Penn State Global Impact Report 2023

GLOBAL IMPACT REPORT

Redefining Boundaries, Sharing Cultures, Changing Lives

A Reflection by Penn State Global Leadership

We would like to begin by recognizing the transition in leadership for Penn State Global during the spring semester of 2024. Vice Provost Roger Brindley will be leaving the university at spring break and Associate Vice Provost Sabine Klahr will take the reins as the Interim Vice Provost.

Recently, President Neeli Bendapudi laid out her five goals for Penn State as we collectively look to the future as a world-class university. These five goals – Enhancing Student Success, Growing Interdisciplinary Research Excellence, Increasing Land-grant Impact, Fostering Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB), and Transforming Penn State’s Internal Operations – will be paramount to the direction the University takes in the next five to ten years. These goals all have a global dimension and Penn State Global directly supports each goal.

This report showcases the global excellence of the University in two ways. In the first half of the report, you will read about Penn State’s impact across the world, through interdisciplinary research activities and initiatives that truly reflect the University’s land-grant mission at a global scale.

You will read about some of the University’s most significant global initiatives, including the Water, Energy, and Food Nexus, Dr. Hughes’ ‘PlantVillage,’ and the creation of LionGlass. Additionally, you will learn about Penn State’s engagement with India – perhaps the most rapidly-growing and changing higher education landscape in the world.

We also recognize our alumni and engaged external stakeholders, including the members of the Provost’s Global Advisory Council, which plays an integral role in creating connections, opportunities, and strategies for global engagement.

The second half of this report focuses on the true lifeblood of any University – the students. Student excellence is the theme here, and you will see how students are actively becoming leaders in their communities. International students bring a vibrancy to our campuses through their cultural backgrounds, but also bring valuable diverse perspectives to issues such as sustainability, broadening our understanding of collaboration to address global challenges

Students are our future, and therefore, we invite you to explore the ways that Penn State is supporting their development as productive global citizens – and to explore ways that you might be able to support them, too! Finally, learning is not limited to undergraduate and graduate students, and we are proud to support scholars and faculty in fellowship programs such as Fulbright and the Humphrey Fellowship program.

All these efforts contribute to the vision of creating access to and making Penn State the best it can be for Pennsylvanians and people from around the U.S. and the world. As you will read in this report, the impact of Penn State is truly awe inspiring from our global alumni network to our unparalleled research enterprise and partnerships, to the global learning opportunities for our students and to our faculty dedicated to creating positive change. We hope you have as much fun reading this report as Penn State Global staff have in supporting global engagement and compiling these stories from around the University!

Over the past four years, I am most proud of the relationships we have built across the faculty, staff and administration of the University in colleges and on the Commonwealth Campuses.”

-Dr. Roger Brindley, Vice Provost for Penn State Global

I’m excited to build on Roger’s accomplishments to lead the highly talented team in Global and to continue advancing global engagement by infusing global perspectives into all we do at Penn State. I look forward to articulating a global strategy for Penn State, elevating the university’s global profile, and collaborating with colleagues around the University, our alumni, and our external partners."

-Dr. Sabine Klahr, Interim Vice Provost for Penn State Global

CUTTING-EDGE GLOBAL IMPACT

It is not an exaggeration to say that Penn State is making world-changing impact. These are just a few of the cutting-edge initiatives revolutionizing their respective industries and, in many cases, saving lives and livelihoods.

Worldwide, glass manufacturing produces at least 86 million tons of carbon dioxide every year. A new type of glass promises to cut this carbon footprint in half.

The invention, called LionGlass and engineered by researchers at Penn State, requires significantly less energy to produce and is up to ten times more damage resistant than standard soda lime silicate glass. The research team recently filed a patent application as a first step toward bringing the product to market.

"Our goal is to make glass manufa-

cturing sustainable for the long term,” said John Mauro, Dorothy Pate Enright Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Penn State and lead researcher on the project. “LionGlass eliminates the use of carbon-containing batch materials and significantly lowers the melting temperature of glass.”

