2022 Penn State Global Annual Report

ANNUAL REPORT REIMAGINE YOUR COMMUNITY REENGAGE THE WORLD REDISCOVER STUDY ABROAD

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VICE PROVOST'S REMARKS The work of Penn State Global relies on strong collaborative partnerships across the university and around the world. This broad ecosystem of globally engaged partners is essential to the outcomes and success of Penn State Global. The annual report is a reflection of this community commitment and we are most grateful for your collegiality.

-R. Brindley

Dear colleagues, partners, and friends, Welcome to the 2022 Penn State Global Annual Report. This is the third iteration of the report, and we’ve come a long way from our first version from 2020 – both in terms of the report itself and recognizing how the world has changed!

Even now, though, we are still grappling with how to move forward in a world forever changed by COVID. Indeed, in many ways, we may not fully comprehend the effects of the coronavirus on global engagement for another few years. Despite that, each year we figure out new and exciting strategies to combine the best elements of the pre-covid world with our current realities. And to understand the role of a globally engaged land-grant university as we look to the future.

In Penn State Global, our recent focus can be best summed up with our “3 R’s” campaign. We are inviting our community to rediscover study abroad through a myriad of short- and long-term programs and internship experiences, all supported by our “Back to the World” scholarship campaign; to reimagine their community by engaging with the 10,000 international students and scholars hosted on

Penn State campuses through programs like the Global Engagement and Leadership Experience; and to reengage the world by collaborating with international partners on areas of research and impact.

As you will see in this report, these three areas of focus informed our activities in 2022, from creating unique and engaging study abroad experiences to developing new and creative ways to bring international and domestic students together, to leveraging new and existing international partnerships to create real-world impact.

This report is a snapshot of all global work happening across Penn State through our faculty, students, staff, and visiting scholars – work that we are privileged and thrilled to support and facilitate. We are sure that you will be impressed with our students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

We Are! Roger Brindley Vice Provost for Global

Penn State’s Rankings #1 in the U.S .

rld #47 in the wo

#96 in the w orld

rld #84 in the wo

#54 in the w orld

rld #38 in the wo

SABINE KLAHR BECOMES NEW AVP

Penn State Global announced on May 31 that Sabine Klahr would join as the new associate vice provost on July 1, 2022. The appointment follows a national search to fill the position.

Klahr brings over 20 years of leadership experience in international higher education, non-profit organizations, and consulting. Most recently, she served at the University of Utah as the associate chief global officer in the Office for Global Engagement.

“I am thrilled Dr. Klahr, a leader in international education, has joined Penn State Global to help us on our mission to push Penn State towards becoming a truly global land-grant institution,” said Roger Brindley, vice provost for Global.

Prior to her position at the University of Utah, Klahr began her career in international education working in education abroad at Colorado State University and Western Michigan University, and then served as senior international officer at Boise State University and subsequently Chatham University. Klahr has a long history of leadership for international education associations and organizations, culminating in serving as President of the Association for International Education Administrators (AIEA), the preeminent organization for leaders in international education, in 2013.

“I am truly delighted to join Penn State, one of the top academic and research institutions nationally with extensive global reach and impact,” Klahr said. “It will be a great privilege for me to contribute to Penn State’s excellence by supporting students, faculty, and staff to engage with the world. I also look forward to joining Dr. Brindley, a fellow leader in international education, in enhancing the capacity of Penn State Global to support the University’s global aspirations.”

After coming to the U.S. as a high school exchange student from Germany, Klahr earned a bachelor of science and master of science degrees, both in botany, from the University of Oklahoma; and a doctorate in higher education leadership focused on international education from Montana State University-Bozeman. She has received two Fulbright Awards, one to India and one to Norway.

We are excited to have added Dr. Klahr to the leadership team at Penn State Global!

Read the full article on Penn State News: https://www.psu.edu/news/globalprograms/story/sabine-klahr-become-newassociate-vice-provost-global/

PENN STATE

BY THE NUMBERS ENROLLMENT DATA FA22

ENROLLMENT BY CAMPUS FA22

Total - 88,116

Other 2.5% World Campus

Undergrad - 73,159

11% Commonwealth

Graduate - 13,449

28.1%

Medical - 662 Law - 846 University Park 58.5%

ENROLLMENT BY GENDER FA22

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 759,312 ALUMNI WORLDWIDE

WOMEN 40,574

MEN 47,050 OTHER 492

RESEARCH

139 CHAPTERS INCLUDING 40 LOCATED INTERNATIONALLY 172,370 DUES PAYING MEMBERS

FUNDRAISING

$664M $371M

FEDERAL RESEARCH

NONFEDERAL RESEARCH

$1.034B TOTAL

$4.61B

$306.6M

ENDOWMENT & SIMILAR FUNDS

ANNUAL FUNDRAISING

194,593

$13.7M

# OF DONORS

*THON

*The largest student-run philanthropy in the world committed to enhancing the lives of children and families impacted by childhood cancer

PENN STATE NAMES NEELI BENDAPUDI AS PRESIDENT

Neeli Bendapudi, former president and professor of marketing at the University of Louisville, Kentucky, was named Penn State’s next president by the Penn State Board of Trustees, after a comprehensive national search. Beginning her position as Penn State’s 19th president in the spring of 2022, she made history as the first woman and person of color to serve as the University’s president.

“Penn State is a world-class university, and I couldn’t be prouder and more excited to join this vibrant community of outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni throughout the commonwealth and beyond," said Bendapudi.

Bendapudi, the 18th president of the University of Louisville, is a recognized leader in higher education who specializes in marketing and consumer behavior. With a nearly 30-year career in academia, Bendapudi has taught marketing and served in a variety of administrative roles over the years, including as provost and executive vice chancellor at the University of Kansas, dean of the School of Business at the University of Kansas, and founding director of the Initiative for Managing Services at The Ohio State University. With a focus on collaboration and development, Bendapudi has dedicated her career to student success, fostering inclusivity and creating opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to thrive.

"We are proud to welcome Dr. Bendapudi to Penn State. She is a dynamic and innovative leader who has dedicated nearly her entire professional life to higher education and is prepared to help our University advance in how we support students, create new knowledge, and serve society,” stated Matt Schuyler, chair of the Board of Trustees.

During her role as president at the University of Louisville, she oversaw the university’s 12 academic colleges, Division 1 athletics program, and integrated academic health system, which includes five hospitals, four medical centers, and nearly 200 physician practice locations. Serving more than 16,000 undergraduate and 6,300 graduate students, the University of Louisville is a Research 1 doctoral university with 40% Pelleligible students.

As president, Bendapudi focused on creating opportunities for the University of Louisville students, faculty, staff, and alumni to excel and serve their communities, with many notable accomplishments during her tenure.

Dr. Bendapudi succeeded President Eric J. Barron, who retired after serving Penn State for more than 30 years in various roles, including most recently as president since 2014.

Read the full article on Penn State News: https://www.psu.edu/news/administration/story /penn-state-names-neeli-bendapudi-nextpresident

Planning and Partnerships Mel White, Senior Director of Planning & Partnerships

Planning and Partnerships is about creating connections. We work to build bridges between universities, between systems, and between units.

