The donor is alumna Melissa Daniels Foster, who began college at and earned her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Penn State in 1987.
Her gift is the first seven-figure estate commitment to the campus from a Penn State Berks alumna.
The Foster Excellence in STEM Fund will offer support to Penn State Berks K-12 school district partnerships and outreach programming that will help young students discover new topics in STEM, Penn State Berks officials said in a release.
The endowment will also provide funds for on-campus programming in support of future engineers and scientists from a wide array of backgrounds.
Those programs include Engineering Ahead, a four-week summer “bridge” program designed to enhance academic preparedness and increase retention rates among engineering students, as well as Futures in Engineering: Role Models Can Empower (FiERCE), which connects Penn State Berks engineering students with local middle and high school students interested in pursuing engineering degrees.
“We want every potential Penn State Berks student to find their true passion,” Penn State Berks Chancellor Radha Pyati said in the release. “This gift will provide us with the flexibility to offer generations of Penn Staters opportunities to engage with our community and attract more students to careers in STEM. I am so grateful to Melissa — her passion for education is truly remarkable and will make a profound difference in our efforts at Penn State Berks.”
Daniels Foster worked as a chief engineer at ExxonMobil Chemical. In 2016, she became the first woman to serve in that role with the company.
She worked in that capacity for over 30 years before retiring in 2020. Her role involved developing technology to improve the corporation’s sustainability, Penn State Berks said in the release.
Daniels Foster said she credits her career success to a strong family support system and her own curiosity.
At a young age, her parents encouraged her to be an explorer, expanding her skills and opportunities, and her grandmother taught her the value of choosing a career that could provide economic security, Penn State Berks said.
“As a high school student, I wasn’t sure what topic I wanted to study in college,” Daniels Foster said. “My grandmother’s advice was ‘Figure out how to make a living.’ A young woman at the time, I was inspired by her words to see my education as a way of becoming independent.”
Her path to that independence soon became clear, she said.
After shadowing a metallurgist in the Pennsylvania steel industry and receiving encouragement from a high school chemistry teacher, Daniels Foster decided that chemical engineering was her calling.
As an undergraduate, she served as the president of the Penn State chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
“I consider myself lucky to have had the opportunity to connect my interests with ways to solve challenging world problems,” she said. “Too often, students don’t encounter or explore all the professional paths open to them. This gift is my way of helping others to align their interests with meaningful, viable careers.”
Daniels Foster retired in 2020. She now lives in Boise, Idaho, with her husband, William Foster III.
She told Penn State Berks that she enjoys spending time with family, volunteering for the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights, and watercolor painting.
Daniels Foster said she recently decided it was the right time to give back.
“Yes, I worked hard to create and take advantage of opportunities, but I always had a strong support system,” she said. “So now, I want to help create a path for future generations of Penn Staters and be a part of their support system. Aristotle once said that ‘educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.’ This gift comes from my heart.”
To learn more about Penn State’s philanthropic opportunities, visit raise.psu.edu.
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