John L. Grove College of Business - Shippensburg University

12
Board Member Focus: Charles H. Diller
One of the highlights of the
year for Chuck is the annual
spring Scholarship Dinner when
recipients share a meal with their
benefactors. At the 2011 dinner,
Chuck and Jane dined with Evan
Wabrick, recipient of the The
Charles H. Diller, Jr. and Jane E.
Diller Scholarship.
When the boss asked him to serve on Shippensburg’s College
of Business Advisory Board in the early 1980s, Chuck Diller had no
choice but to say yes. The boss was John L. Grove, founder and president
of JLG Industries, for whom the college would later be named.
JLG Industries in McConnellsburg hires many Ship alumni, so
Chuck also understood that it was in the company’s best interest to
help the college with its mission to educate students. What happened
next was unexpected. “I fell in love with Shippensburg University—the
bright students, the leadership, and the dedicated faculty.”
Now Chuck says it’s “all about the students.” He appreciates from
his own experience what it takes to get a college degree. After graduating
from East Pennsboro High School in 1963 he moved to the West
Coast where he worked for a year supporting himself and saving money
to attend college. With the help of a part-time job and academic and
athletic scholarships, Chuck put himself through school, graduating
from California State Polytechnic University in 1968 with a B.S. degree
in accounting.
That hard work paid off. After two tours in Vietnam as an officer
in the U.S. Marine Corps, Chuck joined the accounting firm of KPMG
Peat Marwick where he worked from 1971 to 1977. He then joined
JLG Industries where he became a CPA and received successive promotions
until he became Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
and Director. He retired in 2000 to focus his attention on his wife, Jane,
who had been injured in a serious car accident in 1999.
Chuck’s bond with the university continues to grow. In 2003, he and
Jane established a scholarship for students who enroll in the College of
Business who are graduates of Mechanicsburg High School, which Jane
attended, or East Penn, Chuck’s high school.
The full-tuition scholarship is not intended for the top students,
but rather for the average student with potential, who, with some financial
help, can succeed in college. “That was me—the average student. I
know what it’s like to struggle to get good grades,” said Chuck. “But I
also know how important education is and how difficult or even impossible
it would have been for me to attend without financial help.”
Their commitment to education encouraged Chuck and Jane to
provide for additional scholarships though a planned gift “so that the
scholarships will continue once we are gone.”
In the meantime, the Dillers are active with their church and the
Shippensburg University Foundation and enjoy traveling extensively.