As I look back on the year 2022, I note how Planning and Partnerships increasingly grew more cohesive and collaborative, with both internal and external partners.

We partnered with nine other units across campus to host Dr. Paul Zeleza, the North Star Distinguished University Professor and Associate Provost at Case Western Reserve University. The visit provided a platform for the university community to engage in a constructive dialogue with Dr. Zeleza on a wide range of social issues in Sub-Saharan Africa.

We facilitated the excellent work being done on Water, Energy, and Food through both the WEF Nexus in Africa and the Colombia-USA WEF Nexus Alliance. This effort includes faculty from across the university as well as collaboration with the Sustainability Institute.

We hosted delegation visits from Korea University and the Korean Institute of Science and Technology, Taipei Tech, and National Taiwan Normal University, with many more visits on the horizon and each with a focus on our collective synergies in research and exploring new ways to broaden and define the scope of our partnerships.

Our office continued to steward important Penn State relationships with the University of Auckland, Freiburg University, and Monash University. In addition, we are exploring new relationships with the University of Galway, Ireland, and Leibniz University in Hannover, Germany.

A high point of the year was our Fulbright Banquet, where we celebrated 75 years of the Fulbright program with over 100 Penn State faculty, staff, and scholars joining us for the event.

Building new multi-disciplinary partnerships is an essential element of Penn State’s foundation of enhancing global engagement and a key tenet of achieving a truly global Penn State. Our work is to help align research and scholars, create opportunities for students at key partnering institutions, and facilitate the exchange of knowledge.

A final exclamation point: Penn State received the highest number of Fulbright Scholar awards in the country for the 2022-23 awards cycle, tying the University of Arizona with 17.

Our faculty are truly incredible, and it is an honor to support their work by leveraging our connections and expertise.

Strategic Partnerships Planning and Partnerships works with our strategic partners to carry out vitally important research projects around the world. Through partnership, we leverage our strengths and achieve things we could only dream of doing on our own. We are thrilled to engage with partners around the world!

Penn State welcomed President and Vice-Chancellor Margaret Gardner of Monash University in September 2022. The visit was coordinated by Penn State Global and the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research and cemented the already strong strategic partnership between the two universities. It culminated in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between President Neeli Bendapudi and President Margaret Gardner. Discussions which focused on climate change, geopolitical security, and community health.

A further commitment to this strategic collaboration occurred through a follow-up visit by the academic partnership champion at Monash, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Law, Professor Bryan Horrigan in October. This visit focused on the next steps in the partnership, a discussion about a law collaboration, and the upcoming seed-grant competition that will launch in spring 2023 around Monash’s global challenges and Penn State’s strategic plan priorities.

Penn State Global hosted Erik Lithander, Deputy ViceChancellor for Strategic Engagement in May 2022.

Discussions around the universities’ strategic partnership highlighted the synergies and interest in building upon the first round of a very successful Collaboration Development Program.

Emphasizing the mutual importance of sustainability research and collaboration, two faculty members from Penn State, Esther Obonyo (ENG) and Anne Hoag (COM) attended the Blue and Green Technology Conference in Auckland in December 2022.

Roger Brindley, Vice Provost for Penn State Global, traveled to Freiburg for leadership meetings in May 2022.

This was Dr. Brindley’s first in-person visit with

Freiburg. Penn State Global looks forward to a reciprocal visit of Freiburg’s rector and leadership team in 2023. The Penn State/Freiburg partnership focuses on collaboration with the Convergence Center on Multifunctional Material Systems, projects focusing on Africa collaboration, and an extension of previous virtual seed grants which resulted in research fellowships in Freiburg and an upcoming international conference in July.

In September 2022, the University of Freiburg Rector Kerstin Krieglstein presented the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg University Medal to Martin Trethewey, Penn State Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering, for his efforts in forging a global collaboration between the two universities.

Trethewey played an essential role in building the partnership between the University of Freiburg and Penn State and is credited with establishing the groundwork for bilateral cooperation that has enabled both universities to push the boundaries of global collaboration in research and education.

Strategic Partnerships

During the week of September 12, Penn State hosted a delegation from the Korea Institute for Science and Technology (KIST) and Korea University (KU). The delegation was led by the KIST’s President, Professor Seok-Jin Yoon, who along with Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi, signed a memorandum of understanding between the institutions. The partnership focuses on transparent and invisible electronics and is an evolution of two agreements signed between Penn State and KIST and KU in both 2020 and 2022, which formalized the framework for the collaborative research effort and explored joint education and training opportunities for the undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.

The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) and Korea University (KU) were identified as primary partner institutions for Penn State’s Joint Innovation Partnerships (JIPs) in 2020.

To learn more about partnerships across the university and ways to engage, contact Mel White, senior director for planning and partnerships, at pmw18@psu.edu.

While at Penn StateTaku Yoshida (left), a visiting scholar from Nagoya University in Japan participating in LEAP (Long-Term Education Administrators Program), and Youngjae Cho (right, the 8th SKKU visiting scholar program participant) met and interviewed a variety of administrative staff members from various offices of Penn State Global, academic units, and Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS). The scholars presented at classes and participated in a wide range of global activities, such as Glogal Engagement and Leadership Experience, a facilitated, intercultural program where participants learn about themselves and other cultures. In addition, they visited campuses at Altoona, Abington, Dickinson Law, and Harrisburg.

Penn State hosted a delegation from the National Taipei University of Technology (also known as Taipei Tech).

During the visit, President Neeli Bendapudi and Taipei Tech President Sea-Fue Wang signed two Memoranda of Understanding between the two universities: a concurrent graduate degree program in the field of informatics and a seed grants collaboration program with the Materials Research Institute (MRI).

Taipei Tech and Penn State have four active agreements, evolving into a multi-disciplinary, multi-layered relationship for research and education.

The Global Collaborations unit manages all university-wide agreements with other institutions.

Global Collaborations

BY THE NUMBERS

250

Active Agreements

65

204

16

Countries

Institutions Institutions

New Partnerships

44 Agreements in Developments

ACTIVE AGREEMENTS

BY REGION

AGREEMENTS BY COLLEGE Penn State Law Engineering

Oceania 14

Agricultural Sciences Earth and Mineral Sciences

Latin America and Latin America Caribbean 8% 24

Liberal Arts Health and Human Development

Middle East & North Africa 10

Oceania 4.7%

Europe Europe 35.1% 105

America NorthNorth America 7.4%

Education

22

Nursing Eberly College of Science

Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa 9%

Arts and Architecture

27

Medicine Dickinson Law Information Sciences and Technology 0

10

Active

20

30

Asia Asia 32.4% 97

40

In Development 6

Active In Development 4

2

Sc ra nt on

Sc hu yk ill

H ar ri sb ur g

Er ie

Be rk s

Al to on a

Ab in gt on

G re at

Va lle y

0 Be av er

AGREEMENTS BY CAMPUS

International Alumni Spotlight Patricia Aguilera Readers will note that throughout this Annual Report we spotlight our inspiring, faculty, staff, students, and alumni. We hope you enjoy their extraordinary stories of our international graduates impacting the world.

