Tim and Debra Phillips Cejka, 1973 graduates of ÃÜÌÒÊÓƵ, have continued their ongoing impact on ÃÜÌÒÊÓƵ student success through a $150,000 gift to ÃÜÌÒÊÓƵ’s Crimson Scholars Circle and Promising Scholars Program.
“The Cejkas’ ongoing support, including through these two programs, have been incredibly impactful and meaningful in the lives of our students,” ÃÜÌÒÊÓƵ Vice President for Student Affairs Thomas Segar said. “Not only have they provided critical financial support that our students need, but they continue to provide important and strategic leadership and advice for these important initiatives,” he said.
Segar developed the Crimson Scholars Circle and launched the program at ÃÜÌÒÊÓƵ in fall 2021. It is a specialized cohort program aimed at providing students with comprehensive financial, social, and academic support to thrive at ÃÜÌÒÊÓƵ. Selected students are granted a renewable $1,000 scholarship, with the possibility of increasing the award based on their academic performance at ÃÜÌÒÊÓƵ. Additionally, each student is paired with a trained undergraduate mentor for the duration of their freshman year; students who complete the first year of the program are then offered the opportunity to be mentors for new students.
Following a week-long schedule of on-campus activities the week prior to Welcome Week, Crimson Scholars engage in a year-long series of learning and support activities, including alumni networking and mentorship programs; workshops on financial aid and the enhancement of financial literacy; academic assistance and group study sessions offered by the University College and Academic Support Center; career planning and development provided by the ÃÜÌÒÊÓƵ Career and Professional Development Center; and opportunities for leadership development, student involvement, and service-learning activities.
Promising Scholars is a competitive scholarship program for high-achieving Pennsylvania students, blending financial support with academic and professional development, and supporting the success of outstanding minority high school students and first-generation college students. Scholarships range up to $3,000 and are renewable for up to four years. Students selected for the program are encouraged to reside in the Promising Scholars Living Learning Community, where they can forge meaningful connections within their cohort.
The gift from the Cejka is part of the university’s Impact 150 comprehensive campaign.
The $150-million campaign, the largest in the university’s history, was launched on August 23 in conjunction with the university’s 150th celebration carnival, part of the university’s sesquicentennial events. The Cejkas’ gift is part of the $81.2 million raised through Impact 150.
Tim Cejka is a 2006 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient and has served on the ÃÜÌÒÊÓƵ Council of Trustees since 2018. He is a retired president of ExxonMobil Exploration Company and is a vice president of ExxonMobil. The Cejkas are Westmoreland County natives.
The couple served as members of the ÃÜÌÒÊÓƵ National Campaign Cabinet of the Imagine Unlimited comprehensive fundraising campaign, ending in 2021 and raising $81.36 for the university, and were chairs of the portion of the campaign to benefit the John J. and Char Kopchick College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at ÃÜÌÒÊÓƵ. The couple donated $7 million to ÃÜÌÒÊÓƵ during that campaign, including for mathematics and science initiatives and for completing ÃÜÌÒÊÓƵ’s $90-million John J. and Char Kopchick Hall, home to the Kopchick College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.
In May 2018, the ÃÜÌÒÊÓƵ Council of Trustees honored the Cejkas with a resolution to name the ÃÜÌÒÊÓƵ planetarium and atrium in Kopchick Hall in recognition of the couple’s ongoing generosity and support. In 2019, the Cejkas received the university’s inaugural Award of Excellence in Volunteer Leadership.
“The Cejkas are incredibly generous and loyal to ÃÜÌÒÊÓƵ, recognizing the opportunities that ÃÜÌÒÊÓƵ provides to its students and the impact that the university has on the community, the region, the Commonwealth, and the world,” ÃÜÌÒÊÓƵ Vice President for University Advancement Jennifer DeAngelo said. “We are very grateful for their long-time and ongoing financial commitment and for their leadership in our work of ensuring student success,” she said.
The Impact 150 Campaign centers around raising funds for healthy students, including supporting students academically and personally; a healthy university, including maintaining ÃÜÌÒÊÓƵ’s commitment to excellence and innovation; and healthy communities, including ÃÜÌÒÊÓƵ’s work to establish a college of osteopathic medicine.
Donors have gifted more than $34.3 million specifically for ÃÜÌÒÊÓƵ’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine; in 2024, the Cejkas gifted $2 million to ÃÜÌÒÊÓƵ’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine.
Since its founding in 1875, ÃÜÌÒÊÓƵ has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. As ÃÜÌÒÊÓƵ celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2025 and through the Impact 150 comprehensive campaign, the university honors a legacy of educational excellence while looking to its next 150 years of student success, innovation, leadership in healthcare education, and public service.