On Wednesday, an anonymous couple donated $2.2 million to Penn State’s Geochemistry program, housed within the Geosciences department of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. The $2.2 million will endow a faculty chair in Geosciences, which will bring “an individual who is among the very best” in the field to Penn State.

With the $2.2 million contribution, Penn State’s renowned geochemistry program — ranked #3 in the country per U.S. News and World Report — will be able to continue its role as a world leader for research, education, and societal outreach in the field.

“Having an endowed chair in [the Department of Geosciences] will ensure that we can attract and retain the absolute leaders in [the field of Geochemistry] and support their research and that of their students in perpetuity,” said Lee Kump, chair of the Department of Geosciences.

The anonymous couple’s $2.2 million donation also puts Penn State a little closer to the fundraising goal set by its “For the Future” Campaign. The campaign, which started on January 1, 2007, aims to raise $2 billion by June 2014 toward Penn State’s continued excellence as a public research university.