Penn State alumnus Dale Hollinger has pledged to donate a $1-million estate gift to support Penn State undergraduate and graduate students with disabilities. The Dale and Rosalie Hollinger Scholarship for Students with Disabilities aims to assist the more than 2,000 students who utilize the Office of Student Disability Resources by helping pay for their tuition and other costs associated with their disabilities.

As a disabled student himself, Hollinger benefitted greatly from a scholarship he received while at Penn State. This personal experience ended up being a motivating factor in his decision to help students like himself accomplish their goals at Penn State.

“I am incredibly proud to support students with disabilities at Penn State,” he said. “I benefited greatly as a student by receiving a scholarship because of my own disability, and I am thrilled to be able to help students like me pursue their dreams of receiving a Penn State degree.”

This generous scholarship is the largest ever received by the Office of Student Disability Resources and will provide remarkable support for students. Hollinger has decided to activate this scholarship in his lifetime.

Hollinger will activate the scholarship in his lifetime with an outright gift that will be matched 1:1 by the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation, for a total of $120,000 in additional endowed support. The Newcombe Foundation provides scholarship funding through associations with certain academic institutions.

“I am extremely grateful to Mr. Hollinger for his inspiring generosity and continued support for students with disabilities at Penn State,” said Marcus Whitehurst, vice provost for educational equity. “His commitment is at the heart of fulfilling our land-grant mission of accessibility and affordability for students from all walks of life, students who make our University community a stronger, more vibrant place to learn and grow.”