Penn State Global 2020 Annual Report - Featured Stories

The Office of Global Programs

2020 ANNUAL REPORT

LOCAL TO GLOBAL: FULFILLING THE MISSION OF A LAND- GRANT UNIVERSITY

INTERNATIONAL ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT:

UZAIR QADEER

Readers will note that throughout this Annual Report we spotlight our inspiring, faculty, staff, and students. We hope you enjoy their extraordinary stories of our international graduates.

For Penn State alumnus Uzair Qadeer, there was never really any question of whether he would lead a global life. From his childhood in Pakistan, through travel to America, to his time at Penn State and his subsequent career, Qadeer has always lived in global communities. Currently, Qadeer is the chief diversity officer at Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. and lives in Boston, Massachusetts, having previously lived in New York City, Rome, Seattle, and London! He is active within the Penn State alumni community.

Qadeer has deeply passionate and positive memories of his time at Penn State. “I completed two majors, three minors, and later received a masters’ degree from Penn State,” he said. “I was involved in all sorts of activities, clubs, and other extracurriculars. It was truly a life-changing experience.” He received bachelor’s degrees in both Industrial Engineering and Liberal Arts, with minors in business, product realization, and history. He later returned to Penn State for his master's degree from the Smeal College of Business. “I had the ability to see the University from multiple perspectives,” he said. “Many times students are siloed in their major. I was lucky enough to get a broader, and possibly a more holistic view.”

In addition to academics, Qadeer immersed himself in extracurriculars, often taking on leadership positions. He founded and acted as president of the first-ever International Awareness Club, a group of students from dozens of countries who came together and filmed news segments on global issues. He would eventually receive the notable LaMarr Kopp International Student Award for the creation of this club. He was also elected Student Government President and helped organize the first Diversity Summit at Penn State.

It (Penn State) was the first place that I could actually be embedded in such a diverse and global community. -Uzair Qudeer

“Having those leadership experiences — they teach you things you don’t realize until later in life,” he said. “For example, because I had to campaign for student government, I got over any qualms I may have had about speaking in front of people. Now, I can attend a news segment, sit down for an interview, or speak in front of a crowd and I’m not nervous in the slightest — I actually love it.”

Despite his global upbringing, Qadeer credits Penn State for truly opening his eyes to the world. “It was the first place that I could actually be embedded in such a diverse and global community,” he said. “I went to different religious services, I spoke to people from different backgrounds, I got to learn about different cultures and norms. It was the first place I experienced such a diversity of opinion, and I loved it. I made many lifelong friends from all over the world during my time at Penn State.”

Visit Penn State News, Global Alumni Profile: Uzair Qadeer, for Uzair's complete story.

GLOBAL BUILDING

NETWORK:

ESTHER OBONYO

Global Programs is honored to work with faculty from across the University to promote local and global impact. Dr. Esther Obonyo has been a part of Global Programs for years now, first as the inaugural Global Faculty Fellow, and now as the Director for WEF East Africa. We think her work is quite impressive and think that you will, too!

For more than two decades, Dr. Esther Obonyo, associate professor of engineering design and architectural engineering and director of the Global Building Network (GBN), has served as a global expert on building resilience. With specific interests in renewable materials and energy and developing communities, Obonyo works to improve the built environment by making buildings more efficient, more sustainable, and safer. The GBN is an initiative of Penn State and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. It aims to advance building science and construction processes and management to create an international framework that will accomplish Obonyo’s goals of improved efficiency, sustainability, and human safety in buildings.

At the heart of GBN is a focus on a collaborative approach to mitigating the destructive consequences of climate change. According to Obonyo, meaningfully addressing the immense scale of buildingrelated contributors to climate change will require cultivating and nurturing institutionto-institution partnerships at the global scale. "For the last three years, I have contributed to strategic initiatives that are focused on building partnerships with globally distributed institutions through the portfolio of activities that I manage within the Office of the Vice Provost for Global Programs,” Obonyo said.

Obonyo’s passion for improving the structural environment is fundamentally driven by the commitment to making life better for diverse people in the context of creating sustainable practices across the entire construction value chain.

