Mary Fitzpatrick also received the 2026 Ray Fortunado Award for Excellence in Human Resources. Two recipients were selected this year in honor of the award's tenth anniversary.
Erin Morton, left, accepted the 2026 Ray Fortunado Award for Excellence in Human Resources from Jennifer Wilkes, right. The flagship award acknowledges HR employees’ exceptional contributions and dedication to improving human resources at Penn State.
Mary Fitzpatrick, manager of Human Resources compliance and records management, and Erin Morton, Human Resources strategic partner supporting five Commonwealth Campuses, are the recipients of the 2026 Ray T. Fortunato Award for Excellence in Human Resources for their outstanding contributions to Penn State HR.
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.
Students work on model rockets during a Penn State Berks Model Rocketry Club activity alongside club adviser Cesar Martínez-Garza, right, associate professor of mathematics. Through partnerships, student support programs and community engagement, Penn State Berks is helping create pathways to higher education and career success in the Greater Reading community.
Guadalupe Kasper, assistant teaching professor and Penn State Educational Partnership Program (PEPP) manager at Penn State Berks, participates in a campus celebration of Mexican Independence Day in September 2025. As manager of the PEPP program, Kasper helps create pathways to higher education for students from the Greater Reading community.
