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.
Six University faculty members have received 2026 Faculty Scholar Medals for Outstanding Achievement: Amy Bridger, assistant research professor of higher education strategy at Penn State Behrend; Cui-Zu Chang, professor of physics in the Eberly College of Science; Alexander Hristov, distinguished professor of dairy nutrition in the College of Agricultural Sciences; Michelle Newman, professor of psychology and psychiatry in the College of the Liberal Arts; Xingjie Ni, associate professor of electrical engineering in the College of Engineering; and David Witwer, distinguished professor of American studies and history at Penn State Harrisburg.
Rebecca Mallinson, assistant teaching professor of kinesiology and director of the Center for Fitness and Wellness in the School of Behavioral Sciences and Education at Penn State Harrisburg, has earned the 2026 McKay Donkin Award. The award is presented to a full-time member of the faculty or staff or to a retiree who has contributed most to the “economic, physical, mental or social welfare of the faculty” of the University above and beyond their regularly assigned duties.
Penn State’s Office of Planning, Assessment, and Institutional Research has designated its inaugural cohort of Assessment Champions for 2024-25. This new program recognizes individuals who are deeply committed to enhancing student learning through learning assessment.
Penn State Harrisburg, in collaboration with the Office for General Education and the Office of Planning, Assessment, and Institutional Research, is hosting a free, in-person faculty workshop to enhance the assessment of general education. Scheduled Monday, June 3, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Penn State Harrisburg's campus, the workshop will offer faculty an opportunity to delve into the University’s assessment approach and contribute to refining assessment materials and processes.
Penn State will join Georgetown University to co-host the "2024 Opportunity Institute: Colleges and Universities Working to Improve the Student Academic Experience and Outcomes" from June 10-12.
As Penn State looks ahead to the future, its administrators are wrestling with what it means to be a public university at a time when public support for higher education is waning. Over the past 10 years, higher education in Pennsylvania has received a 4.8 percent increase in overall funding, while the state budget itself has increased more than 36 percent and basic education has seen a rise of almost 49 percent in that same time period. At the same time, higher education is losing ground in the court of public opinion, as many Americans are skeptical about whether colleges and universities are doing all they can to control costs and keep tuition affordable. Given this scenario, Penn State Provost Rod Erickson said the University cannot continue with "business as usual."
The annual Road Scholars spring tour for Penn State faculty, hosted by President Graham Spanier, is accepting reservations for its May 10-12 trip across southeastern Pennsylvania. The tour offers new and newly tenured faculty several dynamic opportunities to learn about Penn State and Pennsylvania as they travel to several University campuses and tour businesses and popular historic sites. In addition, the tour provides an excellent opportunity for faculty to establish relationships with colleagues across the University, while the itinerary connects them with Penn Staters and residents of the Commonwealth.
The Office of the President has put out a call for nominations for individuals eligible to receive the Faculty Scholar Medal, which recognizes scholarly and creative excellence. The medal will be awarded to individuals in the following scholarly areas: arts and humanities; engineering; life and health sciences; physical sciences; and social and behavioral sciences. For information on deadlines for submitting nominations and accompanying materials, check with the dean's office in the individual colleges. Deans should submit final rankings of the recommendations from their areas to the senior vice president for research, via e-mail to [email protected] or mail to 304 Old Main, University Park, PA 16802, by Monday, Dec. 10. Chancellors from areas outside of University Park should submit recommendations to the vice president for Commonwealth Campuses or the dean of The Graduate School, as appropriate, by Monday, Nov. 12. The Faculty Scholar Medal, established by the Board of Trustees in 1980, will be given at the University Awards Program on Monday, March 24, 2008.