“The way we have designed and developed buildings over the last century has resulted in walls that leave many people feeling isolated,” she said. “In addition, these divisive walls encouraged unsustainable over-consumption of resources. In sharp contrast, highperformance buildings, which are designed in harmony with the natural systems, encourage us to live in more connected communities and promote responsible resource consumption habits even as they improve our quality of life.”

Some of Obonyo's most current work is a study undertaken in a partnership between the GBN and the Nextovation Program at Penn State New Kensington and seeks to understand how housing stock can be improved to reduce adverse psychosocial health outcomes and improve overall community health. Dr. Penelope Morris, Assistant Professor of Biobehavioral Health and the Biobehavioral Health Program Coordinator at Penn State New Kensington is leading this effort. The insights from this human-centered community-driven research project could inform policy and program design for urban renewal efforts both here in the U.S. and in other parts of the world.

Dr. Obonyo truly exemplifies the mission of a globally focused, land-grant university and Penn State's mission of "impacting many".

Read more about Dr. Obonyo's work and the Global Building Network

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FULBRIGHT PROGRAM

NATIONAL RECOGNITION>

“Having the most Fulbright U.S. Scholars among doctoral institutions is an honor for Penn State. I congratulate these scholars for their achievements, which showcase Penn State’s exemplary faculty and their commitment to impactful research and teaching."

-Nick Jones, Executive Vice President and Provost

FULBRIGHT IMPACT>

FULBRIGHT OPPORTUNITIES CONTRIBUTE TO LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

#1

Penn State was the #1 producer of Fulbright Scholars in the United States in 2019-20

13 Penn State faculty received highly competitive Fulbright Scholarships

10

Top Producer of Fulbright Students for 8th Year

Karen Keifer-Boyd, professor of art education and women’s, gender and sexuality studies

Dr. Karen Keifer-Boyd, professor of art education and women’s, gender and sexuality studies, has been awarded the Elliot W. Eisner Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Art Education Association (NAEA) for her distinguished and enduring contributions to art education.

“I am honored to receive this award that recognizes my work, which is based on my deep belief that visual art is integral to forming subjectivity, community, agency, and enacting social change,” Keifer-Boyd said. “Visual art is a powerful way to interpret histories, concepts, and experiences. Socially engaged participatory art can develop human potentials for dialogue, empathy, personal and collective healing, and can create solutions to nuanced and complex eco-social justice issues.”

Throughout Keifer-Boyd’s nearly 30-year, internationally recognized career, she has made significant contributions to the field of art education. Notably, Keifer-Boyd's accomplishments include two, highly competitive Fulbright awards, beginning in 2006 as a Fulbright Scholar in Finland and then in 2012 while teaching and conducting research on Social Justice Activism through Arts-based Research as a Fulbright Visiting Professor in Gender Studies in the Zentrum für Frauen-und Geschlechterstudien (ZFG) Centre for Women’s and Gender Studies at Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt, Austria.

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UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES GLOBAL UPDATE

Global Programs is thrilled to work with partners across campus to promote Global Engagement. One of our most active partners is the University Libraries - here are four examples of their broad global work in 2020.

GREAT RARE BOOKS BAKE OFF

During the summer of 2020, the Penn State Libraries coordinated with partner libraries at Monash University to develop and host a Great Rare Books Bake Off event. Hosted on social media, the friendly competition invited the Penn State and Monash communities to bake historical recipes from the libraries’ collections. Participants had the option to bake one of eight recipes - four submitted from each side - such as Lamington Cake, Lemon Tart, Cinnamon Buns, and "Beautiful Sponge Cake." Though it was a close and hard-fought battle, Penn State ended up coming out on top! For more information, visit

PERSONAL LIBRARIAN PROGRAM FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS With new challenges facing students with the shifts in modes of learning, the University Libraries launched an International Student Personal Librarian Program in the Fall 2020 semester to provide international students with mentoring to achieve their academic goals. The program, which supplements already established services such as the “Ask a Librarian” service, allows international students at any Penn State location, online, or in the Penn State First Program (see Education Abroad for details on Penn State First) to enroll with their own personal librarian who will assist them with finding and accessing materials, strategizing and developing research assignments, and answering questions about resource use and management.

