President Rodney Erickson and his wife Shari announced a $1 million donation to the university today to mark the end of the For the Future fundraising campaign. The campaign has raised more than $2 billion and officially closes on June 30, 2014.

“Rod and Shari Erickson have been dedicated partners throughout For the Future, and we are fortunate to have their additional generosity as this campaign comes to a close,” For the Future Campaign Chair Peter G. Tombros said. “From longtime members of the University community, their gift serves as a meaningful testament to the quality of this institution and its bright future. I am privileged to have worked with a couple so dedicated to Penn State and this campaign.”

The Ericksons’ gift is earmarked for The Arboretum, the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, and the Smeal College of Business. Half of the $1 million will go toward endowing a future space at The Arboretum, while the other half will be used to create an early career professorship position rotating between the latter two colleges. 

“Shari and I have been fortunate to watch The Arboretum at Penn State grow from just an idea to a thriving destination for our community,” President Erickson said. “We deeply value the contributions our faculty make to Penn State’s mission of teaching, research, and service and want to help promising scholars launch their careers at this University. We felt this gift would be the perfect way to give back to the University community that has given us so much.”

This is not the first time the Ericksons have given generously to Penn State — there is a Trustee Scholarship in their name in the Schreyer Honors College, along with other Erickson-funded endowments across the university.

Say what you will about his leadership ability or past mistakes, but no one can doubt his love for Penn State. Students should be grateful for the Ericksons’ continued support.