STATE COLLEGE — Ronald and Martha Tirpak know how to get projects off the ground. The Pennsylvania natives were both the first in their families to attend college, and even when Ron hit a financial setback — a required summer term after his junior year prevented him from earning enough wages to cover his final year of tuition — he persisted by taking an alternate route on his road to graduation: a six-month detour through the Department of Highways. The job paved the way for him to graduate from Penn State University’s College of Engineering in 1963 with degrees in sanitary and civil engineering.
The couple married three years later and went on to build a still-thriving civil engineering firm in Summit Hill, located in Carbon County.
Now, the Tirpaks are using their own experience as a blueprint to guide their philanthropic vision as they help to build Penn State’s future. The couple committed $1 million to expand affordability through scholarships and to ensure that the College of Engineering has access to modern, state-of-the-art facilities. The gift builds upon their past support of the College of Engineering and includes an estate commitment that is projected to make a transformational impact on future students.
“Ron and Martha have devoted their lives to building public infrastructure in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, where their efforts have benefited the entire community,” said Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi. “Now, they have amplified their already robust philanthropic support of the university with a gift that will significantly strengthen the College of Engineering and create new scholarships across multiple units that will empower hardworking young people to fulfill their dreams of coming to Penn State. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Tirpaks for their generosity and for their inspiring vision of a stronger, more accessible university.”
The bulk of their commitment will be directed to support the Engineering Collaborative Research and Education Building, a 290,000-square-foot engineering facility that is anticipated to open in fall 2024. Once completed, it will house 51,000 square feet of space in support of research, and its nine active learning classrooms will provide the largest capacity of classrooms of any building at University Park.
“Equipping engineering students with the skills and expertise to succeed requires a robust and modern infrastructure, and the Tirpaks’ gift has played a tremendous role in funding the facilities that will make learning and research possible for decades to come,” said Tonya L. Peeples, Harold and Inge Marcus Dean of Engineering. “I am pleased the Tirpak Lounge will bear their name as a reminder of their extraordinary generosity and dedication to lifting future Penn State engineers to success.”
The Tirpak’s philanthropic commitment will also create two new scholarships. The Ronald M. and Martha M. Tirpak Science Scholarship will be available to students in the Eberly College of Science whose home address of record is in Carbon County. First preference will be given to students who are planning to major in pre-medicine.
The Ronald M. and Martha M. Tirpak Information Technology Scholarship will benefit undergraduates in the College of Information Sciences and Technology from Carbon County. Both scholarships are permanently endowed and will be awarded annually, with the possibility of renewal for students who remain in good academic standing.
These new endowments deepen the Tirpaks’ existing philanthropic legacy, including the Ronald M. and Martha M. Tirpak Civil Engineering Scholarship, which assists students in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
The couple plans to provide additional support to each of these endowments, as well as to THON, through provisions of their estate. In recognition of their gifts to the university, the Tirpaks were welcomed into the Mount Nittany Society in 2007, the Atherton Society in 2019 and the Laurel Circle in 2024.
“Carbon County has really struggled over recent decades to attract industry and business, so many of its residents don’t necessarily have the resources to cover the tuition of a world-class institution like Penn State,” said Ron Tirpak. “Our goal in making this gift was to open doors for young people in Carbon County, especially for those entering STEM fields, who might otherwise be intimidated by the financial barriers to entry.”
A further portion of their new gift will power the creation of the Ronald M. and Martha M. Tirpak Blue Band Legacy Fund, which will provide funds for the purchase of new and replacement band instruments. Their decision to channel support to the Blue Band was born out of their family’s longstanding appreciation for music.
“Our children and grandchildren all played in band or orchestra,” said Martha Tirpak. “In fact, in high school, Ron played trombone and I played percussion. We’ve been longtime fans of the Blue Band and always stay to see the drumline after football games, so this gift was a way of signaling our appreciation and support for all they do.” “The Carbon County area has been very good to us,” Ron Tirpak reflected. “We wanted to pay forward our success to the next generation, so that we can unlock opportunities for every person who is eager to work towards a brighter future, and we are proud that Penn State is here to make that future a reality.”