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HIRING A GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIC SUPPORT LIBRARIAN

In July 2020 the Penn State Libraries created a new Global Engagement Strategic Support Librarian position to support the Libraries' growing global engagement portfolio. An innovative leader in the area of International

Librarianship, the Penn State Libraries now supports two faculty librarian positions focused on global engagement (the other being the Head of Global Engagement Initiatives and International Partnerships Librarian position) as well as librarians across the Penn State campuses with international student liaison roles.

NEW LIBRARY PARTNERSHIP WITH UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND

The Penn State Libraries began the process of developing a new international partnership with the University of Auckland Library / Te Tumu Herenga. After an initial visit to Auckland by Mark Mattson, Head of Global Engagement Initiatives and International Partnerships Librarian in early 2020, the two libraries have begun to explore areas of collaboration and ways to support the larger institutional partnership in areas of research, teaching, and learning.

Global Programs thanks the Penn State Libraries for their ongoing collaboration.

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"INCIDER" INFORMATION

PENN STATE EXTENSION WORKSHOPS IN UKRAINE SUPPORT OF CIDER INDUSTRY

The global reach of Penn State is profound and far-reaching. We can't highlight all of this remarkable work, but it is our pleasure to share some unique examples. We sincerely thank all our global Penn State researchers and all their colleagues around the world.

Ukraine — ranked 12th in global apple production — is positioned to take a slice of the blossoming global hard cider market, valued by Grand View Research at $4.4 billion and projected to reach $5.4 billion by 2025.

Penn State Extension led three annual seminars in Kiev on cider production technologies, marketing, global trends, and consumer preferences. The seminars, the first of which took place in September 2018, were supported by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, the Woskob New Century Fund endowment administered by the college's Office of International Programs, and the Kiev-based Business, Research, Innovation, Development, Growth, Education, & Success (BRIDGES) Center.

The very successful 2020 event took place virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions and included more than 40 attendees, representing cider producers, academics, and members of the hotel, restaurant and catering sector. It featured Pennsylvania producers who discussed their experiences and answered questions that the attendees submitted prior to the workshop. Volodymyr Glus, owner of both an apple production and export business in Ukraine, as well as a newly-founded cidery (Premium Ciders International Co.) said that “The motivation was high because we shared topics of potential interest with the organizers in advance so that they could be covered in the workshop....this workshop is a must for anyone who has an interest in hard cider in Ukraine.”

“The cider program is part of our college’s larger effort to support the development of small- and medium-sized agricultural enterprises in Ukraine,” said Deanna Behring, assistant dean and director of international programs in the college. “As Ukraine adopts new land reform legislation, we hope to support a vibrant, entrepreneurial economy", added Behring.

“As Ukraine adopts new land reform legislation, we hope to support a vibrant, entrepreneurial economy.” -Deanna Behring Assist Dean & Director of International Programs Faculty Affiliate, School of Intl Affairs, College of Agricultural Sciences

For more information about the Cider Initiative, visit Penn State Extension

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MARTY

TRETHEWEY:

PROFESSOR EMERITUS AWARDED HONOR FROM THE

UNIVERSITY OF FREIBURG

In 2020, Martin Trethewey, professor emeritus of mechanical engineering and acoustics at Penn State, was awarded the Albert-Ludwigs Universität Freiburg - University Medal for his efforts in forging a global collaboration between Penn State and the University of Freiburg in Germany.

Trethewey played an integral part in the foundation of the bond between the two universities. Last year, the institutions formed a strategic partnership centered around the development of materials that can autonomously adapt to changes in the environment, are robust and resilient so that they can survive even adverse conditions, and harvest their energy from the environment and consist of sustainable components.

The Convergence Center for Living Multifunctional Material Systems (LiMC2, read more in the Strategic Initiatives & Special Initiatives section), led by Zoubeida Ounaies, professor of mechanical engineering, was established to spearhead these research efforts. The Center fosters collaborative projects and sponsors seed grants and research exchange programs. According to Karen Thole, mechanical engineering department head and distinguished professor, the establishment of this center owes much to Trethewey.

"The naming of Dr. Trethewey as the recipient of the Freiburg University Medal for his outstanding efforts in developing our collaborations is a true testament of his successful ambassadorship,” Thole said.

