already provided many students with access to a Penn State education. Now, with this magnificent gift, many more outstanding undergraduates of the future will be able to afford an education in the liberal arts. We deeply appreciate Cathy's philanthropy and the impact it is already having on Penn State students and will have for decades to come."