Harrisburg alumnus pledges $4.39 million estate gift for business scholarship

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. - Penn State Harrisburg alumnus Ronald S. Vaughn has pledged an estate gift of $4.39 million, which will endow the Ronald S. Vaughn Opportunity Scholarship for undergraduate students studying business.

"We are deeply grateful to Mr. Vaughn for his incredible generosity," said Penn State Harrisburg Chancellor David Callejo Pérez. "This gift will create a wealth of opportunity for generations of Penn State Harrisburg students, particularly those who - like him - discovered their potential on our campus and transformed their futures through education. Mr. Vaughn's story reflects the very values of our college and alumni community, and his legacy will continue to inspire and support our students for decades to come."

After serving in the U.S. Army, Vaughn earned a bachelor's degree in business from Penn State Harrisburg in 1978 and then an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He spent his career in corporate finance, economic analysis and project management, principally in the energy sector.

"In life there are pillars. Penn State Harrisburg is one of those pillars in my life that I have relied on and have looked back on fondly," Vaughn said. "My Penn State undergraduate education was great. The experience was fantastic. It exceeded expectations, not only at the time but down the road."

The campus was the right size and had a positive atmosphere, according to Vaughn. He'd just left military service and until that time had not had a good academic record, he said.

"Everything fit for me. … Penn State helped me blossom. It was the fertilizer that brought out the flower. It really changed my life," he said.

Through the Ronald S. Vaughn Opportunity Scholarship, Vaughn said he hopes to encourage business students, particularly those who have demonstrated real academic improvement.

"I want to support the University and its mission," Vaughn said. "I also want to support those students who have a need and have demonstrated academic and personal growth while attending Penn State. I had the burden of student loans. I'm hoping to help someone avoid at least some of that burden later on."

Vaughn has supported Penn State Harrisburg since 2020, when he established the Ronald S. Vaughn Undergraduate Business Program Endowment, which provides financial resources to advance key institutional priorities and needs in the School of Business Administration.

"We are profoundly grateful for this generous gift, which celebrates student growth, resilience and the determination to improve," said Amber Stephenson, director of the School of Business Administration. "This scholarship will make a meaningful difference for students who embody the power of perseverance and continued learning."

Donors like Vaughn advance the University's historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students to join the Penn State family and prepare for lifelong success; driving research, outreach and economic development that grow our shared strength and readiness for the future; and increasing the University's impact for families, patients and communities across the commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting  raise.psu.edu.