Patricia Aguilera, assistant teaching professor in the School of Behavioral Sciences and Education at Penn State Harrisburg, never intended to leave her home country of Mexico to live, learn, and work in the United States.

However, in 2012 and at the age of 39, Aguilera moved to the United States. That year, she began her doctor of education program in adult education and lifelong learning, focusing on education for older adults — a degree not offered anywhere in Mexico. She chose Penn State based on its excellent world rankings and the graduation rates from the program she was interested in.

“I knew it would be hard, but doable,” she said.

“If I was going to make this effort and change my life, it had to be worth it. Choosing Penn State was crucial.” Aguilera’s life at Penn State would develop into a lifelong affair.

Before she came to Penn State, Aguilera had already been busy in Mexico. She spearheaded, along with her father, the creation of UNIDE, an institution dedicated to older learners, and created the curriculum for the school, which includes four major areas: Skills and Entrepreneurship, Health and Wellness, Liberal Arts, and Technological Literacy. At one point, it enrolled 1,200 students and still has nearly a thousand despite the pandemic.

Aguilera also has been incredibly active outside of the classroom at Penn State. She created the Global Lion Mentor program, which connects

current international students with incoming or prospective international students, allowing the students to share information and answer questions even from their home countries. It also creates lasting bonds.

“When I came to the United States, I felt a little isolated,” she said. “I wondered if they were feeling the same way. As it turns out, making new connections and friendships was a big problem for international students.”

Aguilera is a believer in global ethics — teaching students that they are citizens of a larger world, not just the United States. In addition, she advises the Latino Club at Penn State Harrisburg and is part of the Latino Hispanic Professional Association (LHPA) in Harrisburg.

Aguilera exemplifies Penn State's mission to welcome and engage our international student and scholar population in meaningful and impactful ways. Our international student population adds a new perspective to our classrooms and communities.

Read the full article on Penn State News: https://www.psu.edu/news/globalprograms/story/global-alumna-spotlightpatricia-aguilera/

More than a hundred Penn State faculty, staff, and scholars came together in the Smeal Atrium in April to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. The ceremony recognized Penn State faculty and staff, past and present, who have received a Fulbright Award from the U.S. Department of State.

The ceremony included a reception, dinner, and two keynote speakers — Institute for International Education President Allan Goodman and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Academic Programs in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Ethan Rosenzweig from the U.S. Department of State — as well as remarks by then Penn State President Eric Barron and former Executive Vice President and Provost Nick Jones.

Penn State has been named a Top Producer of Fulbright Scholars for the past 10 years and ranked first in the nation in Faculty Fulbright Scholar awards for the academic year 20222023.

“The opportunity served as a springboard to help me excel in a longtime engineering and higher education career,” Jones said in his remarks at the recognition event, recalling his Fulbright experience to the United States in 1980.

Goodman delivered remarks, as did Rosenzweig, who emphasized Penn State’s commitment to Fulbright from the leadership.

Following the remarks, Roger Brindley, vice

Read the full article on Penn State News: https://www.psu.edu/news/globalprograms/story/penn-state-global-honors-fulbrightrecipients-programs-75th-anniversary/

Left to right: Nicholas P. Jones, Penn State executive vice president and provost ; Allan Goodman; Roger Brindley; Ethan Rosenzweig, and University President Eric Barron, at the April 8, 2022, Fulbright Scholar Program anniversary event

provost for Global, emceed the recognition ceremony. Fulbright recipients in attendance received medallions commemorating their experience and celebrating the program's anniversary.

“It was an exciting opportunity to meet colleagues from across the university that have a common experience through Fulbright,” said Melanie Miller-Foster, associate teaching professor of international agriculture, who completed her Fulbright experiences in Korea and Malaysia along with Daniel Foster, associate professor in the College of Ag Sciences who runs the Global Teach Ag initiative. “We all had experiences in different countries and at different times, but share the goal of promoting mutual understanding in an interconnected world.”

For more information about how to apply for a Fulbright experience, visit Penn State’s Faculty Fulbright webpage, or contact Sylvester Osagie at fulbright@psu.edu. For general information, visit the Fulbright Program website.

MASUME ASSAF RETIRES AFTER OVER 40 YEARS AT PENN STATE

Masume Assaf, assistant vice provost for International Student and Scholar Advising at Penn State Global, retired on February 3 after 42 years at the university. Assaf joined Penn State in 1981 in the Intensive English Communication Program, joined the Office of International Students as what was then referred to as a Foreign Student Adviser in 1984, and has been with the office through its many transitions in name, staff, and mission.

“Masume Assaf has been a staple in serving quite literally tens of thousands of our international students at Penn State over the decades,” said Roger Brindley, vice provost for Global. “As an original writer of immigration training documents for international educators in higher education, she has left an indelible mark not only on many lives at Penn State but across the entire field of international education.”

Over the years, Assaf became the Assistant Director, then the Associate Director, and finally, the Director of International Students and Scholars Advising. In 2022, her title was updated to Assistant Vice Provost. Throughout her time, she supported Penn State’s growth in international student enrollment to a top 20 host institution in the United States, now home to over 10,000 international students and scholars.

She spearheaded multiple overhauls of Penn State’s immigration processing systems throughout the years and became a highlyrespected figure in her field.

Along with a colleague, now at CarnegieMellon, Assaf wrote the handbook on F-1 visa regulations that was used by NAFSA, the world's largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education and exchange, as the standard for training international educators.

“I think it’s vital to know and understand the regulations and to apply them ethically and judiciously,” Assaf said.

Assaf has no immediate plans for her retirement. “It’s a bittersweet moment for me,” said Assaf. “I’m ready to retire, but I’ll miss the environment, the people, and the opportunities that came with working with this office.”

We extend a heartfelt "thank you and best wishes" to Masume!

Assaf’s position will be filled by Dr. Jody Pritt in March 2023.

With the retirement of Masume Asaaf, Penn State Global welcomes Dr. Jody Pritt as the new Assistant Vice Provost of International Student and Scholar Advising

Global Learning

Brian Brubaker, Assistant Vice Provost for Global Learning

Reflecting back on 2022 has been an exercise in both pride in what we’ve accomplished and a full reckoning of where we’ve been in the field of international education over the past three years.

In my view, 2022 was finally a year in which we could dare to contemplate a “post-COVID” reality for our students and our programs. Although I do not believe we have completely put the pandemic behind us, I am optimistic about our continued growth toward a rejuvenated global learning landscape.

As I’ve joined my peers for conferences and conversations over the past year – both domestically and abroad – I am reminded of how well-positioned Penn State Global is. Our largest resource – our amazing human talent – is wholly responsible for our success. As a field we are talking about the urge to transform our work for better inputs and better outcomes; we should not be striving for “pre-pandemic” status quo, but rather seek out a more accessible, impactful, and persistent array of global learning opportunities for our students.

