Impact

Two teams of entrepreneurs from Penn State Berks were recognized with awards during the 2020 Business Plan Competition Challenge sponsored by the Berks Alliance and the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance.

When Liz (Weidner) and Nolan Campbell were making their wedding plans, they never dreamed that the coronavirus would wreak havoc on their big day.

University students and educators alike are grappling with turbulent times, and Penn State’s course on the “Art and Science of Human Flourishing” is well-positioned to help undergraduates to develop strategies for caring for themselves and others. Robert Roeser, Bennett Pierce Professor of Caring and Compassion, explored ways to adapt the course to current events, along with 23 colleagues from 10 Penn State campuses, University of Virginia and University of Wisconsin-Madison, during the morning of the 2nd Annual Human Flourishing Summer Teaching Institute, held on June 16 and 17 via Zoom.

For the last decade, Janelle Larson has packed her bags after Penn State Berks’ spring commencement and traveled to Kenya. She does not make this journey for the purpose of a vacation; rather she has led a University-wide global outreach program.

Joseph Webb, director of student affairs at Penn State Berks, was recently honored with Penn State’s John Romano Faculty/Staff Diversity Recognition Award. The award recognizes Webb’s commitment to supporting diversity.

When Penn State alumni Gareth Yoder (Berks 2014) and Joy Beam (University Park 2017) came up with an idea for a business, they needed some direction about how to get started so they turned to the Penn State Berks Idea TestLab for assistance.

Aurora Brunovsky, a 2009 Penn State alumna and member of the University's Human Resources team, helped raise funds to donate over 1,000 masks to local non-profits in need. "We want to unite people in our community and give them a way to give back if they can’t find one,” she said.

Two faculty members in the College of Education have embarked on a project that they hope will help relieve the special education teacher shortage in Pennsylvania, as well as forge a mutually beneficial partnership between Penn State and Reading School District.

Global Programs has announced the 2020 recipients of annual awards that recognize the outstanding contributions of individuals and academic programs at Penn State who have helped to advance the University’s global engagement goals.