Thelen, who resides in Virginia Beach, Va., earned a master’s degree in engineering from Penn State and serves as chair of Penn State Altoona’s RTE Advisory Board. Penn State describes the RTE as “a groundbreaking academic initiative designed to prepare students for placement and career advancement within the rail industry.”
Among candidates who satisfy the scholarship’s criteria, preference will be given to a student who is a child or grandchild of a current or former employee of Norfolk Southern Corp. or Conrail, railroads at which Thelen worked during his 36-year career in the industry. “I have had an interesting and fulfilling career with Conrail and Norfolk Southern, and I would like to help students and the rail industry alike by ensuring the continued availability of qualified employees,” Thelen said. “The RTE program is exactly what the railroad industry needs to continue to grow and flourish.”
In recognition of the gift, Thelen will be inducted into the campus’s Ivyside Society, established in 1987 to honor those who, through their philanthropic support and leadership, share a commitment to the continuing excellence of Penn State Altoona. Thelen will also be recognized at the college’s annual Student Benefactor Dinner, beginning in 2015.
“I express heartfelt thanks to Gerhard Thelen for this generous gift to support our students who are pursuing a Rail Transportation Engineering degree,” said Penn State Altoona Chancellor and Dean Lori J. Bechtel-Wherry. “Our college is also grateful to Gerhard for his inspired leadership of our RTE program’s Advisory Board. Undeniably, he is playing a signature role in the development of our program, and his imprint is indelible.”
Established in 2011, Penn State Altoona’s RTE baccalaureate degree program is described as “the first of its kind in the nation. Created in direct response to demographic shifts that have resulted in the loss of highly trained senior railroad engineers in recent years, the program provides students with a unique multi-disciplinary experience that emphasizes the study, development, and application of new and emerging technologies impacting the rail industry.”
“Thelen’s philanthropy will help Penn State Altoona to play a vital role in training engineers for placement within the expanding rail industry,” said the college. “Penn State’s four-year degree program in Civil Engineering provides a strong technical foundation for the RTE program. The Civil Engineering courses are coupled with new customized courses in rail business, mechanical systems, track, operations and safety, communications and signals, and industry regulation. Students also gain an invaluable perspective on the industry’s history, culture, and financial, regulatory and labor environment. The program’s impact may expand beyond the baccalaureate degree with research support for the industry and additional educational offerings.”