P&P 2017 Banner

Penn Parents Recognize Value of Arts and Sciences Annual Fund

By Katelyn Silva

Charles Vieth, WG’82, and his wife Claudia, PAR’11, PAR’12, PAR’16, have proudly watched three children graduate from the College and cite the strength of the Penn liberal arts education as the reason for their longstanding support and recent giving to the Arts and Sciences Annual Fund. 

“Having a liberal arts education did not teach our children how to do a job or to pursue a given field,” says Charlie, who is a Managing Principal at ACT2 Retirement Consulting. “Instead, it prepared them to do any job and to embark on any career.” William Vieth, C’16, most recently received his bachelor’s degree in German with a minor in East Asian languages and Chinese civilization. He is currently an account executive at Dxcel International, a craft beer distributer based in China, and living in Shanghai. He followed in the footsteps of his older sister Caitlin Vieth, C’12, a senior campaign manager at Zeta Interactive, a big data and analytics marketing company, and brother Charlie Jr., C’11, a senior software engineer at Pivotal Software, Inc., who received a bachelor’s degree in History of Art and History, respectively. 

“They learned how to think critically, work collaboratively, and continually challenge themselves” adds Charlie, who served, along with Claudia, on the Penn Parent Council from 2009 to 2012. “Penn Arts and Sciences prepares students to pursue any career and to become leaders in their chosen fields — for our children, the ability to continually challenge themselves and grow has been the key to their success.” 

Charlie and Claudia add their generous support of the Arts and Sciences Annual Fund to a considerable list of Penn giving, including the Claudia P. and Charles E. Vieth Endowed Scholarship and the Vieth Family Endowed Scholarship in honor of James S. Riepe and Family. Both endowed scholarships benefit students in the College of Arts and Sciences. They have also supported the Parents Fund at Penn.

“Penn has given so much to our family. We felt it was important to give back so that any family, regardless of means, could benefit as well,” Claudia explains. “There is so much learning that takes place interacting with a diverse group of classmates—many of whom will become lifelong friends.”

Charlie adds that the family chose to support the Arts and Sciences Annual Fund because it is a “vital resource to ensure that the student body is representative and inclusive of the real world” and because it allows the School the flexibility to respond to pressing needs, including undergraduate financial aid, faculty recruitment, and program innovation.

“Give what you can and take pride in knowing you’re supporting a world-renowned institution,” says Charlie. As Penn parents, Charlie and Claudia are grateful to past Annual Fund supporters and share this message of encouragement with fellow donors: “Know that you’re helping others attain a Penn education and know too that your children’s experience at Penn was enhanced by students who were only able to attend due to the generosity of donors to the Annual Fund.”