Va. Tech receives two $1M endowment commitments

The Public Service Education Institute has endowed two $1 million funds at Virginia Tech to support internships, the university announced Tuesday.

The endowments, each created with a $1 million commitment, will support students who have secured internships with federal, state or local government agencies, including the Virginia Cooperative Extension.

One endowment will support students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, while the Public Service Education Institute Virginia Tech Internship Endowment will support students across a range of programs. The university is still working to establish the funds’ award criteria for students. 

“We are grateful for the support of the Public Service Education Institute for this tremendous gift that will impact the lives of Virginia Tech and College of Agriculture and Life Sciences students for years to come,” Alan Grant, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, said in a statement. “Internships and the valuable skills they impart set students up for success in their future careers.”

The Public Service Education Institute was originally the U.S. Department of Agriculture Graduate School program. Established in 1921, the program expanded to provide more than 200 continuing education courses to government employees. In 2009, the program became an independent nonprofit, Graduate School USA. In 2021, Charles Town, West Virginia-based American Public Education bought the organization and renamed it the Public Service Education Institute.

Merle Pierson, the president and chairman of the institute’s board, was a professor of food microbiology and safety at Virginia Tech from 1970 to 2005 and headed its Department of Food Science and Technology from 1985 to 1994.

“Our goal is to help provide students with an experience in the government and to also provide the government with highly qualified individuals. … Hands on experience beyond the classroom provides much added value to education,” he said in a statement.