Longtime Admissions Director Memorialized With Scholarship

The Chester D. Schuman Scholarship, honoring a man who served 34 years as admissions director for Pennsylvania College of Technology and its immediate forerunner, Williamsport Area Community College, has been established at the college.

The scholarship fund was established in memory of Schuman, who died in December, by his wife, Pam, and daughters, Lauren Schuman, a 2005 Penn College graduate, and Sarah S. Moore, Disability Services’ sign language interpreter/student support assistant at Penn College.



Schuman, who retired in 2009, also served as the college’s golf coach for nine seasons, amassing 155 consecutive wins from 2003-08. He was named Penn State University Athletic Conference “Coach of the Year” four times.

“We wanted to establish a scholarship as a way to honor Chet’s legacy at Penn College,” said Pam Schuman. “He believed in the value of the education that students receive at the college, and he gained great satisfaction from helping students succeed and reach their goals. He would be amazed and humbled by the generosity of so many people.

“The spirit of giving is alive and well at Penn College. My family and I appreciate all the support we have received since Chet’s passing. We feel a deep sense of gratitude to all who have contributed toward the scholarship, and we are excited that it will be awarded during the coming academic year.”

“Chet touched the lives of so many people during his long and distinguished career at Penn College – high school students searching for the right college, Penn College students hired as Student Ambassadors, student-athletes coached to record success on the golf course and young professionals just beginning their careers,” said Penn College President Davie Jane Gilmour. “It is the perfect tribute to a wonderful man that his positive influence on others will continue in perpetuity through this endowed scholarship.”

Preference for awards from the Chester D. Schuman Scholarship Fund will be given to a graduate of the Warrior Run School District who is enrolled in the School of Hospitality at Penn College or in one of the following academic majors: landscape/horticulture technology (landscape or plant production emphasis), plastics and polymer engineering technology, and plastics and polymer technology. Applicants must have completed 24 credit hours of postsecondary education.

The initial award of $1,000 will be made to a student during the 2012-13 academic year.

To date, $31,490 in gifts and pledges have been raised for the scholarship. Included is nearly $14,000 raised by a team of some of Schuman’s closest friends and co-workers, who recently ran a half-marathon in his memory. The team consisted of  Denny L. and Kay E. Dunkleberger, Becky J. and K.C. Shaner, Matt R. Haile, John D. Maize, Mike Melnyk, Bill Martens, and Kim and Randy Allison.

“Every member of Team SchuPa had a personal stake in this particular event because they were all connected to Chet either professionally, personally or both,” said Kay Dunkleberger, who serves as coordinator of disability services at Penn College. “Chet was responsible for giving me and many others, a start in our professional careers. He was a supervisor, a leader, a colleague, a friend and part of my extended family.

“Raising $14,000 in approximately six weeks’ time truly demonstrates the impact Chet had in our lives and in the lives of our supporters. The scholarship will honor his memory forever; so fitting for a true leader.”

For more information about making a gift to support Penn College and its students, call the Institutional Advancement Office toll-free at 866-GIVE-2-PC or email.

For more about the college, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.