At the end of his career at Penn State, Trethewey served as the director for Penn State’s Global Engagement Network, a collection of global strategic partners who are dedicated to making lasting impacts on important global issues. Trethewey was also instrumental in forging the University’s partnerships with Monash University in Australia, the University of Auckland in New Zealand, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP) and the Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería (UNI) in Peru..

The Freiburg University Medal was bestowed upon Trethewey by outgoing Rector Hans- Jochen Schiewer, who said, “In [Marty] we have found a truly committed friend and colleague and we appreciate all [he has] done for the University of Freiburg.”

"I am humbled to receive the University Medal from the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg for my contributions,” Trethewey said. “I am honored to share this recognition with many colleagues at Penn State and the University of Freiburg who have contributed their talents to advancing this partnership. The partnership has flourished due to the effort of committed teams from both universities, and they have created a rich international collaborative environment with a bright future.”

Read more about Strategic Initiatives at global.psu.edu/engagement or by contacting Rob Crane, vice-provost for Global Programs, at rqc3@psu.edu

Story by: Erin Cassidy Hendrick, College of Engineering & Nate Rufo, Global Programs

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PENN STATERS, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC STUDENTS COLLABORATE THROUGH HAZLETON LAUNCHBOX

Penn State's global reach does not only come from University Park! Our campuses across the Commonwealth engage globally in many ways, from hosting students, to sending students abroad, to creating new programs for global collaboration - such as this one between the Hazleton LaunchBox and a university in the Dominican Republic.

Students from Penn State and Universidad Central del Este (UCE) in the Dominican Republic didn’t let distance get in the way of a good idea. More than two dozen students gathered virtually to learn how to develop and refine business ideas during the Idea Design Lab, a collaborative program hosted during Global Entrepreneurship Week in November by the Hazleton LaunchBox*.

The course, which included students from Penn State Hazleton, Penn State Abington, and UCE, was held synchronously over Zoom in three two-hour sessions and challenged participants to expand their critical thinking skills through brainstorming and other interactive exercises. Like several programs offered by the LaunchBox, the course was taught both in English and Spanish and provided an opportunity for participants to transition between the two languages, which participants said contributed to more engaging discussions.

While planning the course, program instructors William Andahazy and Fermin Diaz of the Hazleton LaunchBox determined UCE students’ grasp of English was strong enough that the course could be presented in English with Diaz translating to Spanish as needed. The instructors used Zoom chats to evaluate participants' comprehension and pivot if needed.

“Working with people who speak different languages is a pleasure and it makes me feel like better ideas are distributed,” said Ryan Wingerter, a sophomore majoring in business at Penn State Hazleton. Wingerter also appreciated how some of the exercises in the course were built around students’ own interests. “We did an activity that focused on my interest in sports and brainstormed how we could make a business out of it,” he said. “I thought it was really awesome and will help me in future situations.”

Another exercise invited students to create a list of items they would bring with them if they were shipwrecked on an island. Students were then encouraged to discuss their choices to see if different viewpoints or groupthink changed their minds. “The attitude in which we approach problems is as important as the intellectual ability to solve them,” Andahazy said, noting that the exercise promoted leadership, teamwork and negotiation skills.

During the third and final session, Lisa Weaver of the Berks LaunchBox and instructors from UCE focused on social entrepreneurship and its impact on communities. “The Idea Design Lab is a reminder that teamwork and collaboration know no boundaries,” said Director of Continuing Education and Hazleton LaunchBox Debra Conway. “We look forward to continuing to build relationships with aspiring entrepreneurs in the Hazleton community and beyond.”

Read the entire story at Penn State News.

Story by: Joe Dolinsky, Marketing & Communications Specialist, Penn State Hazleton *Supported by the late Pasco L. Schiavo, Esq., a longtime benefactor to Penn State Hazleton.

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PENN STATE EXTENSION:

PROVIDING FREE COURSES TO YOUNG

WOMEN IN KENYA

Enjoy this inspiring story of one of the many initiatives at Penn State, dedicated to equity and inclusion around the world.

In August, Penn State Extension (in the College of Agricultural Sciences) partnered with the Global Give Back Circle (GGBC), an organization focused on providing education and mentorship opportunities to young women in five African nations.

“We were approached by them (GGBC) because they wanted to use our courses to train teachers,” said Brent Hales, associate dean in the College of Agricultural Sciences and director of Penn State Extension.

