UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Sandy Barbour and the Nittany Lion Club announced the creation of the ONE TEAM initiative to help offset the shortfall of funds due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All funds raised through this initiative go to support student-athlete scholarships and program support through the Levi Lamb Fund or Returning Senior Fund.
The ONE TEAM initiative is an investment in Penn State's 800-plus student-athletes and the future of Penn State Athletics. The Levi Lamb Fund and Returning Senior Fund will source scholarships, as well as a commitment to programs and services provided to student-athletes, such as academic support, nutrition, sports medicine, mental health and wellness, and facility maintenance.
Barbour detailed the ONE TEAM initiative in a letter and video to Nittany Lion Club members.
A Letter from Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Sandy Barbour:
As we are all well aware, the challenges facing our country have disrupted the lives of many. Here at Penn State, we have been forced to make difficult decisions in order to adapt to these uncertain times. During the past seven months, we have experienced incredible tests to our resolve and resilience with the cancellation of winter championships and spring sports, followed by the postponement of fall sports, and now the return of football competition without the typical revenue streams. It is hard to fathom the impact on our student-athletes as our department strives to operate under these challenging constraints.
The difficult reality is our loss of revenue is forecasted to total as much as $70 million or more. We pride ourselves on being able to realize our mission of helping student-athletes create a lifetime of impact without state funds or significant financial support from the University. Drastic cost-cutting measures including budget reductions, refinancing debt, furloughs and salary reductions have already been taken. However, without the financial support from our community, Penn State Athletics as we know it is at risk.
To help reduce the impact on our student-athletes and position them for continued success, we have launched the re-imagined, ONE TEAM initiative. We recognize current circumstances have likely impacted you and your loved ones, and we consider ourselves fortunate to have thousands of Penn State fans already reached out to help us through this difficult time. If you are able, we hope you will join the fight to help our student-athletes fulfill their dreams with a gift to the Levi Lamb Fund. This fund supports all 31 teams and our more than 800 student-athletes by providing unrestricted funding for scholarships, operational support and other services designed to give our student-athletes an edge over their competition and fuel their future success.
Learn more about the challenges facing Penn State student-athletes and the impact your gift can make. Your support will leave a lasting legacy and make a difference in the lives of so many of our talented student-athletes. Thank you for all you do to make the Penn State experience so impactful for so many.
We Are…
Sandy Barbour
Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics
