Longtime Penn State volunteer Charlene Friedman has stepped forward with a landmark gift to galvanize research and policy interventions centered on empathy and compassion. Her support will be directed to enhance an initiative called the Program on Empathy, Awareness and Compassion in Education (PEACE).
The PEACE Program is dedicated to advancing the research of mindfulness, empathy and compassion and improving the health and well-being of communities through the outreach and translation of that research. In recognition of Friedman's transformational support, the program will be renamed the Friedman PEACE Program. Her gift will scale up the initiative's research portfolio and accelerate the process of translating findings into real-world practices.
"Across the decades, Charlene has exemplified what it means to be a dedicated supporter of the Penn State community. With this extraordinary gift, she is aligning her vision and generosity with Penn State's interdisciplinary excellence so that evidence-based outreach on empathy and compassion can reach more people, strengthen communities and create lasting impact," said Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi. "I am deeply grateful for this inspiring act of giving and for the future impact the Friedman PEACE Program will have on improving lives."
Friedman's gift represents the culmination of a decades-long effort by the College of Health and Human Development to build a holistic health pipeline from research to dissemination. The Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development was established in 1998 by Founding Director Mark T. Greenberg and through the generosity of Friedman's friend, 1953 Penn State graduate Edna Bennett Pierce, for whom the center was renamed in 2012. The PEACE initiative was launched by Greenberg and quickly became a leading incubator for the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center's scholarly activity.
"Edna was not only a valued friend but an inspiration to me for what can be accomplished by thinking in big, transformational terms," Friedman said. "The example of her generosity was what motivated me to plant a seed for growing a kinder, more thoughtful world where everyone can reach their full potential."
Now, the Friedman PEACE Program will pursue its expanded mandate through a combination of local action and global scholarship on how best to implement data-driven practices for building a more compassionate world. As a consequence of its bolstered resources, rapid growth and elevated profile, the Friedman PEACE Program is projected to become a beacon to other institutions seeking to launch empathy-driven initiatives.
"Charlene's investment in research into compassion and empathy will impact countless lives in profound ways, but she's just as focused on bringing that science back home to our community right here in central Pennsylvania," said Max Crowley, director of the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center. "We're not just generating ideas and solutions for others to come along and pick up. We're building networks with Centre County parents, teachers, counselors, social workers and healthcare professionals right here in our community so that our discoveries can change policy and have an immediate and lasting impact on our neighbors."
Crowley said the center's world-class faculty is positioned to advance compassion-oriented research. Sebrina Doyle Fosco, an assistant professor of human development and family studies, has fostered relationships with principals and superintendents to pioneer evidence-informed, mindfulness-based programming for teachers and administrators in K-12 schools, while Mark Brennan, UNESCO Chair for Sustainable PEACE through Youth and Community Engagement, is working to build empathy with youth in Centre County and around the world. Heidemarie Laurent, the Edna Bennett Pierce Professor of Compassion and Caring, researches pre and postnatal stressors with the aim of helping obstetricians optimize infant health.
Still, Crowley said, these examples represent just a fraction of the ways interventions developed by the Friedman PEACE Program have the potential to impact communities around the world. He pointed to a major event last year co-hosted by the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre in Dublin and a landmark summit in the United Kingdom that embodied Penn State's leading role in bringing empathy-based inquiry to the international stage.
"As the concepts of empathy and care gain traction in global conversations, our growing team of interdisciplinary Penn State experts is positioned to guide research into new and exciting frontiers," said Crowley. "Charlene's gift will be absolutely instrumental in delivering the resources that put us at the forefront of these advancements."
Friedman earned a bachelor's degree in education from Seton Hall University in 1969 and did her post-graduate study at the University of Oregon under the supervision of research educator Arthur Pearl, noted author of "The Atrocity of Education." For more than 30 years, Friedman has been the broker of record and chief financial officer of Industrial-Commercial Realty LLC, a holding company based in State College, Pennsylvania.
"Charlene's visionary gift demonstrates how philanthropy can profoundly reshape research and therapeutic practices across disciplines, ensuring compassionate care is prioritized both within our region and on a global scale," said Jay E. Davenport, vice president for development and alumni relations. "I am deeply gratified that Charlene was inspired by Edna's pioneering support for prevention research, and I look forward to witnessing how her own generosity inspires others in the years ahead."
Friedman's gift builds on the legacy of giving that she and her late husband, Ed Friedman, established together, including gifts to create the Edward Friedman and Stuart Mann Professorship in Hospitality Management and the Ed and Charlene Friedman Renaissance Scholarship. In 2012, Penn State named Ed and Charlene as the University's Renaissance Fund honorees for their civic and University engagement and generous financial support. She has served on various development and advisory councils across the University, and her landmark gift to the Friedman PEACE Program will elevate her to the Elm Circle of the Mount Nittany Society.
"I grew up in a tumultuous era when leaders like President Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. worked courageously to foster empathy and bind our society together with mutual care," said Friedman. "I've carried with me the belief that each of us has a responsibility to live out the kindness we want to see in the world. It won't happen overnight, but my hope is my gift can be a catalyst for accelerating this process."
Donors like Friedman advance the University's historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students to join the Penn State family and prepare for lifelong success; driving research, outreach and economic development that grow our shared strength and readiness for the future; and increasing the University's impact for families, patients and communities across the commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting raise.psu.edu.