Our Global Learning team has centered sustainability and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as one of our primary focal points augmenting our daily work. The Global Engagement team hosted its first Global Sustainability: It’s On Us mini-conference during International Education Month (typically only a week!) in November. The quality of presentations and outreach in this space was outstanding.

Months prior, at the Forum on Education Abroad’s annual conference in March 2022, our Education Abroad unit was named the inaugural winner of the Advancing the UN SDGs through Education Abroad award.

These actions and recognition have propelled Penn State Global Learning to the forefront of dialogue and thought leadership around how our work intersects with sustainability.

More important than awards and accomplishments is the impact these key initiatives have on our students and our community. Each year, guided by Penn State Global's strategic plan, we continue to make strides in supporting all of our Penn State communities in their offering of global learning opportunities for students, faculty, and staff. I am forever grateful and humbled to do this work alongside such a dedicated, talented, and passionate group of colleagues.

Our work continues as we reengage the world through education abroad and leverage digital technologies, improve access, and facilitate opportunities for faculty to learn how to engage in this space.

Global Learning GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY CONFERENCE Global Engagement collaborated with the Penn State Sustainability Institute to host a mini-conference this fall. This signature event provided a platform to raise global awareness, expand commitment to sustainable actions, deepen intercultural understanding, and foster respect for diversity and difference. This half-day conference focused on helping Penn State students and community members envision and proactively address global challenges; promoting inclusive communities and societies that provide access to all; identifying solutions that enhance the resilience and effectiveness of institutions; and empowering students as advocates and voices for change in this space.

The Global Learning unit promotes and facilitates engagement opportunities between international and domestic students across the Commonwealth.

GLOBAL AMBASSADOR PROGRAM The Global Ambassador program is a group of students who strive to promote diversity through multicultural engagement, leadership experiences, and community service. Penn State Global launched Ambassador Programs at the Abington, Behrend, Harrisburg, and University Park campuses, with more planned for the future.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ORIENTATION The New Student Orientation (NSO) For International Students moved back into its fully in-person delivery for 2022! NSO for International Students and Welcome Days greeted more than 1500 new international students from around the world in January, June, and August of 2022. These were the first full-fledged, in-person orientation programs since COVID began and represented a re-opening of Penn State Global's in-person engagement efforts.

The conference featured 12 presenters across multiple panels and engaged over 40 participants both in person and online from several Penn State campuses.

The revised New Student Orientation for International Students was “new and improved” combining real-time remote orientation sessions, a pre-arrival online “course” and in-person welcome days just before the fall semester started. We were also thrilled to be able to host our Presidential Welcome Reception as well as International Parent Orientation!

Global Learning SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGS) EVENT SERIES SPRING 2022: SOUTHEAST REGIONAL EVENT SERIES This series included two virtual events (universitywide), and one hybrid event (in-person-Abington campus) along with access to the weekly UN Speakers Series. The objectives of the series were to introduce Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to the campus community and to train students on sustainability and intercultural learning focusing on the SDGs via semester-long programming to increase global citizenship and awareness.

The total attendance was about 150 students, faculty, and staff. SDGs were introduced by the Southeast Global Engagement Coordinator at the Abington campus first in Fall 2021 via Learning and Living Community, Global Village, thematic programming priority.

PENN STATE BERKS: ANNUAL THANKSGIVING DINNER & INTERNATIONAL GALA

GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE (GELE) 2022 allowed our Global Engagement team to bring back the in-person version of one of its most anticipated annual traditions: the Global Engagement & Leadership Experience, or GELE. GELE explores students' abilities to interact across differences; both at the individual and group level through trained facilitation. The program guides students in their understanding of self while providing opportunities to learn about the cultures of others.

In Spring 2022, the Global Engagement team held a Taste of GELE Experience, a one-day, modified retreat experience that offered students a chance to engage in workshops, team-building exercises, and dialogue facilitated by the GECs.

The dinner and gala briefly highlighted the meaning of American Thanksgiving, featured a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, cultural performances, and desserts from around the world for a group of domestic and international students.

The event was held during International Education Week (IEW), a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education that promotes programs to prepare Americans for a global environment and to attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences.

The week is so successful, Penn State celebrates for an entire MONTH!

The shortened format was designed to limit the duration of close contact as the GECs developed a post-pandemic methodology for delivering events.

In Fall 2022 a full, traditional weekend GELE was held at camp Krislund in central Pennsylvania. Both GELE formats engaged students from multiple campuses and, in all, over 225 students participated in these events.

INTERNATIONAL, DOMESTIC STUDENTS VISIT D.C. FOR GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT TRIP To facilitate intercultural learning, the Global Learning Team within Penn State Global creates programming to bring together students of various backgrounds and cultures.

Penn State students visited Washington, D.C. the weekend of April 1-3 as part of intercultural programming created by the Global Engagement Team within Penn State Global.

Students visited historical and cultural sites in D.C., as well as attended the Cherry Blossom Festival. The student group was a diverse mix of students from across the Commonwealth, with 30 domestic students and 145 international students representing 31 countries.

The trip was open to students from all Penn State campuses at all academic levels. In total, there were 128 undergraduate and 47 graduate students from a variety of campuses on the trip.

The event kicked off with a group dinner and icebreaker activities for the students to get to know each other. The next day, the students traveled around D.C., visiting the Capitol building, the Museum of the American Indian, the Botanical Gardens, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, the Museum of Natural History, many monuments, and of course, the cherry blossoms.

“This visit taught me a lot about American history, with the cherry blossoms providing the most scenic setting to it all,” said one of the students.

“It was an amazing trip and an incredible occasion to meet people from a lot of different countries and to visit the city while having fun! I definitely recommend people join activities like this. I decided to join alone and by the end of the weekend I got a lot of new friends,” said one student.

Another student said, “Even though I intended to go on the trip with my friends, the best part of the trip was when I got separated from my friends, which then forced me to make a new one. Only after I spent the whole day with my new friend did I realize that the point of the trip wasn't to hang out with your friends, but to meet new ones too."

The morning after the trip, the group spent time learning about each other’s experiences by playing a game to figure out who among them had gotten lost, visited a religious site, visited their home country’s embassy, and more.

Read the full article on Penn State News: https://www.psu.edu/news/globalprograms/story/international-domestic-studentsvisit-dc-global-engagement-trip/

For more information about the experience, contact Ryan Geiger at rkg5386@psu.edu or to learn more about ways to get involved, contact globalengagement@psu.edu.

International Alumni Spotlight Shah Chowdhury Readers will note that throughout this Annual Report we spotlight our inspiring, faculty, staff, students, and alumni. We hope you enjoy their extraordinary stories of our international graduates impacting the world.

Shah Chowdhury graduated from Penn State in 2018 with a degree in community, environment, and development. He since co-founded an organization called Footsteps, was part of the Youth Assembly at the United Nations, was a Diana Award recipient, and was nominated for Forbes "30 Under 30" list for Asia.

Chowdhury, along with five friends from high school, created Footsteps, a next-generation organization aimed at empowering communities by integrating the right set of skills and technologies to help them overcome social challenges currently limiting their development.

