Penn State is planning a phased return over the summer semester to a full on-campus learning environment for fall 2021. The University’s priorities continue to be the health and well-being of its students, faculty, staff and local communities, and the plans for expanded in-person classes have the flexibility built in to quickly respond to changing pandemic conditions, if necessary.
Penn State Smeal College of Business class of 1985 alumnus Brian Dreibelbis and his wife, Sherry, recently made a $500,000 estate commitment to the University that will benefit both Smeal and Penn State Berks.
Penn State has decided to delay the start of in-person classes and transition to a fully remote learning environment for the beginning of the spring 2021 semester at all campus locations. This decision was made following extensive analysis and scenario planning given worsening virus conditions nationally and across the state indicating predictions of rising hospitalization rates in the coming weeks.
Mark Viglione, a 2015 graduate and founder of Enigma Networkz, has finalized a software licensing agreement with the University to make his company’s security information and event management platform, Enigma Glass, available to students at all Penn State campuses.
The final Penn State Berks LionSide Chat for 2020 will feature an interview with Chancellor R. Keith Hillkirk, who is retiring at the end of the year after 15 years with Penn State.
Plans for Penn State’s Spring 2021 semester, announced Oct. 4, include a later start in January; continuation of the current flexible instructional modes, including in-person; the elimination of spring break; and completion of instruction for all undergraduate and graduate students by April 30. The University will maintain its observance of Martin Luther King Jr. day on Jan. 18 for students and faculty, when no classes will be held and Dr. King’s legacy will be celebrated through a number of virtual events.
As part of the renovation and expansion to the Penn State Berks community center, the Penn State Board of Trustees Committee on Finance, Business and Capital Planning has recommended for full board consideration the renaming of the facility from the “Beaver Community Center” to the “Beaver Athletics and Wellness Center.”
George Grant Jr., professor and dean of the College of Community and Public Service at Grand Valley State University in Michigan, has been named chancellor of Penn State Berks, following a national search. Grant will begin his appointment on Jan. 4, 2021.
In the second of a three-part series of roundtable discussions titled “Toward Racial Equity at Penn State: Social Difference, Social Equity and Social Change,” faculty members, staff, University leaders and students of color shared their experiences within a predominately white university setting and their visions for the future of diversity, equity and inclusion at Penn State.
