At the end of the spring 2023 semester, six Penn State Commonwealth Campuses named faculty members as Open Champions, recognizing their work with open education in the second year of Penn State’s Open and Affordable Educational Resources (OAER) Champion Awards. A collaboration between Penn State University Libraries and the University-wide OAER Working Group, the OAER Champion Award began as a pilot initiative in 2022 and seeks to recognize excellence, innovation and impact in open educational practices at Penn State campuses.
Prospective students are invited to attend the Penn State Berks' "Major Possibilities" information program from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 23.
Penn State Berks Strategic Communications interviewed Michele Ramsey, associate professor of communication arts and sciences and of women's, gender and sexuality studies, about the film "Barbie," the Greta Gerwig-directed film about the iconic doll, and now Warner Bros.’ highest-grossing domestic release. Ramsey is a frequent media contributor on issues concerning women’s studies and communication.
Seven incoming Penn State Berks students were awarded a scholarship to study engineering through the campus' Leveraging Innovation and Optimizing Nurturing (LION) STEM Scholars Program. The program, funded through a National Science Foundation grant, is in its second year and provides support in the form of a four-year, renewable $6,250 scholarship to talented engineering students with demonstrated financial need.
A Penn State Berks team, comprised of one student, three staff and three faculty members, participated in the Summer Institute on Equity in the Academic Experience hosted by the American Talent Initiative (ATI) and Georgetown University. This three-day institute was held virtually with various colleges and universities offering local convening opportunities.
Penn State Berks alumna Jaymi Smith, who graduated with her bachelor’s degree in global studies in May 2023, earned acceptance into the United States Peace Corps. In October 2023, she will travel to Timor-Leste to work as a community economic development facilitator.
Penn State University Libraries presented its sixth annual "Undergraduate Research Award: Excellence in Information Literacy" honors at the end of the spring 2023 semester to 136 students at 20 undergraduate Penn State campuses.
First-year engineering students at Penn State Berks put their problem-solving skills to the test when they were tasked with designing and constructing escape room puzzles for their engineering design introductory course.
Adam Plucinski, assistant teaching professor of engineering at Penn State Altoona, and Lolita Paff, associate professor of business economics at Penn State Berks, are the 2022-23 recipients of the Jack P. Royer Active and Collaborative Learning Award from the Office of the Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses. The award recognizes Commonwealth Campus faculty and staff who demonstrate innovative teaching practices to enhance student learning and who facilitate student engagement in learning to advance conceptual and applied understanding and competencies.
Penn State Berks has named nearly 700 students to the spring 2023 dean’s list. To earn a dean’s list designation, students must end the semester with a 3.5 grade-point average or higher.