The organization designs social ventures which not only address community challenges such as safe water, climate action, and public health but also empowers communities to be self-resilient without depending on donors' support in the long run. Footsteps is currently working on creating water systems that can remove various sorts of contaminants, bacteria, and viruses.

“That is what the mission of Footsteps is,” Chowdhury explained. “We’re on a mission to build resilient communities across Bangladesh.”

His work led him to receive the Diana Award, which is one of the most prestigious accolades for social and humanitarian work. Chowdhury also recently participated in the United Nations Youth Assembly. He was invited by the AFS intercultural program, a global not-for-profit network that provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the skills to create a more just and peaceful world.

“It was a remarkable experience for me to be up there speaking at the prestigious UN building,” he said. “I was Bangladesh’s youth representative to the United Nations and they sent me to different summits and conferences all around the world, but I had never entered the UN headquarters building in New York. After a decade I made it, and not for UN purposes but through the work that I was doing for Footsteps, so obviously, that meant the world.”

Chowdhury credits his experiences at Penn State as fundamental to developing the organization and the degree he earned has helped him understand the environmental implications of the work he has been doing with his organization, especially Project Trishna, the organization’s lead project that helps to fund safe water systems in marginalized communities.

Chowdhury embodies what it is to be a Penn State alumni which is to take experiences and education and make changes at a community level.

Read the full article on Penn State News: https://www.psu.edu/news/globalprograms/story/penn-staters-impact-shahchowdhury/

Education Abroad Kate Manni, Director of Education Abroad

As 2022 comes to an end, we reflect on the achievements of the students, faculty, and staff who engaged in education abroad programs this year. We are so pleased to have supported nearly 2,000 students in their pursuit of global learning opportunities through education abroad programs and are even more delighted to share some of their stories with you.

Over the course of the year, 165 faculty, staff, and graduate assistants representing 16 Penn State campuses led education abroad programs. We are fortunate to work among a highly globally engaged faculty body and look forward to many new collaborations with our colleagues.

I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge and celebrate a return to robust on-campus programming to support education abroad initiatives. Our team thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to connect with students and their families at events across the Commonwealth this year. Whether it was New Student Orientation, our annual Education Abroad Fair, or another event hosted by an academic or student affairs unit at any of our campuses, the Education Abroad staff reported a tangible excitement of connecting at these events in person.

We continue to offer virtual information sessions and hybrid events to meet the needs of our students and program leaders, but we were thrilled to meet so many Penn Staters at the dozens of in-person events we attended this year!

Speaking of in-person programming, it is with great pride that I highlight the professional engagement of our Education Abroad staff. Our team is dedicated to developing new strategies, building best practices, supporting students and faculty, and often presenting their innovative practices and outcomes.

Some of the conferences where our Penn State Education Abroad and Global Learning faculty/staff presented in 2022 are: The Forum on Education Abroad, NAFSA Annual Conference, NAFSA Regional Conference, CIEE Annual Conference, American Association of Colleges and Universities, Pennsylvania Council for International Educators, Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, International Virtual Exchange Conference, Penn State Commonwealth Campus Sustainability Forum, It Starts With Us: Penn State Global Sustainability Conference. Congratulations to our colleagues for their leadership in our professional field!

We thank the Penn State community for their continued support of education abroad programs and sincerely look forward to the opportunities that 2023 is sure to bring.

Education Abroad

BY THE NUMBERS TOTAL STUDENTS ABROAD BY SEMESTER IN 2022

Europe Europe

Latin America Latin America Africa Africa

832

850

SP 22

Asia Asia

SU 22

Other Other

196

5

FA 22

AY 22

0

500

1,000

1,500

EDUCATION ABROAD

BY REGION

TOP 5 COLLEGES BY ENROLLMENT The Liberal Arts

College of Comm

Health and Human Development

Arts and Architecture

1,883 Smeal College of Business

TOTAL STUDENTS ABROAD IN 2022

LEADING DESTINATIONS OF PENN STATE STUDY ABROAD STUDENTS Italy

Spain

Scotland

Ireland

Denmark

Germany Curacao Mexico

England Greece Kenya

Male 32%

Male 32%

Female 68%

Female 68%

EDUCATION ABROAD

BY GENDER

THE PENN STATE COMMITMENT TO ASSISTING STUDENT EQUITY AND ACCESS TO WORLD-CLASS EDUCATION ABROAD

TOTAL AMOUNT AWARDED 2021 - 22

Embedded Programs $175,500 Education Abroad $573,468

Average Award Amount Total Awarded

by Penn State

$748,500

$1,201

*numbers provided are approximated based on available data

35%

of students who studied abroad in 2021-22 Number of received students awarded funding

623

Education Abroad As a recipient of The Forum on Education Abroad’s first-ever Award for Advancing the U.N. SDGs through Education Abroad, sustainability is an important pillar of our values. The Education Abroad office is dedicated to improving local and global sustainability by championing and implementing best practices for sustainability within the Global office, Penn State, and around the globe. We do this by offering sustainability-related scholarship programs to our students, promoting local exploration in study-abroad host countries, making informed marketing and promotional decisions to reduce plastic waste and shipping impacts, and many more initatives.

CONFERENCE ACTIVITY: SUSTAINABILITY For the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 academic years, Penn State Global has been proud to include the innovative sustainability scholars program in its “Back to the World” scholarship initiative. Each year, 10 students are selected based on their plans to incorporate sustainability and sustainable development into the education abroad program of their choice.

Gabrielle Leach, an undergraduate student majoring in environmental resource management with minors in sustainability leadership and energy business and finance, used her sustainability scholars award to support her education abroad experience to Tanzania in summer 2022.

Upon returning to Penn State, Leach reflected on her education abroad experience. “I found my passion for sustainability in the flexibility and breadth of the Environmental Science major. Through the Penn State Global Sustainability Scholars Program, I was encouraged to put this passion into practice, engaging in pre-trip Sustainability Institute Showcase Webinars, living amongst Tanzanian communities with lifestyles of varying environmental impact, and continuing as Co-Chair of the Student Sustainability Advisory Council post-trip.”

Gabrielle Leach during her Sustainability Scholars Program in Tanzania, 2022

SUSTAINABILITY SCHOLARS PROGRAM Members of our Education Abroad and Global Learning staff have engaged in professional development opportunities for global learning and sustainability both as participants and presenters. Our colleagues have presented on this topic at the following conferences in 2021:

Seoul, Rep. of Korea

NAFSA Annual Conference, Denver, CO, USA (and virtual) American Association of Colleges and Universities Annual Conference, virtual Pennsylvania Council for International Education, Haverford, PA, USA The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Annual Conference, virtual NAFSA Region II Conference, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA (and virtual) NAFSA Region VI + VIII Conference, Pittsburgh, PA, USA Penn State Commonwealth Campus Sustainability Forum Penn State Global: It Starts With Us Sustainability Conference, University Park, PA USA CIEE Annual Conference, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Education Abroad

Photo C ontest Finalis ts

Each year, Penn State Global Education Abroad hosts a photo contest to provide an opportunity for students to share their experiences from abroad.

