AccuWeather Founder Dr. Joel N. Myers recognized as Penn State's 2017 Renaissance Fund honoree
Joel Myers is a scientist who significantly advanced the accuracy and the communication of weather forecasting and pioneered it into a successful weather business. He founded AccuWeather as a graduate student in 1962 and guided it to become the global leader in weather information and data analytics and a leading global digital media company.
AccuWeather President, Chairman and Founder, Dr. Joel N. Myers, was recently recognized as Penn State University’s Renaissance Fund honoree for 2017.
Myers was given the award at a dinner at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center, which included leaders from the university, businesses and the State College, Pennsylvania, community. Myers was honored for his legacy of leadership and philanthropy at Penn State and in central Pennsylvania.
“Alongside the University, AccuWeather is a leading employer in State College and a key contributor to the economic strength of our region. The Renaissance Fund is delighted to honor Joel Myers, the man behind the AccuWeather brand and a proud Penn State alumnus,” said Mimi Barash Coppersmith, a 1954 Penn State alumna and chair of the Renaissance Fund selection committee.
Myers, a Philadelphia native, founded AccuWeather as a graduate student at Penn State in 1962. Today, AccuWeather is the largest and fastest-growing source of weather forecasts and warnings with Superior Accuracy™.
AccuWeather Founder and President Joel Myers gives a speech during the company's 55th anniversary celebration Thursday, Sept. 28, in State College, Pennsylvania.
The company is a global leader in digital media and big data. The company’s forecasts are available to nearly 2 billion people worldwide. AccuWeather also serves over 1,900 media companies, including newspapers, television and radio stations.
In addition to serving as a faculty member for two decades within Penn State’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, Myers served for 33 years on the Penn State Board of Trustees and continues to serve as trustee emeritus. His philanthropic contributions to the university include a multimillion-dollar gift to the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences for The Joel N. Myers Weather Center, a state-of-the-art teaching facility.
Myers said he was “highly honored” to have been selected as the 2017 Renaissance Fund honoree and was "proud to be a Penn Stater."
"I am extremely pleased to have been selected for this prestigious recognition, especially since its purpose is to raise funds for these hard-working and very bright Penn State students," Myers said. "My personal history is deeply rooted with Penn State as a student, teacher, trustee and employer of Penn State graduates. I am thrilled that my achievements as an entrepreneur will help to unlock the imaginations, deep learning and creativity of Penn State students."
The Renaissance Fund annually recognizes an individual or couple who has contributed to the Penn State or State College communities through a lifetime of service. An endowed scholarship fund is created in the name of each honoree and gifts to the fund can be made by any Penn State supporter or member of the public.
The scholarship fund is designated for exceptional students with financial challenges who would not otherwise have the opportunity to attend such a preeminent institution of higher learning.
"Joel Myers' success and reputation as a globally renowned business leader, and his willingness to share the fruits of his labor with his alma mater and community, represent the very best of what it means to be a Penn Stater," said Penn State President Eric J. Barron. "The University is proud to count Joel Myers among our alumni, and we can choose no better way to celebrate our honoree than to support the scholarship that has been created in his name."
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