Campaign News

The friendships that bring Gettysburgians back. The professors who help students discover their potential. The places where those connections take root.

Together, these elements form the foundation of We, Here, Now: The Campaign for Gettysburg College, publicly launched Oct. 17 during a Homecoming Weekend celebrating our community and its shared future.

Jenny Stone ’76 sometimes says her career in athletic training began with an unlucky fall or maybe, she admits, a lucky one.

Stone was a sophomore physical education major at Gettysburg College when she hurried up a wooden spiral staircase in Plank Gym on the way to gymnastics class, slipping and breaking her foot. Suddenly, the student-athlete who had played field hockey and basketball found herself with something unfamiliar: free afternoons.

That unexpected opening changed everything.

Bob Ortenzio ’79 understands the appeal of building something from the ground up.

As co-founder and executive chairman of Select Medical, Ortenzio helped grow a company headquartered in central Pennsylvania into a nationally recognized leader in health care. When Gettysburg College shared its vision for a new women’s wrestling program, he recognized some of the same elements that have inspired him throughout his professional life: an ambitious idea, experienced leadership, and the opportunity to create something lasting.

Gordie Beittenmiller’s connection to Gettysburg College did not begin with an acceptance letter, a residence hall, or a diploma. It began with a story.

Growing up east of Gettysburg near York, Pennsylvania, Beittenmiller developed an early interest in the battlefield through a high school project suggested by his American history teacher. A few years later, while attending Penn State University Park, he returned to Gettysburg as a seasonal National Park Service ranger at Gettysburg National Military Park.

Gettysburg was the place where we truly came into our own—academically, socially, and personally. We loved the energy of campus life, from an active social scene to long walks and quiet moments on the battlefield, which gave us space to think, talk, and imagine what our futures might hold. Laura especially loved attending football and basketball games, where the sense of community was palpable, and dances and concerts added to the fun and excitement of being a student.

Gettysburg College has received a $9.45 million gift from the estates of Bruce Baky ’65 and Sherrin Hilburt Baky-Nessler ’65, P’01, celebrating the couple’s loyal devotion to the College and advancing faculty excellence, innovation, and student opportunity across several academic priorities. With this estate gift, the couple’s total giving to Gettysburg will exceed $9.7 million, placing them among the College’s most impactful benefactors.

For sisters Anne Kuhlmann Taylor ’66 and Celia J. Kuhlmann ’75, Gettysburg College has always been more than a place—they have long viewed it as the foundation of their lives, their careers, and their confidence as young women entering fields where they were pioneers. Recently, their enduring belief in the power of a Gettysburg education led to significant new commitments that will support generations of students and earned them a shared place on the College’s Benefactors Wall.

Our first date at Gettysburg was in December 1984. We went to a Phi Kappa Psi Christmas house party. We went on a few dates after that, but then Steve went away for a J-Term trip to Egypt and Israel. Then he graduated, I graduated the following year, and we started dating again after we ran into each other at the October reunion in 1987. We have been married since 1990 and live in Alexandria, Virginia. We have two grown children; our son and his wife just had a beautiful baby boy.

Alumni, students, and families joined together to cheer the men’s lacrosse team to a 12-11 victory over Swarthmore in its first night home game.

Through various engaging activities and events on campus, the Summit on the Future featured the College’s greatest champions and philanthropic supporters interacting with College leadership, including President Bob Iuliano and members of the Board of Trustees and President’s Council; faculty; students; College administrators and program directors; and o

Gettysburg College provided Trustee Emerita Joan Fischer Schweizer ’76 and Rick Schweizer ’76 with rewarding and impactful experiences that prepared them both for successful professional careers.

With two uncles as alumni, Tim ’88 and Mike Foley ’00, Emily Kreider ’25 had heard about Gettysburg College growing up. But it wasn’t until she visited campus in 2021 that she experienced firsthand the place where people and philanthropy support a Gettysburg education for all students.