Matthew Gartland was the College of IST’s 2005 student marshal, graduating with an honors degree in information sciences and technology. Credit: Provided. All Rights Reserved.
November 18, 2024
By Mary Fetzer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State alumnus Matthew Gartland, class of 2005, has made a commitment to establish the Matthew Gartland Igwé Family Matching Scholarship in the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST).
The endowment, valued at $50,000, was built on Gartland’s generosity and a matching commitment from Penn State alumnus C. Frank Igwé, who established the Igwé Family Matching Scholarship Program, a 1:1 permanent match for first-time gifts from College of IST alumni.
“Matthew’s generosity will help make a Penn State education possible for students in need,” said Andrea Tapia, dean of the College of IST. “This gift addresses the financial, academic and personal challenges faced by students who are struggling to meet their college expenses. We are truly grateful.”
“I became a proud Nittany Lion in 2001, a formative era for both society and technology,” Gartland said. “I was attracted to the emerging innovations happening online — the early years of social networking, information technology, web-based software — and curious about how such innovations might impact the future of work itself.”
Gartland found that most universities offered two options at the time: “a major in business with a bit of technology mixed in or a major in computer science with a bit of business mixed in.” He enrolled in the latter at Penn State but made a discovery during first-year orientation that made him change course. He was introduced to information sciences and technology, a brand-new program just starting at the University.
“IST hadn’t yet produced a graduating class and was so small in terms of student body that it was still the School of IST and not yet the College of IST,” Gartland said. “It was a fascinating program — one rooted in technology but less on engineering and more so on application, data science, policy, communications and innovation, especially web-based innovation.”
Gartland described the program as inherently entrepreneurial with problem-based learning methods, close ties to industry, and a startup spirit and culture among faculty and students.
“That really spoke to me, so I switched my major on the spot and never looked back,” he said. “I was the class of 2005’s student marshal, graduating with an honors degree in information sciences and technology from IST and Schreyer Honors College.”
After graduating, Gartland took a job with Johnson & Johnson — a position that appealed to him because of its leadership development programs. With Johnson & Johnson, he experienced Silicon Valley, an exposure that engaged his entrepreneurial interests at a major moment within the software-as-a-service (SaaS) and content publishing industries.
“Five years later, I chose to leave my corporate fast-track career to get into online startups at the intersection of technology, online commerce and what we’d today call the creator economy,” he said. “It was a difficult and game-changing decision that’s led to a more than 10-year career as a startup founder/operator with a few modest exits under my belt and a few long-term opportunities that will result in significant outcomes.”
Gartland gained more than money from these experiences.
“The pursuit of an entrepreneurial career has created a life of independence, opportunity, curiosity, travel and lifelong learning,” he said. “And my Penn State and IST experiences were the bedrock of all that I’ve built.”
Gartland’s fond memories of college inspired him to make this endowment.
“I’ve always wanted to give back to the University in a way that could directly foster transformative moments for the next generation of innovators and leaders that I was so fortunate to have had myself,” he said. “When I heard about this endowment opportunity, it was a perfect match and no brainer.”
“Entrepreneurialism is arguably the best path for a life of achievement and fulfillment.”
Matthew Gartland, class of 2005
When he’s not working, Gartland volunteers with entrepreneurial groups, provides financial support as an angel investor, and is a compensated adviser to a collection of SaaS startups.
“This involvement is rooted in the shared notion that entrepreneurialism is arguably the best path for a life of achievement and fulfillment,” he said.
Gartland also credits his success to his parents, Connie and Danny, and sister Amy, a fellow Penn State alum, who supported his journey from Penn State student to entrepreneur.
“Life as an entrepreneur is awesome and unconventional,” he said. “I’m thoroughly grateful to have the unbelievable love and support of my wife, Emily, and our two little girls, Ella and Evelyn. When work stops, I spend as much time as possible with them, along with a close-knit group of friends in our local community and around the world. Meeting people from all over is yet another benefit of being an online entrepreneur.”
Donors like Matthew Gartland 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 and communities across the commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting raise.psu.edu.
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