No matter where they went, why they went, what they did, or when they left; they had a uniquely incredible, life-changing experience. Learning is a crucial part of our existence. Doing so in unfamiliar territories with different cultures can reveal to us parts of ourselves we’ve never unlocked. These photos are a testament to our community's global impact.

Seville ne, CIEE o im S Kim

of Eco, Biology g n o T l Mabe Tanzania Health in

ity of , Univers s b b u T m Laura e Progra g n a h c x Sussex E

Global haffee, C n y r m : Ca ieldwork r o Health F d a u ce in Ec Experien

limate ristin, C e h C a r d Vala in Icelan Change

r e n n i W e z i r P d n a r G

Ava Klink, Maymester in Thailand

Education Abroad CONSCIENTIOUS EVENT PLANNING In collaboration with Penn State Global Marketing and Communications staff, the Education Abroad team has centered sustainability and social responsibility in its event planning and promotional material design and production.

Our approach includes printing only essential informational materials that are appropriate for all audiences and events, emphasizing plant-based food options at all hosted events, and educating attendees on how to compost or recycle any products utilized at our events.

We were pleased to host a “paper-lite” Education Abroad Fair in November 2022 and appreciated the commitment our exhibitors showed in limiting their print materials. In addition, all exhibitors enjoyed a zero-waste vegan and vegetarian lunch.

Perhaps most exciting for attendees was our own Global staff and volunteers serving up free Penn State Berkey Creamery ice cream with compostable bowls and spoons!

The event drew over 1000 attendees, both inperson and virtually, and hosted over 50 vendors.

FACULTY LEADER WORKSHOP SERIES During the academic year 2021-2022, Education Abroad partnered with the Sustainability Institute to launch a workshop series for education abroad program leaders designed to enhance their knowledge of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and guide them toward integrating sustainable development education into their study abroad curriculum. We were pleased to receive more applications than placements available in the two cohorts.

Approximately 30 faculty and program leaders participated in 3 interactive workshops. At the conclusion of the series, the program leaders had prepared updated syllabi, incorporated new readings and sustainability-focused academic activities, and some even made adjustments to their program itineraries with sustainability in mind. Hundreds of Penn State students participated in these revamped education abroad programs in 2022 and directly benefitted from curricular integration of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The students also benefitted from a program grant, issued by Penn State Global, to defray the cost of participating in the faculty-led education abroad program.

For more information on Education Abroad, visit global.psu.edu/education or visit any of the links below Student Resources

Faculty and Advisers

Parents and Family

Returnees and Alumni

Health and Safety

WINITSKY WINS IES STUDY ABROAD FILM CONTEST Penn State students excel in the transformative experiences of education abroad. This is the compelling story of Zeke Winitsky.

Zeke Winitsky, a senior majoring in Film Production at the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, was recently awarded the Grand Prize in IES Abroad’s 2022 Study Abroad Film Festival for his short film “Coming to Berlin.”

Founded in 1950, IES Abroad is a global, not-forprofit providing premier study abroad and internship programs.

The film focuses on connecting his own heritage with current events, all centered around a singular place — Berlin. “'Coming to Berlin' is a film that was experienced as much as it was made. Being the descendant of a Holocaust survivor, spending time in Germany was complicated,” Winitsky said.

“There were moments when I felt a sense of closure and almost forgiveness, but also moments of guilt and conflict. In making this film, I meditated on my role as a Jew in America and in Europe. I wanted to illustrate my inner conflict and bring my personal dilemma to life."

Winitsky’s film is a source of pride for the University, especially the Education Abroad office within Penn State Global.

“We’re so proud of Zeke and all of the work he put into this film,” said Kate Manni, Director of Education Abroad. “He’s a shining example of how studying abroad can not only broaden your horizons and help you see others’ experiences but also reflect deeply on your own.”

The film won via public vote as the films were posted online, and the four nominees were chosen by a panel of experts.

The IES Abroad Study Abroad Film Festival gives attendees the opportunity to engage with students, alumni, and the local film and entertainment communities, as well as to raise awareness about the power of study abroad. The red-carpet event showcased incredible students and their enriched educational experiences through their films, in addition to helping raise IES Abroad need-based scholarship funds to send more students abroad.

Read the full article on Penn State News: https://www.psu.edu/news/globalprograms/story/winitsky-wins-ies-study-abroad-filmcontest/

PENN STATE GLOBAL AWARDS 2022 Penn State Global celebrates and honors the global engagement of students, faculty, and staff through several annual awards programs.

We are so proud of our 2022 recipients!.

Advancing a Global Penn State Awards Read more about the award announcement at Penn State News

Outstanding International Research Award

MUZI NA (HHD) AND STEPHEN KODISH (HHD)

This award recognizes innovative research projects and initiatives that can be shown to be advancing progress toward one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Outstanding Program Award WEF-COLOMBIA PROGRAM, LED BY SIELA MAXIMOVA (AG SCIENCES)

This award recognizes an innovative program at the University that has advanced the vision of a Global Penn State in the midst of a global health crisis. In these most extraordinary of times

Unsung Hero Staff Award ANN STONE (AG SCIENCES) This award recognizes an exemplary member of staff or an outstanding team of staff that consistently provide excellent support and leadership for global success at Penn State.

Global Learning Instructor Award KRISTIN SZNAJDER (MED) This award recognizes innovative teaching pedagogies used by outstanding faculty at the teaching/instructor rank when teaching global/international content with excellence.

Early Career Faculty Award YUBRAJ ACHARYA (HHD) This award recognizes innovative international research projects, excellence in global scholarship, or curricular and experiential leadership surrounding global learning for a tenure-earning faculty member at Penn State.

PENN STATE GLOBAL AWARDS 2022

Advancing a Global Penn State Awards Read more about the award announcement at Penn State News

Lifetime Achievment Award WILLIAM ROTHWELL (ED) This award recognizes an individual who has consistently demonstrated exceptional achievement towards furthering the global vision of Penn State across their career at the university.

W. Lamar Kopp International Faculty Achievement Award ELIZABETH RANSOM (SIA) This award recognizes faculty for excellence in leadership and support for international education, service to the international community, and international research accomplishments.

Ardeth and Norman Frisbey International Student Awards International Undergraduate Student

International Graduate Student Leadership

LAURA GIL (BUS)

ARTHUR WANG (LIBART)

International Undergraduate Student Leadership HAMZA AL AUFI (LIBART)

International Graduate Student JULIAN PRIETO (ED)

Global Development and Alumni Relations William Shuey, Director of Development

Early in 2022, it was my honor to step into the leadership role for the office of Global Outreach, Development and Alumni Relations, or GODAR. The GODAR office was established in 2021 and has completed its first full year, charged with connecting relationship building, global engagement, and international development, ensuring all global activities operate in concert toward shared goals.

It is with great pride and confidence in the GODAR team that I can report a very successful pilot year.