Mauro and a team of students and scientists have invented and engineered an entirely new family of glass, called LionGlass, that requires significantly less energy to produce and is much more damage resistant than standard soda lime silicate glass. Unlike other humanmade glasses, the composition for LionGlass is not based

on the age-old mixture of quartz sand, soda ash and limestone.

Since announcing the discovery in July, the lab has built partnerships with corporations around the globe, including major glass manufacturers and customers of the glass industry. The team is now working with industry to tests the limits of the material, called LionGlass, to see how it can be used in the real world.

Photo

Taken from an article by Adrienne Berard

PLANTVILLAGE

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that each year, 20% to 40% of global crop production is lost to plant pests and diseases. The global economic cost of plant diseases and invasive insects is estimated to be $290 billion.

To combat this, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded a $4.96 million grant to Penn State's PlantVillage to help increase food production for smallholder farmers who face pests and disease of their crops across sub-Saharan Africa. The research project, called Delphi, will create a modeling platform that can be used by researchers globally to improve

the speed and accuracy of efforts to identify emerging threats.

“The problem is especially challenging for small-sale farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, where there is limited existing capacity to deal with these threats,” said David Hughes, founder of PlantVillage and Huck Professor in Global Food Security, Penn State.

Outbreaks extend across national boundaries, and response must involve regional efforts focused on timely information sharing, surveillance and control, he added.

“The goal of Delphi is to develop new models that can detect the dynamics of emerging threats in weeks rather than months,” Hughes said. “The ability to allow a user to provide feedback from the field, using a smartphone camera, will ensure that the model predictions are accurate.”

WEF NEXUS - COLOMBIA

The Colombia - USA WEF Nexus Alliance was established in the summer of 2022 to engage a variety of partners in implementation of WEF Nexus projects and advancement of policy innovation for sustainable development and climate-resilient solutions. The Alliance addresses major challenges in Colombia and the US through partnerships in research, education, and sustainable development.

In 2023, the Alliance conducted four collaborative, transdisciplinary, high-impact projects in Colombia. One of these, in the Chingaza National Nature Park, was partially funded by a grant from Amazon through the Stockholm Environmental Institute.

Our society and our planet are facing difficult challenges which no individual or institution can address alone.”

-Siela Maximova, Director for Latin American and the Caribbean for Penn State Global, and research professor of plant biotechnology

A Tanzanian cassava farmer, left, learns to use a plant disease mobile app developed as part of the PlantVillage initiative led by Penn State researchers

Taken from an article by Joslyn Neiderer

PENN STATE IN INDIA

Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi Joins AAU Task Force to Bolster U.S.-India University Alliances

Penn State President Neeli

Bendapudi has been selected as one of three cochairs of a new Association of American Universities (AAU) task force focused on strengthening partnerships between universities in the United States and India.

Bendapudi will be joined by fellow co-chairs Sunil Kumar, current provost of Johns Hopkins University and incoming president of Tufts University,

and Robert J. Jones, chancellor of the University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign. The task force will make recommendations on strengthening academic and research partnerships among institutions of higher education in both nations, with a goal of expanding research partnerships that amplify the positive global impact of scholarship undertaken by American and Indian universities.

The AAU task force was first announced in conjunction with the launch of the U.S.-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology, which was jointly announced by the administrations of U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi in May 2022. The AAU task force’s work directly aligns with priorities of both nations, with the U.S.-India initiative identifying partnerships between academic institutions as a critical component of the wider strategic partnership between the two countries.

By building stronger bridges between our nations and our institutions of higher education, with a focus on leveraging the enormous potential of research across international lines, we can further empower our faculty and researchers while maximizing the influence of our scholarship for the global good.”

-President Neeli Bendapudi

“Research partnerships between universities in the United States and international counterparts are crucial to global scientific, educational and economic advancement; that is why these partnerships have always been a priority for the Association of American Universities,” said AAU President Barbara Snyder in a statement announcing the task force. “AAU is proud to work with our Indian counterparts to expand U.S.-Indian research and educational collaboration, and we look forward to working with India’s leading research universities to create a roadmap for a future of even more robust partnership.”

