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Articles by Sean Yoder
COACHE steering committee shares University Action Plan
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) steering committee has finalized a University Action Plan that outlines strategies to address the four major priority areas identified from the results of the COACHE Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey administered in spring 2025. Implementation efforts began in October and will continue throughout 2027 and beyond.
University Teaching Award nominations open through June
The Nittany Lion Shrine on Penn State's University Park campus. UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Students and educators from any Penn State campus can nominate Penn State faculty for an Undergraduate Teaching Award. The Milton S. Eisenhower Award for Distinguished Teaching and George W. Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching Award are open to faculty whose primary role is teaching undergraduates. Each year, thousands of Penn State faculty impact the lives of tens of thousands of students.
Twenty-five faculty receive new Provost Awards for academic excellence
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Twenty-five faculty earned one of two new awards from the Penn State Office of Executive Vice President and Provost. These awards are designed to recognize full-time faculty of any rank, tenure-line or non-tenure-line, whose accomplishments during the current year distinguish them as top performers within their units. The following faculty were nominated by members of the Academic Leadership Council and received the endorsement of their dean or chancellor.
‘Journal of General Education,’ one of University’s oldest, gets a refresh
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — One of Penn State University Press’s oldest and most-viewed journals recently published its first issue under new University editorial leadership. The “Journal of General Education” (JGE) is now edited by Maggie Slattery, director and assistant dean for General Education; and Laura Cruz, research professor, Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence.
In 25th year, Conference on Academic Advising focuses on student success
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The 25th Conference on Academic Advising during the week of Sept. 21 at Penn State covered many of the challenges and opportunities facing higher education as presenters and attendees discussed strategies, scholarship and technology carrying the advising profession into the future. This year’s conference saw 498 attendees and attracted a relatively large number of external proposals for presentations, according to conference organizers.
Writing Center conferences offer experiential learning, professional development
From left, Beth Parfitt, Kyli Ramsay and Julianna Herriott presented at the National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing in 2023. Parfitt is scholar-in-residence for writing and communication, Penn State Learning. Ramsag and Herriott are former peer tutors for Penn State Learning. UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Writing Center @ Penn State Learning offers undergraduate tutors the opportunity to attend academic conferences, fostering scholarly engagement and professional growth.
Penn State to celebrate National Transfer Student Week Oct. 19-23
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State will celebrate its thousands of transfer students during a national week of recognition. Oct. 19-23 is National Transfer Student Week, when colleges and universities highlight the successes and contributions unique to this group of undergraduate students. The Penn State Undergraduate Admissions Office, Student Orientation and Transition Programs and several University campuses will hold events throughout the week.
Penn State to mark First-Generation Celebration events first week of November
The newest members of the Tri-Alpha honor society pose for a photo at the Nov. 7, 2025, induction ceremony. UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State will mark First-Generation Celebration Day with events slated throughout the week of Nov. 2 to 6. As part of the recognition of the national First-Generation Celebration Day on Nov.
Starfish midsemester progress surveys remain open until Oct. 28
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Starfish midsemester progress surveys launched Oct. 5 and remain open until Oct. 28. During this period, instructors and teaching assistants formally listed as instructors of record in LionPATH will receive emails prompting them to complete progress surveys for their full-semester undergraduate courses numbered 499 and below.
Penn State launches new office to bolster academic integrity
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State has launched a new Academic Integrity Responsibilities Office (AIRO) to support academic integrity efforts and committees across the University.
Applications now open for Division of Undergraduate Studies scholarships
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Second-year students enrolled in the Division of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) can now apply for the DUS Scholarship, which rewards meaningful academic exploration. Applications close Nov. 1. Begin an application now on the DUS website. The scholarship awards a minimum of $1,000 to selected outstanding second-year students — at least 28 credits completed — who have engaged meaningfully in their academic exploration.
New AI grants to support instructional innovation at Penn State
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State faculty can now apply to two grant programs from the AI Center of Excellence for Teaching and Learning, both funded through the Office of the Provost and designed to support the integration of artificial intelligence into teaching and learning in alignment with Penn State’s AI Transformation Initiative. The offers awards of up to $1,000 to individual faculty members pursuing small-scale instructional innovation with generative AI.
Schreyer Institute announces recipients of curriculum renewal grants
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence announced the recipients of the 2026-27 Curriculum and Instruction Renewal Program (CIRP) grants, designed for program-level renewal projects that align with the institute’s mission. CIRP is a faculty-driven program that aims to empower academic units to facilitate program-level curricular growth, adaptation and innovation that enrich undergraduate instruction.