Having invested significant time and energy into creating digital courses, webinars, and other resources to disseminate online prior to the pandemic, Penn State Extension was able to make a quick transition to remote delivery during the pandemic.

“We actually had around 50-55 courses ready to go that we decided to make free for everyone in the first few months of the pandemic,” said Hales. “It quickly became apparent how popular they were – and how broad the participation was.” Between April 1 and Aug. 31, over 220,000 people from around the world signed up for one of the courses or webinars made available by the college. “This wasn’t even in the same area code of what we expected,” Hales said. “It blew us away."

However, by that time GGBC reached out, the courses were no longer being offered at nocost and had transitioned to a low-cost fee model. Even at the low rate, GGBC and the members of its program could not afford the fee, so the Extension program decided to offer courses to the organization free of charge. Having these courses available for free or even at a reduced price costs the college money, Hales said, but he has no problem offering the courses to GGBC & its members for free. “It fits with our mission – it is our mission,” he said.

In a thank-you letter to Hales, Lidemta Kawira, Program Manager of GGBC, commented on the impact and reach of the initiative. “Most of our beneficiaries come from rural areas where they are acquainted with farming, or they come from low-income urban areas where they are acquainted with small-scale

agribusinesses,” said Kawira. “Not only is there a farm at ‘HER Lab (a lab in West Pokot, a marginalized community in Kenya) where they can practice the acquired skills, but they will also be agents of change and spread the knowledge to so many other rural women in their communities.”

According to GGBC, the courses will reach over 200 young women in Kenya and Rwanda, as well as existing alumni of the GGBC.

Visit Penn State News to read the entire story.

To learn more about the Global Give Back Circle and Linda Latsko-Lockhart, Penn State Altoona alumna and GGBC founder and CEO, visit IVYLINK.

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MATTHEW FERRARI: GLOBAL RELATIONSHIPS AID PENN STATE FACULTY DISEASE EXPERT ON COVID-19

Many incredible faculty around the University took part in Penn State's COVID-19 response. We wanted to highlight one of them - Matt Ferrari- who was invaluable to Global Programs by participating in International Student Orientation and speaking to international parents about the pandemic. The office thanks Matt for his time!

Penn State Professor of Biology Matthew Ferrari wakes up early these days. He has to — Ferrari co-chairs the Public Health and Science Assessment task group responsible for advising senior University leadership as they continue to guide Penn State’s strategic response to the pandemic. Several times a week, Ferrari is studying and tracking current scientific evidence and data, not just in the United States, but from around the globe, as well.

“It’s important to look to partners around the world for context,” said Ferrari, an infectious disease expert in Penn State’s Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.

A history with global disease

Prior to the COVID pandemic, Ferrari had spent years researching the prevention of outbreaks. His work, mostly focused on vaccine-preventable diseases, had him looking at low- and middle-income countries around the world, particularly in Africa.

Ferrari is a quantitative epidemiologist, meaning he concentrates on methods for quantifying the amount of disease in a landscape, and how that disease is spread across populations.

“I like to tell people I have a Ph.D. in advanced counting,” Ferrari said. “Counting in this case is actually really hard — but it’s essential to public health functioning.”

There are three aspects that Ferrari focuses on when looking at outbreaks: 1) figuring out the burden of disease, I.e. how much is out there, how many have it, how many are dying from it; 2) evaluation — identifying trends, interventions, and gaps; and 3) forecasting and prediction.

Predicting an outbreak is not like predicting the weather, said Ferrari. If a hurricane is predicted, and people are evacuated, the hurricane still happens. “If people take our recommendations and the outbreak stops, we don’t see what would have happened otherwise,” he said. “Basically, if people tell us we overreacted, we know we did our job.”

Partnerships across the globe

Through his work with the World Health Organization and other global institutions, Ferrari has formed links with colleagues across the globe — most of whom currently are focused on COVID-19. One such colleague works in the Chinese CDC and was on the ground in Wuhan as part of the outbreak response. Ferrari checks in with him, as well as other colleagues around the world, multiple times throughout the week.

Ferrari also works closely with several international academic institutions, including the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Imperial College in the U.K.; as well as Stellenbosch University in South Africa, where he co-advises a graduate student.