The task force's work also supports work underway at Penn State. University leadership recently shared with the Penn State Faculty Senate that a group of University leaders are working to refine how the University handles articulation agreements and transfer credits with international universities, with the goal of creating partnerships that help meet the needs of India’s population of college-aged students while creating opportunities for these international students at Penn State’s campuses.

These strategic efforts reinforce Bendapudi’s focus on the importance of preparing students from all backgrounds for lifelong success and the global impact of Penn State’s interdisciplinary research.

PENN STATE, INDIAN INSTITUTE FOR SCIENCE STRENGTHEN PARTNERSHIP

Institutions of higher education have a critical role to play in this work — a role that we stand ready to fulfill."

-President Neeli Bendapudi

In July 2023, Asia Partnerships of Penn State Global and the International Relations of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) co-hosted a series of joint virtual workshops. 109 faculty members and doctoral students from both institutions attended one or more virtual sessions. Covering interdisciplinary research areas in Biochemistry, Biology, and Biochemical; Electrical and Electronic Engineering; Materials Science & Engineering, Mechanical, and Aerospace Engineering; and Physics, Acoustics, and Nuclear Engineering, the week-long virtual workshops featured research presentations from 33 faculty (17 from PSU and 16 from IISc).

Building on the momentum, a virtual meet and greet took place in October

2023, which was followed with a physical joint workshop, taking place at IISc in December 2023. Eleven faculty (6 from PSU and 5 from IISc) presented their research topics at IISc

IISc is a leading public research university for higher education and research in science, engineering, and management in India. IISc is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in India and has one of the highest citationper-faculty among all the universities in the world. Like IISc, Penn State is also a top-ranked research university and Pennsylvania's sole land-grant institution, founded with a mission of high-quality teaching, expert research, and global service.

Photo courtesy of Anna Marshall

PENN STATE LEADS INDUS-X INITIATIVE

In June of 2023, following a visit from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the White House, the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Indian Ministry of Defense (IMD) launched the India-U.S. Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X). The launch event, hosted by the U.S.-India Business Council, saw more than 30 U.S. and Indian start-ups attend, in addition to representatives from academia, government, and industry, to discuss possibilities for collaboration.

According to a fact sheet released by the DOD, a few specific initiatives have already begun, including mentoring programs for startups; academic partnerships around supporting startups; connecting startups with major defense supply chains; easing of regulations and standardization of certain certifications; and available funding through challenges and innovation funds.

Penn State is the lead academic institution from the U.S. side, and its efforts are led by Vijay Narayanan, A. Robert Noll Chair Professor of Computer Science & Engineering and Electrical Engineering.

Professor Narayanan gives much of the credit to the successful launch of the initiative to those who are working behind the scenes.

These folks are working selflessly towards the mission of making Penn State the centerpiece of this initiative... this is not done by individuals, but by a large group under exemplary leadership from President Bendapudi and Vice Provost Brindley.

-Professor Vijay Narayanan

Vijay Narayanan (above).

Photo credit: Jeff Xu

Photo courtesy of Anna Marshall

GLOBAL ADVISORY COUNCIL

The Provost's Global Advisory Council plays an important role in Penn State's global impact, creating connections and providing strategic thought.

The Provost's Global Advisory Council, first charged by Provost Nicholas P. Jones in 2017, is made up of experts from industry, academia, and government with strong ties to Penn State. The council meets twice a year in-person on the University Park campus and holds various committee meetings throughout the year virtually.

The purpose of the council is to provide advice, input, and connections to Penn State's global leadership, notably the Provost and the Vice Provost for Global. Currently chaired by George Miller, the council focuses on creating connections and opportunities for Penn State students through industry connections and alumni networking.

"The opportunity to study abroad

[when I was a student] showed me how someone coming from a small town in northeastern Pennsylvania could really see the world," said Miller. "I was so privileged to have the opportunity to travel the world in my professional career. I encourage everyone with the opportunity to go abroad. There’s a lot out there in this wonderful world of ours."

The most recent meeting of the council took place in late October. President Neeli Bendapudi attended the meeting, along with Miller and Vice Provost for Global Roger Brindley. The group will continue its biannual in-person meetings, as well as meeting regularly over Zoom in subcommittees and attending alumni events internationally.

