Historically a teachers college, California University of Pennsylvania announced on Monday a $4.2 million gift to establish an institute that will train preschoolers and aspiring teachers.

The Rutledge Institute for Early Childhood Education, named after alumnus Tom Rutledge and his wife, Karen, will fund annual scholarships for 20 local children, ages 3-5, as well as scholarships for college students with a “passion” for teaching, spokeswoman Christine Kindl said.

The Rutledges of Greenwich, Conn., attended a news conference Monday to announce the largest gift ever made to the university.

“The Rutledge Institute is a major milestone in California's long history of excellence in teacher education,” university President Geraldine M. Jones said. “This gift will touch many lives, now and for years to come.”

The Rutledge Institute will:

• Support a preschool on the Cal U campus that will operate in affiliation with The Village, an accredited early childhood education center in California Borough;

• Provide need-based scholarships to local children to attend the institute's preschool; and

• Pay the tuition, fees and room costs for 10 students annually who enroll in Cal U's childhood education program.

Rutledge, who graduated from then-California State College in 1977, said the gift has more to do with the couple's personal history with the school than with its history as a teachers college.

“We wanted to give some of the fruit of our labor to places where we had a connection,” he said. “The community is where you come from. … this is our community.”

Both Washington County natives, Tom and Karen Rutledge were a young married couple with a baby when they came to Cal State so Tom could pursue a degree in economics. Rutledge said he quit his job as a cable TV installer and technician to go to college.

“I like to say we were created here,” he said.

Rutledge, CEO of Charter Communications Inc., the second-largest cable provider in the United States, said giving $4.2 million to his alma mater was “more fun than making $4 million.”

The gift is the latest in a series of donations from the couple to the university — all geared toward students facing challenges similar to ones the Rutledges faced in the 1970s, he said.

“I think you're less likely to fail if you stick with what you know,” Karen Rutledge said, noting the planning for the Rutledge Institute began about a year ago.

While earning a bachelor's degree and a state teaching certification, students accepted into the Rutledge Institute will:

• Work at the Institute's preschool, alongside The Village's teachers;

• Implement a preschool curriculum with a focus on science, technology, reading, engineering, art and math (STREAM);

• Participate in a peer-mentoring and leadership development program; and

• Attend a five-week summer workshop devoted to innovation in teaching.

The first 10 Rutledge Institute Scholars will begin school this fall, with 10 more awardees scheduled for each year.

“When they graduate, these students will have strong resumes and a built-in network of colleagues,” Jones said. “I expect them to become leaders in early childhood education.”

Cal U is renovating space in the Morgan Learning Resource Center to house the preschool classrooms, which also are scheduled to open this fall.

For details about the Rutledge Institute Scholars program, contact Dr. Diane Nettles, of Cal U's Department of Childhood Education, at nettles@calu.edu or 724-938-4135.

To inquire about enrolling a child in the Rutledge Institute preschool program, contact The Village's president, Cherie Sears, at cherie.sears@thevillagecares.org or 724-330-5525.

Stephen Huba is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-850-1280, shuba@tribweb.com or via Twitter @shuba_trib.

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