This year, we welcomed a record number of sponsored students, elevating Penn State as the top recipient of sponsored students in the United States. Our team continues to forge new partnerships with foreign governments, corporations, and nonprofit organizations, further increasing the scope of our sponsored program portfolio.

Additionally, GODAR stood up the Global Outreach office, which manages a collection of short-term academic programming, community engagement programming, and broad outreach events and activities. The Global Outreach team has laid out an ambitious plan to bolster Penn State’s global rankings and reputation. The team is also relaunching the Global Careers Institute, which aims to support students in pursuit of global careers while also engaging our most notable global alumni.

This year GODAR visited 10 countries to host alumni events, engage with sponsors and alumni, and recruit new students.

I have the distinct honor to serve as the only frontline fundraiser to all alumni, parents, and friends of the University located overseas, representing all colleges and campuses at Penn State. This year, I met some of our most extraordinary alumni around the world, with a deep passion to make a positive impact back at Penn State. Alumni seek to support students and innovative programming. Several generous donors have come forward to support mental health services, student emergency funds, and scholarships for students in need, making Penn State education and global experiences accessible to more students.

I am truly humbled and grateful for all our alumni, parents, and friends of the University who share their time and treasure to support our students.

On behalf of all of us in GODAR, thank you to all our donors for your generosity and your continued support of Penn State University.

Global Outreach, Development and Alumni Relations GIVING TUESDAY On Tuesday, November 29th, Penn State participated in #GivingTuesday, an international day celebrating philanthropy.

GivingTuesday 2022 highlighted the ambitions and achievements of faculty, staff, students, and alumni across Penn State and beyond by raising funds for various initiatives. GivingTuesday is one of the University’s most successful annual fundraising efforts.

Penn State Global held two fundraising campaigns to support Penn State students:

The GODAR unit manages and maintains relationships with international alumni, leads our GivingTuesday fundrsaising efforts, helps to fund opportunities for international students and Education Abroad, and more!

SPONSORED STUDENT 5 YEAR ENROLLMENT GROWTH 758 676

675

640

FA18

FA19

FA20

Through the support of our Penn State community, Penn State Global raised over $10,000 for these worthy causes in support of our students.

FA21

FA22

in sponsored student enrollment in the US

The Global Emergency Fund supports international students facing financial hardship due to a global emergency.

The Penn State Study Abroad Fund provides funding to help Penn State students have life-changing education abroad experiences.

1028

International sponsored students are undergraduate or graduate students who have received or will receive financial support from a corporation, nonprofit organization, or foreign government.

Sponsor Breakdown Corporate 15% Other 15%

Government sponsors 70%

Our office provides comprehensive servises for both sponsored students and their sponsoring organizations Alumni volunteers in Saudi Arabia, September 2022

For more information, contact Sponsored Relations at sponsor@psu.edu

Global Outreach, Development and Alumni Relations SPONSORED STUDENT ORIENTATION Leading up to the Fall 2022 semester, Sponsored Relations hosted two in-person orientation sessions for sponsored students on August 17, and September 6, and one virtual orientation session on September 8.

There were 275 total attendees across all three sessions. There were five main topics presented during these sessions that affect Sponsored Students at Penn State: Finances Health Insurance Academic Actions/Documentation Engagement Communication

NAJAH ABU DHABI AND NAJAH DUBAI Sponsored Relations participated in the Najah Expo for two weeks in the UAE on October 16 to 18 and 23 to 25. During the event, there were 374 total interested students who signed up for further information, with many more prospective students interested.

In addition to the recruitment event, Sponsored Relations met with sponsors (AFAK, SCO, and the UAE Ministry of Education) to discuss the current relations, how to improve the programs, how the students are selected, and the future of students after Penn State.

Ross Claar, Global Outreach, Development, & Alumni Relations

INDONESIAN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT MOBILITY AWARDS PARTNER Global Outreach, Development & Alumni Relations is pleased to announce that Penn State has been selected as a partner university for the Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA) Program of 2022. IISMA is a scholarship program through the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia to fund Indonesian undergraduate students for mobility programs at top partnering universities worldwide.

Internationally recognized universities from around the world participated in the highly competitive selection process. Penn State is one of six universities selected in the US, and one of 72 universities selected worldwide.

Selected students can spend one semester studying courses outside their major, develop intercultural communication and leadership skills, experience the host country’s culture, extend international networks, and do practical assignments to enhance their skills, enabling our next generation in becoming future global-minded leaders in their field of expertise.

Recipients of the IISMA scholarship must be active undergraduate students in their 4th or 6th semester of study, have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, and be personally nominated by the Vice Rector of Academic Affairs of their home university.

PENN STATE ONE OF ONLY TWO U.S. UNIVERSITIES WITH TWO UNESCO CHAIRS As a land-grant institution, Penn State has focused on improving the lives of the people of Pennsylvania for generations since its inception in 1855. The philosophy and motivation behind this land-grant status — to empower and educate citizens for the greater good — has now expanded in scope. The University, in many ways, has expanded its land-grant ethos beyond the borders of Pennsylvania, becoming now a global land-grant university.

Penn State has been recognized as a leader in international spaces and has attracted highachieving faculty dedicated to social and technological advancement on a global scale.

Two of these faculty — Osama Awadelkarim, professor of engineering science and mechanics and the director of the Center for Nanotechnology Education and Utilization in the College of Engineering, and Mark Brennan, professor of leadership and community development and director of graduate studies for education, development and community engagement in the College of Agricultural Sciences — hold the prestigious title of UNESCO chair.

A UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, chair provides opportunities for connection, funding, and program support from UNESCO to create and implement programs on an international level. Penn State is honored to be one of two universities in the United States, along with the Universidad de Puerto Rico, which is home to two UNESCO chairs.

Both current Penn State chairs are engaged in highly impactful work — though their work differs greatly.

Penn State professors Mark Brennan, left, and Osama Awadelkarim both hold the title of UNESCO chair

The umbrella of Brennan’s chair position is community development, with a strong focus on youth and youth development (youth; between 15 and 25 years old). Over half of the world’s population is under 25 years of age, and nearly a third is under 15, according to Brennan — and the demographics are only going to continue to shift younger as time goes on. The most exciting new project for Brennan is empathy education.

Alternatively, Awadelkarim is focused on hard sciences and engineering — specifically, nanotechnology. Awadelkarim, the UNESCO Chair on Building Innovation and Manufacturing Capacities through Advanced Technology Education, makes it very clear, however, that the societal impact of this chair is just as great.

It's roles like this that continue to bridge the international divides and enable access and resources that further advance Penn State as a global land-grant institution.

For more information, on the UNESCO chairs, contact Brennan at mab187@psu.edu & Awadelkarim at ooa1@psu.edu.

Read the full article on Penn State News: https://www.psu.edu/news/globalprograms/story/penn-state-one-only-two-usuniversities-two-unesco-chairs/

International Alumni Spotlight Larry Asu Readers will note that throughout this Annual Report we spotlight our inspiring, faculty, staff, students, and alumni. We hope you enjoy their extraordinary stories of our international graduates impacting the world.