We are a group of committed people who love the opportunity to share stories about Penn State and how special it is."

-George Miller, Chair of the Global Advisory Council

L to R: George Miller, Chair of the Global Advisory Council (left); Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi (middle); and Vice Provost for Penn State Global Roger Brindley (right) at the most recent meeting of the GAC

CURRENT GLOBAL ADVISORY COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP

- Dr. Soji Adelaja, John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor in Land Policy at Michigan State University (College of Agricultural Sciences)

- Isam Al-Zadjali , CEO, Oman Oil (Earth and Mineral Sciences '92)

- Dr. Ken Graham , Strategy, Leadership, and Change Consultant (Smeal College of Business)

- Ernest "Ernie" Janssen , Retired CEO of KPI Bridge Oil Associates (College of the Liberal Arts '65)

- Dr. Omar Khan, President & CEO, Delaware Health Sciences Alliance (DHSA) (Parent of a Penn State student)

- Gen. C. Robert "Bob" Kehler , former Commander, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base (Arts & Architecture '74)

- Prof. Dr. Daniela Kleinschmit , former Vice President for Internationalization, University of Freiburg

- William “Bill” Lane , Executive Director of Trade for America, Caterpillar (Smeal College of Business '75)

- Gail E. Latimer , former hospital CEO and Nurse Executive (Health and Human Development '83)

- The Honorable Mary Beth Long , co-founder and principal of Global Alliance Advisors, LLC (Bellisario College of Communications '85)

- Eda Machado de Souza , President and Founder of Higher Education Institute of Brasilia University (Centro Universitário IESB) (College of Education)

- George H. Miller (chair), COO, Richard Meier Partners (Arts & Architecture '73)

- Dr. Osborne Olumide Phillips , retired esteemed petroleum engineer and professor (Earth and Mineral Sciences '74)

- Dr. Ovid J. L. Tzeng , chancellor of University System of Taiwan (UST) (College of Education '73)

- Anish Wig , Managing Director and Member of the Investment Committee at Toledo Capital AG (Bellisario College of Communications '89)

PERREAULT FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

Founded by former Global Advisory Council member Paul Perreault with his wife, Beverly Perreault, the Perreault Fellows Program is a valuable opportunity for students to develop themselves personally and professionally. The program provides more than just funding and assistance in finding an international internship. It’s an opportunity to expand horizons through workshops with the Rock Ethics Institute, the Global Careers Institute conference, community service, and an intercultural communication course.

Last year’s cohort of Fellows completed internships in Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Dublin, and London.

After their internships, the Perrault Fellows do a presentation on their experiences to the Global Advisory Council.

Now on its fifth cohort, the program continues to provide opportunities for leadership development, especially for students who may not be able to afford an international internship otherwise. The program is open to students from all colleges.

The values that Perreault Fellowship advocates for are ones that certainly resonate within my own personal and academic experience, and I am eternally grateful that I was given the chance to nurture such a global and philanthropic conviction abroad."

-Charis Liu, College of the Liberal Arts Summer 2023, Barcelona, Spain

Photo credit: Charis Liu

GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS

Penn State partners with universities around the world on strategic initiatives with global impact. The University's partnership strategy, currently being developed, will ensure that Penn State has the potential to engage and collaborate to address the most vital problems the world faces today.

As a premier landgrant university in the United States whose impact reaches far and wide, Penn State is highly sought-after by international partners.

At Penn State, we believe that our global partnerships should focus on complementary strengths, shared resources, and an exchange of perspectives that will allow us to expand our positive impact.

-Sabine Klahr, Interim Vice Provost

Provost Justin Schwartz hosts His Royal Highness

Saka Matemilola of Nigeria

Led by Penn State Global, a task force came together in 2023 to identify key criteria for considering a partnership. These criteria include:

Strategic Alignment: Any potential partner must be aligned with Penn State’s strategic goals and priorities. They must commit to conducting joint activities within these aligned priorities and offering opportunities that leverage Penn State’s and the partnering institutions’ strengths and resources to effectively advance institutional strategic goals.

Organizational Structure: The university looks for the existence of a global office with resources and authority to support partnership activities - something akin to Penn State Global.