Ferrari also works with Doctors Without Borders, The Vaccine Alliance, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Visit The Ferrari Lab to learn more about Dr. Ferrari's work or mferrari@psu.edu.

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THE PERREAULT FELLOWS PROGRAM:

PREPARING TOMORROW’S GLOBAL LEADERS

Established in 2019 through a $1.08 million gift from Paul and Beverly Perreault, the Perreault Fellows Program provides international internship opportunities and global experiences to talented undergraduate students who aspire to be global leaders in their fields. A former member of Penn State’s Global Advisory Council, Paul Perreault saw a unique opportunity to provide transformative global leadership experiences for students.

Five students completed the inaugural fellowship during the 2019-20 academic year: YuNa Choi (College of the Liberal Arts – political science) Kiana Summers (Eberly College of Science - biology) Lillian Henderson (College of the Liberal Arts – Mandarin Chinese and global and international studies) Rachel Miller (Smeal College of Business – marketing) Genesis Berrios-Torres (Penn State Abington – psychological and social sciences)

During the fellowship, students participated in group mentoring sessions, Rock Ethics Institute seminars, the Global Engagement and Leadership Experience, and a seminar on changing demographics and social transformations globally. They also presented highlights from the fellowship to the Global Advisory Council.

A cornerstone of the program is a summer international internship experience. Due to the pandemic, fellows were not able to travel abroad for these experiences. However, YuNa Choi, while at home in South Korea, interned with an international NGO focused on the promotion of democracy and global political education. Other fellows hope to go abroad in summer 2021 or to complete virtual internships.

“Our goal is to provide every Penn State graduate with a globally informed, 21st-century skill set,” said Brian Brubaker, director of Penn State Education Abroad. “Programs like the Perreault Fellowship are key to that mission. “We are eager to send Perreault Fellows abroad for international internships just as soon as international placements are reliable and students can have an impactful experience, in person, despite the pandemic. Until then, the fellows continue to develop their global leadership skills through a robust virtual curriculum.”

For more information about the Perreault Fellows program, contact Dr. Renata Horvatek, Perreault Fellows coordinator, at ruh158@psu.edu.

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INTERNATIONAL ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT:

PROFESSOR JUDI WAKHUNGU

“Being a Penn Stater means I am in distinguished company. I am part of the biggest alumni network in the world. It is a label that I wear and cherish with a lot of pride.”

Penn State alumna Professor Judi Wakhungu, currently Kenya’s ambassador to France, Portugal, Serbia, Monaco and the Holy See, always knew deep down that she would make a great impact on the world. “I knew without knowing,” she said. “I didn’t know where the trajectory would take me, and I didn’t know how far it would reach, but somehow I was prepared for it.” Much of that preparation came from Professor Wakhungu’s time as a doctoral student and a professor at Penn State. Professor Wakhungu received her doctorate from the University in 1993 and after, became an associate professor of science, technology, and society.

“Penn State provided the opportunity to achieve and do so much,” she said. Professor Wakhungu became the first woman hired as a geologist in the Ministry of Energy and Regional Development in Kenya; she was the first female petroleum geologist to serve in the National Oil Corporation of Kenya; and she was the first woman faculty member at the Department of Geology at the University of Nairobi. From 2013 to 2018, she served as Kenya’s minister of environment, water, and natural resources – also the first woman to serve in this capacity. “They sort of looked at me and said, ‘If you’re going to be telling us what to do anyway, you might as well take over’,” she said. “It was a lot of pressure on me, but I am used to being in the pressure cooker.”

Her task was to modernize Kenya’s environmental policies – not an easy one, especially with push-back from interest groups, corporations and lobbyists. Professor Wakhungu made evidence-based science policy the cornerstone of her agenda, and she credits Penn State for teaching her the skills to navigate turning science into policy. Among her successes were the Climate Change Act, the Water Act, a wildlife protection bill, and finally, a ban on single-used plastic bags in Kenya.

Professor Wakhungu's life has been an example of Penn Staters making significant impacts in the world, and she has advice for current students. “Expand your network. Stay close to your professors who are global leaders in their fields – they will continue to encourage you. Don’t just stay in your bubble or in your department – expand your horizons. Join a club if you can and seek out those with different backgrounds from your own. The person in the room next to you, sitting next to you in class, or who works with you in a club – they might be a global leader someday. Make those connections.”

