During their careers at Penn State, John and Stephany Romano were committed to helping students achieve success in their academic programs so they could move on and thrive in their chosen fields. Now in retirement, they have not given up that focus—and through their recent gift to establish a charitable gift annuity (CGA), the Romanos ('72) are tackling financial barriers facing students at Penn State York.

"As students balance course work, extracurricular activities, jobs, and other factors of life, many also face the challenge of how they will afford to pay tuition," John says. "Helping students to focus on their educational experiences is something that we believe is very important, and it's our hope that this new scholarship will do just that."

A CGA is a simple agreement that allows you to make a gift to Penn State, which, in return, pays you a fixed amount each year for the rest of your life. The Romanos have used their most recent CGA to establish the John J. and Stephany J. Romano Scholarship at Penn State York—an undergraduate scholarship designed to provide support for full-time students who are enrolled or are planning to enroll at the York campus and have demonstrated financial need.

The scholarship is the product of John and Stephany's second CGA with the University, building upon the generosity they displayed in 2011 when they funded a CGA in support of the endowed John J. and Stephany J. Romano Renaissance Scholarship.

“Our eight years at Penn State York played an important role in our lives,” Stephany says. “Our experiences there led us to decide to fund this scholarship to specifically benefit students who choose York as their Penn State home campus.”  

John and Stephany are longtime Penn Staters. They both obtained graduate degrees from the University in 1972, John his Ph.D. and Stephany her master's. The Romanos spent much of their careers at the University. John worked 41 years at Penn State, including eight years as Penn State York's campus executive officer (1985-93). He retired from Penn State in 2010 as vice president emeritus for Commonwealth campuses. Stephany worked with both undergraduate and adult students in her last position as director of professional development for the Department of Health Policy and Administration within the College of Human Development.

Now retired, the Romanos credit their combined experiences at Penn State York and throughout the University for their commitment to the institution and its important mission.

"Our time at Penn State York provided us with a strong understanding of the important role that not only York but every Commonwealth campus plays in the success of the University's land-grant mission," John says. "Having the opportunity to provide scholarship support to York students with financial need is a great honor."

To learn more about how you can support hardworking Penn Staters, contact the Office of Gift Planning at Penn State at 888-800-9170 (toll free) or giftplanning@psu.edu to discuss giving opportunities. There is no obligation.