Faculty Engagement: Engagement by faculty from multiple disciplines, students, staff, administrators, and institutional leadership across each institution.

Research and Education: Collaborations that include teaching and learning, joint multi-disciplinary research, and service/outreach.

Geography/Location: Regional representation in areas that may be underrepresented.

University Reputation & Reach: Areas of Excellence in research and education.

Values: Alignment with Penn State’s six core institutional values, and engagement in activites that further these values.

Commitment: A deep commitment from various stakeholders, including upper leadership, at Penn State and the partnering institution(s) to sustain collaboration and expand the range of joint activities to achieve common goals.

The Global Partnerships and Strategy and Analysis units championed the taskforce, representative of seasoned faculty and staff from various disciplines, to develop a portfolio that includes a limited number of high-impact institutional partner universities or organizations with broad engagement across Penn State and transformational outcomes across teaching and learning, research and scholarship, and service/outreach. The process, which will be completed in 2024, will allow for the assessment of existing, developing and future strategic partnerships and the identification of gaps in the partnership portfolio.

Freiburg rector Kerstin Krieglstein shakes hands with Vice Provost for Global Roger Brindley during a delegation visit to the University Park campus

A photo from the campus of Monash University in Australia, one of Penn State's strategic partners

MONASH: AN EXEMPLARY PARTNER

Monash University serves as an example of a key university partner that fulfills the strategic partnership goals set out by the characteristic of the strategy framework. The collaboration between Penn State and Monash is university-wide; deeply rooted with support by leadership, highly invested faculty, and a global office; aligned with the vision and

strategy of Penn State, and with projects and a trajectory for transformational impact. As Jenni Evans, director of Penn State’s Institute for Computational and Data Sciences, highlights, “The intellectual vibrancy and the culture of these two universities are so well aligned, and their strategic priorities reflect a common vision towards building a vibrant society, so that building this partnership is natural.”

ACTIVITIES

Milestones with Monash have included two bilateral university workshops, three rounds of seed grants in research and education with a significant return on invest -

ment, and student, faculty and staff mobility.

With 189 faculty, 39 collaborative activities, 30 external proposal submissions as well as in-person and virtual engagement, Monash is an exemplary strategic university partner. Penn State also hosted former Monash president Margaret Gardner at University Park in September of 2022, marking meetings at the highest of levels.

RESEARCH PRIORITIES

The strategic priorities of Monash University and Penn State highlight research and cultural synergies between the two universities which can be summarized under the umbrella of Global Challenges: Climate Change (Stewarding our Planet’s Resources); Thriving Communities (Precision Health in Context); Geopolitical Security (National Security); and AI and Data Science (Empowering through Digital Innovation).

“The proposed projects show a continuation of both important research and educational activities as well as a noteworthy progression of the highly valued partnership between Monash University and Penn State,” said Andrew Read, interim senior vice president for research. “This program is a good example of ongoing long-term global relationships which bring wide value to our world."

PROJECTS

Some exemplary research projects that have emerged from the partnership include:

"Responsible Innovation Network for the Global South (RINGS)" — Lead principal investigators (PIs): Laura Cabrera, associate professor of engineering science and mechanics, and philosophy, (Rock Ethics Institute) and Adrian Carter (Monash University)

"Integrating Deep Learning and Physics-based Modelling for Innovative Landslide Hazard Mapping, Predictions and Mitigation" — Lead PI: Tong Qiu, professor of civil and environmental engineering (College of Engineering)

All photos in this spread are courtesy of Monash University

"Engaging in Intercultural Dialogue to Address Global Challenges: Developing a Toolkit for Capacity Building in Online Intercultural Exchange Programs" — Lead PI: Tiffany MacQuarrie, professor-in-charge of experiential digital global engagement (EDGE) (Penn State Beaver)

"Human Thriving in the Age of AI"

— Lead PIs: Andrea Matwyshyn, associate dean for innovation and technology (Penn State Law), and Alexandra Staub, professor of architecture (Rock Ethics Institute)

"Sustainable Community Development, Active Citizenship, and Environmental Ethics: Empowering Marginalized Youth as Agents of Change"

— Lead PI: Mark Brennan, professor and UNESCO Chair in Community, Leadership, and Youth Development (College of Agricultural Sciences)

Penn State and Monash University share a dedication to working together to solve the global challenges of the age through breakthrough discoveries and by providing global education opportunities for our talented students.”