Seven students earn University nominations for competitive UK scholarships
Laenee McCoy, anthropology and art history majors, Koren language minor, College of the Liberal Arts and College of Arts and Architecture; Schreyer Honors College Kestian Orsetti, mechanical engineering and mathematics major, Italian and physics minors, College of Engineering and Eberly College of Science; Schreyer Honors College Timothy Reardon, computer engineering major, quantum information science and engineering and cybersecurity computational foundations minors, College of Engineering...
Penn State Learning ready to support undergraduate students with tutoring
Guided Study Groups are led by peer tutors who foster a supportive and collaborative workshop environment. UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s official tutoring and learning resource, Penn State Learning, is ready to help University Park campus students succeed in their fall 2026 courses. Services are instructor-approved and available to all University Park undergraduate students at no additional cost.
Opportunity Grant applications open for non-tenure-line faculty
Sekhar Bhattacharyya, associate teaching professor of mining engineering, used an Opportunity Grant to travel to mining facilities and universities in Chile, Saudi Arabia and India. UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Non-tenure-line clinical, teaching and research faculty and professors of practice can now apply to the Opportunity Grant Professional Development Program for the 2027-28 academic year.
Starfish early indicators progress surveys open through Sept. 16
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Starfish early indicators progress surveys are open now for instructors and teaching assistants (TAs) to submit feedback to students. The survey period closes Wednesday, Sept. 16. The early survey period focuses on the first signs of whether a student will be successful in their courses, as well as actions students can take to better meet desired course outcomes.
Chaiken Center invites nominations for first-gen awards and scholarship
Attendees pose for a photo at the 2025 First-Generation Community Night, one of a series of events in November that are part of First-Generation Celebration Week. UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Chaiken Center for Student Success invites nominations for three first-gen awards and applications for an undergraduate scholarship. Nominations and applications are due Oct. 2.
Registration closes soon for Academic Advising Conference in September
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Registration will close Sept. 15 for the annual Academic Advising Conference at Penn State, now in its 25th year. The two-day conference will be held virtually on Sept. 22 and in-person at the Penn Stater Hotel & Conference on Sept. 24. Attendees who cannot attend the in-person day may register for only the virtual day. Registration details, including hotel reservation information, can be found at dus.psu.edu.
Recent alumna earns Phi Kappa Phi fellowship
Kaylen Sitzabee graduated in May with a bachelor's degree in biology and plans to pursue a master's degree in environmental management at Duke University UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State alumna Kaylen Sitzabee earned an $8,500 fellowship from the Honor Society Phi Kappa Phi. Sitzabee graduated in May with a bachelor's degree in biology and plans to pursue a master's degree in environmental management at Duke University.
Spark Program can help students apply for competitive funding and fellowships
Students Applications are open now and close Sept. 14 Penn State students in their first, second or third years who are interested in fellowships and funding opportunities are encouraged to apply for the Spark Program, featuring seven workshops spread over seven weeks. UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State students in their first, second or third years who are interested in fellowships and funding opportunities are encouraged to apply for the Spark Program.
Faculty named to 2026-27 AI-Aware Faculty Leaders program
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State has selected 16 faculty members for its 2026-27 AI-Aware Faculty Leaders program, a co-sponsored initiative of the AI Center of Excellence in Teaching and Learning and the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence. The faculty-driven program is designed to help departments, colleges and campuses respond thoughtfully and effectively to the opportunities and challenges artificial intelligence presents for teaching and learning.
AI Center of Excellence awards first instructional innovation grant recipients
Faculty and Staff Thirty-eight microgrants and eight transformation grants will support faculty-led innovation in teaching and learning with AI Old Main on Penn State's University Park campus.
Tech-Free Teaching and Learning community announces fall schedule
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Tech-Free Teaching and Learning community, through the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence, will offer a series of workshops this semester at the University Park campus. Penn State faculty and graduate student instructors interested in tech-free pedagogies are invited to attend: Tech-Free Active Learning Strategies for Large Courses, 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10. Using Course Packs to Increase Reading and Annotation Skills, 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1.
Undergraduate Research Readiness course now open on Canvas
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Mentoring, in partnership with the University Libraries, launched a new Undergraduate Research Readiness non-credit bearing course to help students learn the basics of scholarly research and find opportunities at Penn State. The course, which is made up of six modules, covers a wide range of topics including research basics, identifying research opportunities and addressing ethical concerns.
Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence offers fall programs and services
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence, Penn State’s University-wide teaching center, offers programs and services to support teaching and learning and build community among instructors. A complete list of upcoming programs is available at site.psu.edu. Meet with a consultant Meetings with Schreyer Institute faculty consultants are free, confidential and can occur in person or virtually.
Launch Preview: Chinese failure opens busy international launch salvo
3 The week of Aug. 10 opened with an extraordinary Monday, four launches across three countries in fewer than twelve hours. China launched first, but failed, with a Chang Zheng 7A carrying an undisclosed payload from Wenchang. The vehicle exploded during first stage flight. A SpaceX launch with Starlink Group 10-19 from Cape Canaveral follows.
Blue Origin continues rebuilding LC-36, prepares testing alternatives for New Glenn second stage
1 Two months after losing a New Glenn rocket to a pad explosion during a static fire test, Blue Origin is racing to return the vehicle to flight before 2026 ends. The company is rebuilding its Florida launch site around an entirely new concept of operations, and CEO Dave Limp is posting construction updates regularly as the clock ticks toward a self-imposed end-of-2026 return-to-flight. Progress at the pad has kept coming this week.
Discovery Grants awarded to 31 students for research support
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Thirty-one students earned Discovery Grants to help fund their summer research and projects, gaining the opportunity for valuable experience in the field, in the lab and abroad. Discovery Grant applications are open to all current undergraduate Penn State students at all campuses, regardless of major. Applications typically open in December and close in February. For 2026, grant recipients were awarded up to $5,000 each.
Rocket Lab sees Electron gains, Neutron delays in first half of 2026
2 Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket has had a record stretch through the first half of 2026, driving a sharp rise in launch contracts and revenue, even as the company’s larger Neutron vehicle continues working through a delayed path to its debut. Electron’s record pace in 2026 Rocket Lab closed out the first quarter of 2026 by signing 36 new launch contracts between January and March, comprising 31 Electron and HASTE agreements plus five dedicated Neutron bookings.
Committee convenes for experiential learning initiative Penn State eX
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Internships, research projects, community engagement, leadership experiences, vertically integrated projects and hands-on coursework: These are the kinds of experiences that shape not just what students know, but who they become. Penn State is working to make sure every student has access to at least one of them before they graduate.
Undergraduate Matias Moreno earns competitive Astronaut and Udall scholarships
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State student Matias Moreno earned two of the nation's most competitive undergraduate scholarships this spring — the Astronaut Scholarship and the Udall Scholarship — recognizing both his excellence in STEM research and his commitment to sustainability. Moreno, of Oakton, Virginia, is a materials science and engineering major, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, and a Millennium Scholar.
Six Penn Staters earn Fulbright U.S. Student Awards
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. — Six Penn Staters have received awards in the 2026-27 Fulbright U.S. Student Program — five finalists and an alternate. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, is the largest U.S. exchange program offering opportunities for students and young professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide.
Students Teaching Students seeks undergraduate instructors
Grayson Lauer, an undergraduate instructor through Students Teaching Students in spring 2026, shows off the plants students grew as part of the houseplants course he designed and taught. Lauer's students had table space in one of the headhouses along Curtin Road and went to classroom lectures in nearby Tyson Building.
2026 Penn State alumna to study French in Senegal using Boren Fellowship
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State alumna Payton Smith will travel to Senegal to immerse herself in the French language and culture of the region with the support of a Boren Fellowship. The Boren Fellowship supports graduate students with the costs of tuition, language partners, books and materials, excursions, housing, meals and a stipend. Fellows study a wide range of critical languages and come from diverse fields of study.
Universal Design for Learning added to Provost’s Endorsement
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Current faculty and postdocs who want to learn how to reduce the barriers to learning for their students can now earn a Provost’s Endorsement for Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
Academic support units temporarily relocating during Boucke renovation
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Academic support units in Boucke Building on the University Park campus will be relocating during summer 2026 renovations. Penn State Learning will have a temporary home and Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Mentoring will work remotely during summer 2026, according to the Office of Undergraduate Education. The Penn State Chaiken Center for Student Success will relocate to 102 Wagner Building for summer 2026 and the 2026-27 academic year.
Two first-gen undergrads present at national conference
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Two Penn State first-generation undergraduates brought their research to a national stage in April, presenting at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in Richmond, Virginia. Donna Hercules and Kaelonnah Darlich are both active in the first-gen community at University Park, helping others who are the first in their immediate family to pursue a bachelor’s degree.
