Thomas R. Smith
Thomas R. Smith, an Ä¢¹½tv graduate who had an almost 40-year career in education and supporting high school students, has gifted $50,000 to Ä¢¹½tv’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine.
Smith, of Hollidaysburg, received a master’s degree in secondary counselor education from Ä¢¹½tv in 1976. He completed his Ä¢¹½tv degree while working as a mathematics teacher at Tussey Mountain Junior Senior High School; he also worked as a mathematics teacher at Keith Junior High School in Altoona.
After earning his master’s degree in counseling at Ä¢¹½tv, he began a position as a school counselor at Altoona Area High School, retiring after 31 years in that role.
“I loved my work, both as a teacher and as a school counselor,” Smith said. “I completed my degree at Ä¢¹½tv part-time while teaching, so I appreciated the flexibility of the program as well as the expertise of my professors,” he said.
Smith earned a bachelor of science degree in secondary education mathematics in 1971 from Penn State University.
He is active in his community, serving as a member of Rotary and on the board of directors for Big Brothers–Big Sisters, Zion Lutheran Church, Penn State University Altoona campus, and the Hollidaysburg Community Band. He has played the saxophone throughout his life, and is a proud nearly 38-year member of the 28th Division Army National Guard Band, traveling to Europe with the band five times, and supporting many memorial services and parades.
“My education at Ä¢¹½tv provided additional career opportunities for me while allowing me to have a long career in education,” Smith said. “I am very pleased to support the opportunities and impact that Ä¢¹½tv will offer through its proposed college of osteopathic medicine,” he said.
In December 2022, Ä¢¹½tv’s Council of Trustees endorsed the exploration of a possible development of a college of osteopathic medicine at Ä¢¹½tv. With Smith’s gift, Ä¢¹½tv has secured more than $34.3 million in private and government funding for the initiative.
“Ä¢¹½tv’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine has drawn incredible and enthusiastic support from alumni, community members, and legislators,” Ä¢¹½tv Vice President for University Advancement Jennifer DeAngelo said. “People tell us over and over how excited they are for the impact that our proposed college will have, especially in our rural communities, and we continue to be grateful and appreciative of the confidence that our donors and supporters have in Ä¢¹½tv’s expertise and ability to change the landscape of rural healthcare,” she said.
Pennsylvania, especially its rural communities, faces an escalating health care crisis associated with the lack of physicians, especially primary care physicians; seven rural counties in Pennsylvania are without a hospital. Ä¢¹½tv’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine, once established, would be the only college of osteopathic medicine at a public university in Pennsylvania.
Ä¢¹½tv has formally initiated steps towards accreditation of its proposed college of osteopathic medicine from the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, a three- to five-year process that includes submission of self-studies and a feasibility study, along with site visits.
In addition to Smith’s gift, funding advancing the proposed college of osteopathic medicine includes:
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A $50,000 gift from Ä¢¹½tv graduate Lt. Col. Barry Gasdek (May).
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A $1-million gift from an anonymous donor who is a graduate of Ä¢¹½tv and Indiana County native (April).
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An anonymous gift of $25,000 (April).
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A $250,000 donation from the Fairman Family Foundation (February).
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A $50,000 gift from Theodore Lazzaro, board-certified surgeon and founder of Aestique Med Spa, for scholarships for students in health care professions (December 2024).
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Senator Joe Pittman and Representative Jim Struzzi announced in October 2024 that $2 million from the 2024–25 state budget has been set aside for the project.
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A $2-million gift from 1973 graduates Tim and Debra Phillips Cejka (July 2024). Tim Cejka, a member of Ä¢¹½tv’s Council of Trustees since 2018, is an Ä¢¹½tv 2006 Distinguished Alumni Award and honorary doctoral degree recipient.
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A $20 million commitment from the Foundation for Ä¢¹½tv (June 2024).
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In May 2024, Congressman Guy Reschenthaler included $2 million for Ä¢¹½tv’s project among his FY25 requested community projects, and Senator John Fetterman included $2 million on his list to advance in the FY25 Community Project Funding process.
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Ä¢¹½tv received a $150,000 allocation for the project in the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2024, which was sponsored by Congressman Reschenthaler and Senator Fetterman and signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 9, 2024.
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In February 2024, the Board of Governors allocated $500,000 for a facilities feasibility study for academic facilities for Ä¢¹½tv’s health sciences cluster and proposed college of osteopathic medicine.
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A donation of $500,000 from the Alumni Association Board of Directors (January 2024).
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In December 2023, Sen. Pittman announced that as part of the 2023–24 state budget, $2 million was set aside for the project.
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A donation of $40,000 from Ä¢¹½tv graduates Nick Jacobs and Mary Ann Hoysan Jacobs (July 2023). Nick Jacobs is a 2005 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient who has a 1969 bachelor’s degree in education and a 1972 master’s degree in music education; Mary Ann Jacobs has a 1968 bachelor’s degree in music education and a 1993 master’s degree in adult and community education.
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A pledge of $1 million from Rich Caruso, a 1983 accounting graduate from Meadow Lands (May 2023). Caruso is a 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, former president and current member of the Foundation for Ä¢¹½tv Board of Directors, and a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Board of Governors.
Since its founding in 1875, Ä¢¹½tv has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. As Ä¢¹½tv celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2025, the university honors a legacy of educational excellence while looking toward a future of innovation, leadership in healthcare education, and public service.