-Monash Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Sharon Pickering

RE-ENGAGING OUR ALUMNI

Penn State's alumni network is one of the largest in the world. We are so proud of our international alumni, especially how they give back to students.

GLOBAL CAREERS INSTITUTE

Penn State Global and Career Services, supported by the Alumni Association, hosted the Global Careers Institute (GCI) on March 17 and 18. The event, which connects current students with Penn State alumni, was the first iteration of the institute since February of 2020. More than 140 students, representing 12 campuses and 26 countries, attended this year’s GCI, in addition to a litany of alumni speakers.

The Global Careers Institute is a professional development program designed to help Penn State’s international and domestic undergraduate and graduate students prepare for career success in the global marketplace.

The two-day event started with a dinner and networking reception held at the Penn Stater on Friday, March 18. Students also had the opportunity to have professional headshots taken. Saturday saw a full slate of activities, beginning with a breakfast and a plenary session before moving into breakout sessions, selected by students based on their interests.

ALUMNI EVENTS

Global Outreach Development and Alumni Relations (GODAR) is committed to reconnecting with our alumni abroad through a variety of methods. One priority of the office is traveling to cities with high numbers of Penn State Alumni, and the group hosted seven international events in 2023, including in Tokyo, Singapore, Taipei, Seoul, London, Dubai, and Dammam.

GODAR also partnered with Education Abroad to host the first ever Alumni Education Abroad tailgate in November 2023, which included students who are just now preparing for their iternational experience.

More events are planned for Spring 2024, including in Singapore, Seoul, and Osaka.

Breakout sessions were hosted by speakers and facilitators such as Brandon Short, a former Penn State football player who currently serves as the executive director and portfolio manager for PGIM Real Estate and as a member of the Penn State Board of Trustees; Ken Graham, a senior adviser for the Rowhill Consulting Group who has served on the Penn State Global Advisory Council and is highly active with students in leadership and career development; and Wesley Payne McLendon, the executive director of McLendon Research Group.

"I’m grateful to you and your team for putting on a phenomenal program. It was a privilege to be a live and interactive resource on offer for students,” said McLendon. “They were an impressive and inquisitive group.”

"It was a rewarding experience and I am looking forward to staying connected for future events,” said Carl Delcato. Future GCI events are planned across the commonwealth.

CONNECT WITH US!

Gathering accurate contact information on our international alumni remains a priority. If you would like to reconnect with us, please reach out to us!

PENN STATE GLOBAL ALUMNI

PENN STATE GLOBAL ALUMNI

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHTS

RLUIS ALEJANDRO VERGARA

Acareer in sustainable agriculture was not what Luis Alejandro Vergara had originally envisioned for himself. When he came to Penn State, he started studying petroleum engineering, but he eventually switched and ended up graduating with a bachelor's degree in environmental systems engineering in 2017. He is a co-founder of Carbon Harvesters, which aims to "monitor, reduce and monetize farm's sustainable management." Currently, he is a doctoral student, working as a researcher and tutor, at the University of Dublin and a sustainability analyst at BiOrbic, Bioeconomy SFI Research Centre.

" [It] doesn't matter how crazy your idea is. There are a lot of mysteries that will come, and then there will be a lot of pressure. But that is part of [the research]."

POOJA MALLIPAMULA

arely is the path as simple as it’s made out to be, and sometimes, people end up pursuing areas that are completely outside of their area of study. Such was the case for Pooja Mallipamula, a 2012 graduate of Penn State's College of Engineering and Bellisario College of Communications. While Mallipamula's degrees helped her gain employment after graduation, they were not her passion. After years of dedicated effort, Mallipamula is now pursuing stand-up comedy and writing fulltime in the U.K. She considers herself a "conscious comedic creative," using comedy to shed light on social issues.

