The Robert K. Zimmerman Memorial Endowment (Donate)
You can support the vision of stable, independent student radio at Penn State by donating to The Robert K. Zimmerman Memorial Endowment, named in memory of the greatest advocate for student radio at the Pennsylvania State University.
The Endowment was one of the founding purposes for which Mr. Zimmerman devoted himself to the alumni interest group, and it is with humility and hope that we carry on the torch that he left for us burning brightly.
Over the past five years, the students at The LION 90.7fm, WKPS, have improved practically every aspect of the station, from quality of programming to their training program, to the beauty of the physical plant in the Hetzel Union Building to the professionalism and doggness they have shown in working to improve student radio.
For these reasons, we are confident in the ability of students to run student radio probably better — and with more technologies and means of delivery — than ever before. But financially, the students are hurting. They are limited to requesting a maximum of only $15,000 each year from the University, and underwriting revenue has not been able to fill the gap. The station’s typical annual expenses are about $30,000.
The establishment of an endowment to help ease the station’s financial burdens is more acute now than ever before. As alumni and friends of student radio, we are entrusted with its future success. For our endowment to become official within the Alumni Association, we need to reach a required initial benchmark of $25,000.
With $25,000, our endowment will begin generating $2,500 annually, which will be used to begin supplementing the annual budget of The LION 90.7fm. In time, we hope one day to also help provide for a part-time technical adviser to assist the student management.
But none of this can become real without you. It won’t be real without your help, and your generosity. Contributions are tax-deductible, and the fund is professionally managed by the University through the Penn State Alumni Association.
The future of student radio cannot exist without your help today.