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Impact Stories

Alumnus Creates Endowed Professorship Through Gift Planning

Penn State campus

Impact Stories

Alumnus Creates Endowed Professorship Through Gift Planning

Dr. Larry Beuchat smiling

Dr. Larry Beuchat left a lasting gift to benefit future faculty and students in the Department of Food Science

Dr. Larry Beuchat fondly remembers his time as a Penn State student. From the diverse, interesting peers he met to the fascinating lectures and demonstrations he experienced in class, his college degree set him on a path toward a career as a distinguished researcher in the field of food microbiology.

To recognize the Penn State faculty who inspired him and to encourage a new generation of researchers, Dr. Beuchat '65 Agr created the Dr. Larry Beuchat Professorship in Food Microbiology with a planned gift of $1 million. It is the first endowed professorship in Penn State's Department of Food Science in the College of Agricultural Sciences.

"I got my start at Penn State," Dr. Beuchat says. "The gift is a return for the effort, time, and inspiration I received in my food microbiology classes at Penn State. Now as a faculty member myself, I've seen so many young developing scientists grow in understanding the field of food microbiology, and it's been inspiring to see these young people go on to contribute to the field. I thought this professorship would be a good way to support their efforts."

Dr. Beuchat is passionate about faculty support, and he was able to use gift planning vehicles to make the impact he envisioned. The gift combines an estate gift and life insurance policy benefit to create the endowment.

The Dr. Larry Beuchat Professorship in Food Microbiology will provide a faculty member with funds to conduct new research, to extend knowledge to industry and the public, and to support undergraduate and graduate students' work. This full professorship will join two early career professorships already established in the department.

"A named professorship is an honor," says Dr. Bob Roberts, interim department head of Penn State's Department of Food Science. "Because he's also a professional in this area, Dr. Beuchat's gift is an honor and testament to the kind of work we are doing at Penn State. Food safety is a national and international priority, and this endowment will provide the Beuchat Professor with funds to take risks with his or her research and push the field forward."

Dr. Beuchat credits the courses he took at Penn State as an undergraduate with providing him the inspiration to dedicate his life to food science. A food microbiology course was incredibly inspirational, while a food processing course, then taught in a laboratory by Beaver Stadium, provided him with hands-on learning that further motivated him to study these topics.

"I hope the professorship will expand and strengthen the already strong food microbiology program at Penn State," Dr. Beuchat says. "While a professor may not have an extension or outreach appointment, he or she may field telephone calls or attend meetings to share his or her knowledge. I created the Beuchat Professorship with the hopes of facilitating the spread of fundamental and applied discoveries to future generations of students, industry, and the public."

A native of Guys Mills, Pennsylvania, Dr. Beuchat earned his master's and doctoral degrees from Michigan State University before working for Quaker Oats in research and development. He then embarked on a career in academia at the University of Georgia, where he currently serves as a semi-retired distinguished research professor of food microbiology at the Center for Food Safety. He has published more than 500 refereed scientific articles and authored or co-authored five books on the topics of food safety, foodborne infections and intoxication, and spoilage issues that are still commonplace around the globe. As of 2005, he was the third most-cited agricultural scientist in the world.

The Penn State Department of Food Science is ranked among the top programs in the nation, according to the National Research Council, with an undergraduate enrollment of 220 and graduate enrollment of 40 students in M.S. and Ph.D. programs. Food safety is a primary focus in research and expertise of the faculty.

The Dr. Larry Beuchat Professorship will support For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students, a University-wide fundraising effort directed toward a shared vision of Penn State as the most comprehensive, student-centered research university in America. The University is engaging Penn State's alumni and friends as partners in achieving six key objectives: ensuring student access and opportunity, enhancing honors education, enriching the student experience, building faculty strength and capacity, fostering discovery and creativity, and sustaining the University's tradition of quality. The For the Future campaign is the most ambitious effort of its kind in Penn State's history, with the goal of securing $2 billion by 2014.

To learn how you can support the campaign and future Penn State students through a gift in your will, please contact The Office of Gift Planning at 888-800-9170 (toll free) or giftplanning@psu.edu.

A charitable bequest is one or two sentences in your will or living trust that leave to Penn State University a specific item, an amount of money, a gift contingent upon certain events or a percentage of your estate.

an individual or organization designated to receive benefits or funds under a will or other contract, such as an insurance policy, trust or retirement plan

"I give to Penn State University, a nonprofit corporation currently located at c/o Office of Gift Planning, 329 Innovation Boulevard, Suite 313, State College, PA 16803-6606, or its successor thereto, ______________ [written amount or percentage of the estate or description of property] for its unrestricted use and purpose."

able to be changed or cancelled

A revocable living trust is set up during your lifetime and can be revoked at any time before death. They allow assets held in the trust to pass directly to beneficiaries without probate court proceedings and can also reduce federal estate taxes.

cannot be changed or cancelled

tax on gifts generally paid by the person making the gift rather than the recipient

the original value of an asset, such as stock, before its appreciation or depreciation

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the price a willing buyer and willing seller can agree on

The person receiving the gift annuity payments.

the part of an estate left after debts, taxes and specific bequests have been paid

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You give assets to a trust that pays our organization set payments for a number of years, which you choose. The longer the length of time, the better the potential tax savings to you. When the term is up, the remaining trust assets go to you, your family or other beneficiaries you select. This is an excellent way to transfer property to family members at a minimal cost.

You fund this type of trust with cash or appreciated assets—and may qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction when you itemize. You can also make additional gifts; each one also qualifies for a tax deduction. The trust pays you, each year, a variable amount based on a fixed percentage of the fair market value of the trust assets. When the trust terminates, the remaining principal goes to Penn State as a lump sum.

You fund this trust with cash or appreciated assets—and may qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction when you itemize. Each year the trust pays you or another named individual the same dollar amount you choose at the start. When the trust terminates, the remaining principal goes to Penn State as a lump sum.

A beneficiary designation clearly identifies how specific assets will be distributed after your death.

A charitable gift annuity involves a simple contract between you and Penn State where you agree to make a gift to Penn State and we, in return, agree to pay you (and someone else, if you choose) a fixed amount each year for the rest of your life.
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