"It’s more than degrees, it’s about the skillsets you’re learning and how you can apply them, especially group projects — I hated them in college, but adult jobs really are big group projects...you can move into whatever you want to move to. Don’t get too anxious about pigeonholing yourself with your degree. It’s only a pigeonhole if you make it one.”

MMATT STEPHENS

att Stephens, a 1994 alum of Penn State's College of the Liberal Arts, is the director of the Invest Japan Business Support Center at the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) in Tokyo, Japan. Stephens studied international politics and East Asian studies at Penn State. Stephens was always interested in Japan and the Japanese language. While at Penn State, he took Japanese courses and helped the international office pick up Japanese students from the airport when they arrived at Penn State. Eventually, he decided to study in Japan, which was "life-changing" and led him on his eventual career path.

"I just found it all very fascinating, and I pretty much decided that moment, that is the kind of job that I wanted to do...I found my future career through one of the very classes that I had during my study abroad program."

GLOBAL POINTS OF PRIDE

#1 TOP PRODUCER OF FULBRIGHT SCHOLARS

2022-2023

#8 TOP PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN AMERICA

ACCORDING TO QS RANKINGS

#4

ACCORDING TO QS SUSTAINABILITY RANKINGS FOR SUSTAINABILITY IN THE U.S.

#3

ACCORDING TO TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION

#2 GRADUATING CEOS ACCORDING TO BLOOMBERG $1.239BN IN ANNUAL RESEARCH EXPENDITURES

eswhiol NAFSA TOP HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION ECONOMIC BENEFIT $408.1 MILLION SUPPORTING 4,888 JOBS IN PENNSYLVANIA

PENN STATE UNIVERSITY PARK CAMPUS

1 OF 3

INSTITUTIONS IN THE NATION ACCORDED LAND GRANT, SEA GRANT, SUN GRANT, AND SPACE GRANT STATUS

SUSTAINABILITY: A STUDENT LENS

Penn State is a global leader in sustainability, ranking in the top 5 in the United States in two major global rankings (Times Higher Education and QS). These efforts are led by faculty, staff...and students. It takes a village!

It is very important for students to have the chance to connect with their peers on problems that will develop as time moves forward.. all of us realizing the problem early is massive for young generations. These conferences provide the opportunity and tools for the students so we feel we can act, otherwise, we will be disconnected and nothing we ever be achieved.”

-Conference Participant

GLOBAL SUSTAINABLE ACTION: IT STARTS WITH US

As part of International Education Month, Penn State Global and Penn State Sustainabiltiy hosted the Global Sustainable Action: It Starts with Us conference. The conference was a day of workshops, presentations, and site visits around the university's sustainability efforts - students, staff, and faculty.

Student-led sessions included “Approaches to a Healthy Life,” a panel discussion on holistic and alternative ways to ensure healthy lifestyles;

“Breaking Barriers: Personal Insights into Sustainable Entrepreneurship,”a session about the barriers to enacting social change through entrepreneurship; “What’s the Tea on the SDGs: A Gen-Z Take on the SDGs,” an interactive session which connects the history of the SDGs to their current (and future) contexts; and “Quality of Education in South Korea,” which connected the role of international education as a tool for sustainable development.

The organizers of the conference are already working on planning the next iteration and hope to have more student participation from across the Commonwealth.

EDUCATION ABROAD FOCUSES ON SUSTAINABILITY

Penn State's Education Abroad office has undertaken significant efforts around sustainability.

Some examples include:

- Integrating sustainability thinking into programmatic and logistical planning

- Offering funding and support for students who want to explore sustainability-focused experiences abroad

- Thoughtful, intentional actions taken to consider environmental impact of marketing materials, events, promotional goods, and in-person vs virtual meetings

- Incentivizing students to have sustainability consciousness when choosing programs abroad

Education Abroad also recently joined the Climate Action Network for International Educators (CANIE).

“Advancing sustainability through education abroad programs, student engagement, and faculty development has been a central focus of Penn State Global for the past four years,” said Kate Manni, director of Education Abroad. “Our students have consistently shown this is an important issue to them, and they expect sustainability to be incorporated into every aspect of their experience at Penn State.”

