By Steve Harmic, Penn State DuBois
DuBOIS – Mark Freemer of DuBois has been named the new chair of For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students at Penn State DuBois. The fundraising campaign is aimed at keeping a Penn State education affordable by increasing scholarship opportunities for students and enhancing the overall student experience.
Each campus has assembled its own committee, which is responsible for seeking funding and gifts that will benefit only that campus’ students. As campaign chair, Freemer will provide leadership and guidance to the rest of the committee as they work to secure the remaining $3 million needed to reach the campus’ campaign goal.
Freemer is a certified public accountant and a partner in the accounting firm, Clyde, Ferraro and Company in DuBois. He is also a Penn State DuBois alumnus. He has served as a member of the board of the DuBois Educational Foundation, the advisory board which provides scholarships, research support, financial support and facility project funding to Penn State DuBois.
“I had an interest in becoming involved in this campaign because of the positive impact Penn State, and the DuBois campus, has had on my own professional career,” said Freemer.
“It provided me an opportunity to get a great education from a nationally known university. By being able to attend Penn State DuBois, it also provided me the ability to get this education at a cost that my family and I could afford.”
Freemer replaces former committee chair Dan Kohlhepp. Kohlhepp resigned from the position when he relocated to the Washington D.C. area in order to accept a position as Academic Director of the Edward St. John Real Estate Program at Johns Hopkins University. During Kohlhepp’s tenure as chair, the committee raised close to $1 million, including gifts that were used to establish several new scholarships to benefit Penn State DuBois students.
Freemer graduated from Penn State with a bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1981. He began his career in Pittsburgh but was quickly offered a position in DuBois, which he came home to accept in 1982. He then moved into his position at Clyde, Ferraro and Company, where he eventually became a partner and remains today.
A community minded professional, Freemer has volunteered with numerous other organizations, including the DuBois Regional Medical Center Board of Directors, the DuBois Area United Way, DuBois Area Catholic Schools and Goodwill Industries.
“Mark has a reputation as an extremely caring and devoted individual, who proudly serves his community through many organizations,” said Penn State DuBois Chancellor Anita McDonald. “We are delighted and honored to have him as the chair of our campaign committee.”
Recognizing the current economic challenges and need for student support, Freemer said choosing to join For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students was an easy decision.
He said, “I believe now is the time to support the educational system of this great university with gifts that will help continue to make the DuBois campus a good option for students wishing to obtain a Penn State degree.”
For more information on the campaign and giving opportunities at Penn State DuBois, contact Director of Development Jean Wolf at 814-372-3038
