Impact

As part of our regular “We Are!” feature, we recognize 13 Penn Staters who have gone above and beyond what’s asked of them in their work at the University.   

Penn State’s Commonwealth Campuses and the state’s community colleges have announced a new collaboration aimed at expanding educational opportunities in Pennsylvania and removing barriers to degree completion among college students. The collaboration builds upon long-standing relationships between the campuses and the community colleges and a shared commitment to access and affordability in higher education. 

Students, faculty and staff across all Penn State campuses will now have free access to virtual technology programming provided by the Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania (TCCP), thanks to a newly expanded partnership with TCCP spearheaded by Penn State Harrisburg, a longtime member of the council. 

Students, faculty and staff give back to the surrounding community through three initiatives over the holiday season.

Seven Penn State campuses have created the Commonwealth Arboreta Network, a network that will inventory trees and plant life while sharing research and teaching resources, with the eventual goal of creating an arboretum at each of the University's 24 campuses.

Applications are being accepted now through Jan. 23, 2024​, for the Idea TestLab, a free, four-week, virtual accelerator designed to help entrepreneurs determine the viability of their business idea. The Idea TestLab is sponsored by the Penn State Harrisburg, Mont Alto, Shenango and York LaunchBoxes.

The Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing at Penn State has been awarded a $2 million grant by the Bedford Falls Foundation, resulting in the creation of more than 30 scholarship awards each totaling $40,000.

Two Penn State students, Stephen Leshko and Omar Rady, won first place at the 2023 LION Tank pitch competition.

Penn State University Libraries is beginning a partnership with the Franklin County Library System and the Alexander Hamilton Memorial Free Library. Users from any of the county’s public libraries may use their existing library card to borrow books from the Penn State Mont Alto Campus Library and request items from other University Libraries locations. 

The Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing Alumni Society Board, in collaboration with their Alumni Society and SNAP (Student Nurses Association of PA) at Penn State Behrend, invited Penn State nursing alumni and students to connect over delightful conversation, interactive games, and Berkey Creamery ice cream at Roche Hall this past summer.