Carrick Establishes Endowment to Fund Shenango Athletics

SHARON, Pa. – Jo Anne Carrick, the former campus director at Penn State Shenango, along with her husband, John, have pledged a $50,000 gift to the campus, establishing the Carrick Family Endowment for Penn State Shenango Athletics.

Under Carrick’s leadership, the Penn State Shenango campus reintroduced an athletics program for the first time since the mid-1990s. Since then, the athletics program has expanded to six sports, including men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, cross country, golf and women’s volleyball.

Carrick, who retired with emeritus status from Penn State in June after a career spanning more than 30 years and three different Penn State Commonwealth Campuses, sees the reinstatement of athletics at Shenango as one of her proudest moments. 

“I have always said that I wanted to leave Penn State Shenango in a better place than when I started as campus director in 2014,” Carrick said. “The endowment will ensure that Shenango Athletics has the support that it needs long into the future.”

Carrick said she believes collegiate athletics are a foundational aspect of a student’s college experience and the backbone for campus pride, and that they can be a catalyst for change for a population of students who may not otherwise choose to attend college.

Available funds from the Carrick Family Endowment for Penn State Shenango Athletics will be used to purchase equipment and supplies, pay for team travel expenses and staff support and help fund future facility enhancements.

“This is further illustration of the extensive, generous and long-standing dedication Jo Anne and John Carrick have to Penn State’s success in western Pennsylvania,” said Carey McDougall, who took over the role of chancellor and leadership of the campus following Carrick’s retirement.

The cost to add new athletic programs and expand upon existing programs requires significant resources that pull away from the existing budget for athletics at the campus, according to Brandon Padgett, athletics director, who has made fundraising a priority since joining Penn State Shenango in spring 2023. Following multiple years of participation growth in athletics leading to increased expenses, and the addition of baseball in 2023 and cross country in 2024, Padgett credits the community support for playing a major part in the success of athletics at Shenango.

“It’s a good problem to have,” Padgett said. “Our rosters across all sports have expanded in recent years. Plus, the influx of student-athletes in our newest programs have increased the cost associated with competing.”

Pictured at top: Jo Anne Carrick, the former campus director at Penn State Shenango, and her husband, John.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.