Penn State faculty couple commits $100,000 for Ag Sciences scholarships

University Park, Pa. -- Students in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences will benefit from two new scholarships created by Paul Wangsness, senior associate dean of the College, and his wife, Sally Wangsness, former director of the University's School of Nursing.

The State College couple has given $50,000 to establish the Wangsness Family Trustee Scholarship, which will assist students who have financial need. In addition, they have committed $50,000 as part of their estate plans to fund the Paul J. and Sally I. Wangsness Scholarship in Animal Sciences, with preference given to students who have both financial need and excellent academic achievement.

"Our families were of very modest means, and none of our parents had completed high school," said Paul Wangsness.

"Yet they were dedicated to helping us achieve our college educations," added Sally Wangsness. "And scholarships awarded to us helped immensely."

Paul Wangsness has served as senior associate dean since 1997. Previously he held several administrative positions in the college, including head of the Department of Dairy and Animal Science, director of extension for the Capital Extension Region, and associate dean for Animal Sciences and Graduate Education. He has taught and advised many undergraduate and graduate students, has been widely published for his research in animal nutrition and physiology, and has received numerous recognitions and awards. Before coming to Penn State in 1971, he earned degrees from the University of Wisconsin and Iowa State University.

Sally Wangsness served two years as director of Penn State's School of Nursing. She also taught and was the school's associate director for Commonwealth Education, during which time she led the effort to establish several new associate degree programs in nursing. She received three graduate degrees from the College of Health and Human Development at Penn State, including a Ph.D. in community systems planning and development. Her bachelor's degree in nursing is from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

The couple has two married children, Jonathan and Sarah, who live in Manassas, Va., and Las Vegas, Nev., respectively, and are both Penn State alumni.

The Trustee Scholarship program is designed to keep a Penn State education accessible to all qualified students, regardless of their financial means. Launched in 2002, the program has a unique matching component: the University matches 5 percent of each gift annually and combines these funds with the annual spendable income from the endowment to increase the financial impact of the scholarship.