Penn State alumnus John M. Hazlett has established a scholarship at the University to benefit undergraduates in any academic field who have financial need. At his direction, first preference will be given to students who are graduates of Punxsutawney Area High School.

Hazlett, a Punxsutawney-area native, contributed $50,000 to endow the scholarship fund, noting that he made the gift in memory of his late wife.

The John M. and F. Louise Hazlett Trustee Scholarship is part of the Trustee Matching Scholarship Program, approved by the University's Board of Trustees in 2002 to help keep a Penn State education accessible to all qualified students, regardless of their financial circumstances.

The program has a unique matching component in which the University matches 5 percent of the principal of each gift annually and combines these funds with income from the endowment to effectively double the financial impact of the scholarship.

The Hazletts graduated from Punxsutawney High School in 1946. John Hazlett earned a bachelor's degree in labor-management relations in 1951 from Penn State, where he also was a member of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. He retired as chief industrial engineer of Youngstown Sheet and Tube Corp. and resides in Columbus, Ohio.

If no Punxsutawney students meet first-preference eligibility in any given year, the Hazlett Trustee Scholarship will be awarded to another student in the eligible University-wide pool. Last year, Trustee Scholarships assisted nearly 4,400 Penn State students.

Visit http://www.giveto.psu.edu/Trustee for more information about the Trustee Matching Scholarship Program.