School of Humanities News

Jessica Barb, wearing a military uniform, speaks from a lectern with the Penn State Harrisburg logo

My Road to Commencement: Jessica Barb

Jessica Barb, from Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, will receive her bachelor’s degree in communications, with a minor in military studies during Penn State Harrisburg’s spring 2026 commencement ceremony.  
Collage of headshots of Jenna Frey, Abishek Mahat, Hannah Gorrell, Makayla Smith, Rebekah Daley, and Shelley Morrisette. 

Penn State Harrisburg announces spring 2026 student marshals

Penn State Harrisburg has selected six graduates to serve as student marshals at the spring 2026 commencement ceremony. The students will bear the banners representing each academic school and, together with the faculty marshals, lead the graduating students during the ceremony processional.
Graphic of Lion Shrine and Graduate Cap

Penn State Harrisburg to hold spring 2026 commencement May 9

Penn State Harrisburg will hold its spring 2026 commencement ceremony at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 9, at the Giant Center in Hershey. Benjamin Kirshner, the inaugural chief transformation and opportunity officer for the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, will serve as keynote speaker.
Mariah Kupfner teaches in a classroom

Q&A: What has women’s needlework meant throughout history?

Women’s needlework from the 19th and 20th centuries can offer a unique look into their political activism and what it meant to be a woman at different points in history, according to Mariah Kupfner, an assistant professor of American studies and public heritage at Penn State Harrisburg.