Larry Asu, a native of Sarawak, Malaysia, has lived in the United States for nine years. He holds a bachelor's degree in human resource development from the University Malaysia Sarawak and a 2014 master of education in training and development from Penn State.

Currently, the supply chain learning manager at The Hershey Company, Asu is responsible for end-to-end ownership of supply chain learning programs, including eLearning, instructor-led training, and blended solutions that support the successful implementation of supply chain projects and initiatives.

Asu first came to Penn State from Malaysia at the request of his manager who had asked him to do a master’s program. Through his search for programs, he received a personal response from a professor in the program at Penn State, which he said influenced his decision.

During his time at the University, Asu particularly loved learning about the diversity on Penn State’s campuses and how much diversity was celebrated during his time here. Celebrating and embracing diversity has influenced both Asu's professional and personal roles as well.

Asu is still passionate about Penn State and shows this passion by serving on the board of advisers at Penn State Harrisburg on the Student Life committee under Student Affairs.

“The more we understand the needs of our international students and present them to the boards, the better off we will be,” he said. “As a recent graduate and international student, I feel that my perspective is valuable.”

Asu hopes to help empower current students, just as he helps empower employees at The Hershey Company.

“My message to students, especially international students, is always: 'You always have a seat at the table,'” he said. “Sometimes we feel that our voices are not important or valuable, but that’s not true — all of your voices, experiences, and values are important.”

When not working, Asu enjoys volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America; going on Project Fellowship field trips with his friends from the Milton Hershey School; organizing 5K races benefiting the Children Miracle Network; and helping his local church with running a festival or food fair.

Read the full article on Penn State News: https://www.psu.edu/news/globalprograms/story/global-alumni-spotlight-larryasu/

International Student and Scholar Advising (ISSA) Masume Assaf, Assistant Vice Provost for ISSA

ISSA staff have weathered a period of continual regulatory changes caused by the COVID pandemic and have welcomed the relative calm of the last academic year. However, the extraordinary effort put forth during the pandemic has allowed ISSA to deliver more services, training, and avenues for advising for students and scholars across all campuses.

Our staff has also adopted remote advising over the last 2 years and has been able to do this in part due to the Department of Homeland Security's permanent approval of digitally issued I-20s. These changes have helped our populations gather information quickly in ways they hadn't been able to before.

While it's assumed that much of the work of international student advisers is mostly transactional, their advising appointments are actually much more influential. Our international student advisers assist students in making academic choices by providing options based on their individual goals and how each choice might affect them.

COVID and U.S. politics weren’t the only challenges this year; international students and scholars are also impacted by geopolitical events such as wars in Afghanistan and Ukraine and natural disasters. Federal agencies have recently expanded rules to provide benefits to international students and scholars from certain countries in response to these events.

A few of these expanded rules include temporary protected status, which allows international students and scholars to remain while troubles

continue at home and Special Student Relief which allows students from these countries to work off-campus part-time and reduce course loads. Those same geopolitical decisions have continued to affect some visa applications for nationals of some countries.

Because of the switch in interest from in-person outreach to digital outreach from our students and scholars, we made the decision this year to meet them where they are. We offered a variety of inperson and online services for both international students and scholars. While ISSA has faced hardships due to the pandemic, we've adapted and continue to provide the best support possible to our students.

The ISSA staff is excited to work with and welcome our growing number of international students and scholars.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT AND SCHOLAR ADVISING International students contribute to the vibrant global communities at Penn State - the communities around our 24 campuses, and the lives of all Penn State faculty, staff, and students. Each international student brings a unique perspective to the classroom and personal lives of those at Penn State.

October 4, 2022, J-1 Scholars Reception and Information Fair:

A very successful reception and information fair was held in the Frizzell Room at the Pasquerilla Center with 103 scholars and families in attendance. In addition, there were representatives from the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, Mid-State Literacy Council, EPPIC (English for Professional Purposes Intercultural Center), and Penn State Global’s Global Outreach, Development, and Alumni Relations (GODAR) unit, helping to bring our international community into the State College community.

Outreach to Admitted Students (Pre-Arrival Advising):

Pre-arrival advising presented helpful information on immigration to newly accepted international students at 15 pre-arrival sessions such as how to request a visa document, the visa process, arrival at a port-of-entry, and mandatory immigration check-in. Presentations were in collaboration with various units across Penn State such as the College of Engineering, Smeal College of Business, the Graduate School, Penn State Athletics, and new Compliance Officer, Monica Mock.

Total CPT & OPT Placements for 2022

CPT, or Curricular Practical Training, gives international students authorization to gain employment training and to work in paid internship positions. Students have a chance to work full-time (more than 20 hours per week) or part-time (20 hours or less per week) earning money in US dollars and gain work experience in their area of interest.

# of CPT

# of OPT

704

1,522

OPT, or Optional Practical Training, is temporary employment that is directly related to an F-1 student’s major area of study. Eligible students can apply to receive up to 12 months of OPT employment authorization before completing their academic studies (pre-completion) and/or after completing their academic studies (post-completion).

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT AND SCHOLAR ADVISING

BY THE NUMBERS China

TOP 10 SENDING COUNTRIES

India Korea Saudi Arabia Taiwan Malaysia Canada United Arab Emirates Iran Bangladesh

# of International Students

9,924

Kuwait 0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

COUNTRIES REPRESENTED BY OUR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

145 TOP 6 REPRESENTING COLLEGES Engineering

Smeal College of Business

Liberal Arts

Eberly College of Science

Information, Sciences and Technology

Earth and Mineral Sciences

Three Rs Campaign Welcome to the New Penn State Global While the global pandemic presented profound challenges, Penn State has not waivered in its commitment to global engagement. We used this time of transition to innovate across our new Penn State Global strategic plan, begin new initiatives, and reorganize our operations to enhance our collaboration across the institution. From an additional emphasis on pathways to global learning beyond education abroad participation, to a new group connecting current international students with our global alumni family, to exciting new programs which connect international and domestic students together to assist with global concerns in our local communities, Penn State Global is devoted to supporting pervasive global engagement at this land-grant university.

Rediscover... STUDY ABROAD As the world changes, we invite you to rediscover what it means to study abroad Explore our 350+ programs on the Education Abroad website and begin planning your experience by setting up an appointment with an Education Abroad Adviser today!

Reimagine... YOUR COMMUNITY Every year, we welcome thousands of international students and visitors to our Penn State family.

Engage in multicultural experiences like the Global Engagement and Leadership Experience (GELE) Learn how to incorporate an Experiential Digital Global Engagement (EDGE) into your curriculum.

Reengage... THE WORLD Penn State's $1bn research enterprise has far-reaching impact around the world. The university's commitment to being a global land-grant university starts with you!

Get involved with a global research program, like the Water, Energy, and Food (WEF) Nexus Apply for a student or faculty Fulbright experience Explore opportunities for collaboration with our strategic partners, like Freiburg University in Germany, Monash University in Australia, or the University of Auckland in New Zealand.

global.psu.edu/3rs