Recent plant sciences alumnus Charlie Colvin named 2026 Hertz Fellow
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — For the first time in more than three decades, a Penn Stater has earned one of science’s most competitive graduate fellowships. Charlie Colvin, who graduated from Penn State with bachelor of science in plant sciences this past weekend, has been named a 2026 Hertz Fellow. The Hertz Foundation awards fellowships to students in the fields of applied science, engineering and mathematics. Fellows receive a cost-of-education allowance and a personal stipend.
Undergraduate Exhibition featured work of more than 300 students
The in-person sessions of the 2026 Undergraduate Exhibition were held in Alumni Hall at the HUB-Robeson Center. UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State undergraduate researchers made the 2026 Undergraduate Exhibition one of the biggest events in recent years, with more than 330 total presenters. The annual Undergraduate Exhibition for Research, Inquiry, and Creative Activity, held April 20-22, invited students from all academic fields to showcase their work.
Two earn Outstanding Guided Study Group Leader awards
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Learning named two undergraduates for the Outstanding Guided Study Group Leader Award: Ankita Dasgupta, who leads PHYS 211 sessions, and Paige Van Orden for her leadership in CHEM 110B/112B sessions. Ankita Dasgupta Dasgupta, a graduating senior, is an astronomy and astrophysics major.
33 faculty members earn Opportunity Grant Awards
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Thirty-three non-tenure-line faculty will use Opportunity Grants to fund a project of their choosing during the 2026-27 academic year. Opportunity Grants are designed for clinical, teaching, research and professors of practice faculty to receive funding for professional development through a self-proposed project. First awarded in 2024, grants have been used for a diverse range of development opportunities at campuses across the commonwealth.
New tools to help students, advisers track degrees and plan path to graduation
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State has begun implementing new online degree audit and planning tools that will give students and academic advisers a clearer picture of progress toward graduation and help them plan for the future. It will be available for student use no earlier than fall 2027. The new degree audit tool will replace the current degree audit functionality native to Penn State’s student information system, LionPATH, and will be built on the Stellic platform.
Launch Preview: GPS, Progress, and Starlink missions to launch during busy week
2 Seven missions, four countries, and five launch vehicles make the week of April 20 one of the more diverse on the 2026 manifest. GPS III SV10 carries the week’s most technically significant payload in its first-ever GPS laser communications demonstration, while South Korea’s ADD vehicle attempts its first complete four-stage orbital flight.
Annual Undergraduate Exhibition open to public at HUB-Robeson Center
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The annual Penn State Undergraduate Exhibition for Research, Inquiry and Creative Activity will be open to the public on Wednesday, April 22, giving community members, friends and families a chance to explore student research and creative work from across a wide range of fields.
Tech-free teaching and assessment workshop scheduled for May 13
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State faculty and graduate student instructors interested in learning tech-free pedagogies to implement in their fall courses can register now for a workshop from 9 to 11:30 a.m. May 13 at 110 Henderson Building.
Nominate an excellent instructor for a University Teaching Award
Students Nominations are accepted year-round, and those submitted before June 30 of this year will be considered for the 2027 awards UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Students and educators from any Penn State campus can nominate Penn State faculty for a University Undergraduate Teaching Award. Each year, thousands of Penn State faculty impact the lives of tens of thousands of students. The Milton S. Eisenhower Award for Distinguished Teaching and George W.
Two students earn Goldwater Scholarships for academic merit, research experience
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Two Penn State undergraduates, Kieran Sturges and Eric Welp, have earned a 2026-27 Goldwater Scholarship for their outstanding academic merit and research experience. Goldwater Scholars are selected for their potential as leaders in the fields of natural sciences, mathematics and engineering.
Course questionnaires now open for anonymous feedback
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Undergraduate and graduate students can now give anonymous feedback on their courses through the Student Educational Experience Questionnaire (SEEQ). SEEQs close on May 3. Students can fill out a SEEQ for each course they are enrolled in. The questionnaires are one component of how faculty are evaluated by their academic unit heads and instructional units. Students will see both open-ended and Likert scale (1-5 rating) questions.
Five DUS students earn scholarships for exemplifying academic discovery
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Five current and former students in the Division of Undergraduate Studies, or DUS, earned a minimum $1,000 scholarship in recognition of their efforts in discovering where their passions lie and forging an academic path. Shanin Drucquer, Joyce Buck Award, University Park campus Drucquer said he originally considered skipping college altogether to focus on his landscaping company.
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