Visit Penn State News, Global Alumni Profile: Professor Judi Wakhungu, for Professor Wakhungu's full story.

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GLOBAL ADVISORY COUNCIL UPDATE

The global pandemic has limited university travel and sidelined its study abroad programs, but it has not stopped the University’s Global Advisory Council from continuing to strengthen Penn State’s reach and standing around the world.

The Council was formed by Executive Vice President and Provost Nick Jones in 2017. Members are leaders from industry, academia and governmental organizations who share broad perspectives on the university’s global engagement strategies. They serve as Penn State global ambassadors in their home countries, building fellowship and identifying opportunities for Penn Staters around the globe to connect with one another and with the University.

Council met virtually in June and November to provide feedback and recommendations about Penn State’s 2020-2025 strategic plan for global engagement.

“The whole goal is to help make Penn State a truly great global university. To do that we are engaging successful alumni and faculty who have global connections,” says chairman Bill Lane ’75 Bus, ’79 MA Capital. “All of us care deeply about Penn State and devote an enormous amount of energy to this endeavor.”

This year, council members served as speakers during the Global Careers Institute, championed fundraising efforts to support education abroad and international students; and participated in virtual panel discussions with first-semester international students enrolled in the Penn State First Program in Shanghai and Seoul.

For more information on the Global Advisory Council, contact Jennifer Theiss, Senior Assistant Director of Alumni Relations & Special Initiatives at jaw24@psu.edu

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EARTH & MINERAL SCIENCES "COFFEE CHAT" PROGRAM GOES GLOBAL

We continue to be inspired by stories of Penn State alumni from across the colleges highlighting their global work impacting current students.

During a regular meeting time with the Earth & Mineral Sciences' (EMS) student council leadership, an alumnus on the Earth and Mineral Sciences' alumni board asked the students how they were faring during these complicated times.

“That really opened the floodgates,” said Jeffrey Swab (EMS ’83), a member of the alumni board. “The students started talking about all sorts of things, like Zoom fatigue, and their concerns about the lack of social interaction now that they weren’t on campus.”

This led Swab – now a research scientist for the Department of Defense – to come up with the idea for “Coffee Chats.”

“I actually stole the idea from my work,” Swab said. Swab’s organization within the DoD started the program about two months after the pandemic hit as a way to encourage social interaction. “I interacted with colleagues who I may not have otherwise met.”

Swab, with the help of the rest of the board as well as Coleen Swetland, Assistant Director of Alumni Relations in EMS, and the EMS Student Council worked to create the program. It matches EMS alumni with current students on a two-week rotating basis. The intent was for the chats to last 15-30 minutes, but Swab says most pairs are speaking for 30- 60 minutes on average. “We even provided conversation starters and prompts for the discussions, but it seems like they’re not being used,” Swab said. “The conversations just sort of grow organically.”

Erik Pytlak, the former president of the board, signed up as an alumnus in the program. When Pytlak was matched with his student counterpart, he didn’t think much of it – until they went to schedule their chat.

Then, he realized the student was actually located in the United Arab Emirates – halfway across the world.

“It really opened my eyes to the fact that students everywhere are trapped in their homes, facing similar mental pressures," Pytlak said.

Pytlak chatted with the student for almost an hour, helping her talk through some decisions she had to make about her future, and it went so well that she asked to schedule another chat with him.

“It’s not a mentor program – we have a formal mentoring program – but it’s sort of like mentor-lite,” Pytlak said. “It’s not structured, but it’s a way for the students to have a sounding board.”

In the Coffee Chats program, students and alumni are not matched by major; Pytlak, who studied meteorology and works for the Bonneville Power Administration in Portland, OR, was matched with a student in geosciences. Still, they were able to connect over general EMS courses.

“Most of the course names and numbers haven’t changed since I was there 30 years ago,” Pytlak mused. “We were able to share stories about the same classes.”

The Coffee Chats program, designed and implemented quickly, had not been intended to take a lot of time or effort, but the results have shown that it is worth devoting more energy.

Thank you Alumni for being an essential part of the Penn State family.

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