Penn State Undergraduate Education

This fall, Penn State University expects to award approximately 4,522 diplomas to students University-wide who are completing 141 associate, 3,126 baccalaureate, 1,036 master's, 13 law, and 206 doctoral degrees. 🎓 Find more information on upcoming commencement ceremonies below. #PennState #PSUGrad

Caps off to our graduates! Alexa Morley’s role at the Penn State Abington summer/fall 2024 commencement this week sums up the last three-plus years of her life: She will co-lead the senior class into the ceremony as a student marshal, an honor reserved for the most accomplished new graduates. Morley leaned into opportunities to lead and collaborate throughout college, and the depth and breadth of her experiences have prepared her to make an impact using the skills she developed as a business major with a minor in entrepreneurship and innovation. #weare #pennstate #Classof2024 https://ow.ly/vzTj50Us9Ti

Charles Colvin, plant sciences major in the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, used an Erickson Discovery Grant over summer 2024 to continue working on research focused on flavonoid-induced phyllosphere changes in maize with faculty supervisor Dr. Surinder Chopra. .🌽 Discover the impact of the experience in Charles own words: “The goal of this research was to explore the relationship between naturally occurring flavonoids in maize and the dynamics of microbial communities on and within the plant’s leaves (collectively known as the phyllosphere). Given the potential to develop insect-resistant maize varieties rich in flavonoids, and knowing that flavonoids influence microbial communities in sorghum, we sought to investigate the effects of maize leaf flavonoids on the phyllosphere microbiome. Over the coming year, I plan to continue my work on my original project studying flavonoid-induced phyllospheric microbial changes. The Erickson Discovery Grant has been an invaluable experience that not only fueled my passion for research but also opened doors to a host of new experiments and investigations.” Penn Staters ready to open new doors can apply for funding support between now and Feb. 16 at urfm.psu.edu.

The spring Mentorship Matters series will begin in early January, giving Penn State University faculty the opportunity to develop essential skills and tools that foster effective mentorship of students, postdoctoral scholars, and colleagues. Participation in one of the mentorship workshops is the cornerstone for the Provost Endorsement: Mentoring in Research. Find dates and registration links in the #PennState News article below.

Congratulations, Nate Carey! Read more on the Marshall Scholarship and Nate's #PennState experience at https://lnkd.in/ghd_VwRK.

Please join Undergraduate Education and Faculty Affairs in welcoming Peter Hopsicker, professor of kinesiology, as the new associate vice provost for Faculty Affairs at Penn State University. 🎉 Hopsicker will oversee tenure and tenure-line promotion processes across all academic units and provide strategic leadership in the implementation of policies, planning and other initiatives that affect faculty at Penn State. Read more on Hopsicker being named associate vice provost for #PennState Faculty Affairs below.

Congratulations to Reggie Aggarwal, founder and CEO of Cvent, on being named the 2025 Hospitality Executive of the Year by the Penn State School of Hospitality Management in the Penn State College of Health and Human Development and the Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society. “Our hospitality management majors at Penn State, and especially our students pursuing the entrepreneurship and innovation minor, are inspired by Reggie’s ability to see an opportunity, create a solution to an industry problem, and steward that solution into a global, thriving company." – Donna Quadri-Felitti, Marvin Ashner Endowed Director of the Penn State School of Hospitality Management Read more on Aggarwal and hospitality management at #PennState in the article below.

By the end of today classes will be over for the fall 2024 semester. All that stands between you and winter break (maybe graduation 🎓✨) are any final exams. Keep on going Penn Staters!

📍Beginning Thursday, Dec. 12, through Friday, Dec. 20, Boucke, Hammond, Osmond, Thomas, and Willard buildings will be open 24/7 as a place for students to study without having to schedule a room. These buildings will close at 11 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 20. Read more on campus locations to study below.

#PennState Human Resources reminds employees about several free resources to help them manage and save money to build a secure financial future. Review the resources from TIAA, PNC, and the Sokolov-Miller Family Financial and Life Skills Center below.