Picture from our Global Sustainable Action Conference

Picture from our Global Sustainable Action Conference

STUDENT LEADERSHIP

Our students are future global leaders, and they learn those valuable life skills right here at Penn State. These students are making significant impact already.

PEER ACTION GLOBAL LEARNING NETWORK (PAGLN) SHOWS EXEMPLARY STUDENT LEADERSHIP AT ABINGTON

The Peer Action Global Learning Network (PAGLN) program is a team of undergraduate student leaders to promote internationalization, civic engagement, global learning, and meaningful relations on the Penn State Abington campus.

We have a structure of three core roles and responsibilities: International Student Welcome (ISW) leaders, Peer Mentors for English 83, and Global Ambassadors for the Office of Global Programs. PAGLN directly creates the schedule for the two-day ISW event including facilitating activities for incoming international students, leading tour groups, and answering inquiries from parents all while ensuring a smoothly transitioned event. After ISW, PAGLN leaders serve as peer mentors for these students in an introductory English 83 class where they are role models and teaching assistants for various projects and class affairs. As Global Ambassadors, PAGLN represent the Office of Global Programs in different cultural and informative events on campus. In addition, PAGLN assists with any further inquiries from students in the office, from directing visa-related issues to informing about study abroad programs.

The program is a massive asset for incoming international students, but also an essential part of our leaders’ academic, professional, and emotional development. Throughout our summer training, we bring in topics that stimulate critical thinking, introduce new leaders to inclusivity conferences, and raise new opportunities for events within and outside the classroom. Our devotion to the growth of our cohorts throughout the years have made this program truly unique. Staff and faculty actively seek out and promote different events throughout the semester that our leaders can take advantage of or relate to their own students. We create a network of opportunities that promotes

engagement and participation on a campus-wide scale.

Leaders who are part of the 20232024 cohort that have been through the summer training, successfully completed ISW, and been to many events. Their attitudes reflect the highest authority of not only the PAGLN program, but of a Penn State student.

Students from PAGLN work together throughout the year to bring student support and intercultural experiences to Penn State Abington

A Reflection by Pegasus Yang and Smit Patel

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

Leaders from the Taiwanese American Student Association helped to organize a Pre-Departure orientation on June 4th, 2023. Ryan Geiger, Global Engagement Coordinator, traveled to Taipei, Taiwan to coordinate the orientation with about 50 participants. Current students, new students, and their families were in attendance. Regarding the Taiwanese American Student Association’s involvement, Geiger stated “the TASA student officers thoroughly covered every detail of the event planning helping cover a robust variety of topics from traveling from Taiwan to the U.S., PSU campuses, student organizations, and TASA events the Taiwanese students could attend after they

arrived.” The TASA exemplified excellent leadership and peer advocacy through helping international students integrate into the Penn State community.

Highlighting organizations from Penn State Abington, the Latine Student Organization (LSO) and South Asian Student Organization (SASA) have been committed to providing global experiences to their campus. With the Latine Student Organization consisting of 240 members and the South Asian Student Association consisting of 271 members, both organizations have highly engaged members committed to bring cultural understanding to their surrounding communities.

Being part of the Peer Action Global Learning Network Program has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to have been part of this program, and I cannot recommend it enough...[it] has completely changed me, and for the better. I cannot stress how much joy and satisfaction being part of this program has brought me and how much I have grown as a person."

- Lleyhan (Han) Tsui, Class of '26

Students from the Latine Student Organization march in a parade in Philadelphia

STUDENTS CONNECT IN GLOBAL LIVING-LEARNING COMMUNITIES (LLC)

Global Living-Learning Communities, such as Global Boarders at Penn State Behrend and Global Village at Penn State Abington, exist on campuses across the Commonwealth. These communities offer opportunities for in-residence students, both U.S-based and international, to have a variety of intercultural experiences in their dorms. Formal programming is held and U.S.-based and international students are roomed together and encouraged to form friendships.

This year, the LLCs at Behrend and Abington began working together and held two cosponsored events.

The first was a Global Careers Panel

Discussion, which included other Global staff; the second was "A Discussion with Indigenous Peoples of the Lenape Nation." This event emphasized sustainability in their current work. Many of these students were plugged into other Global events like the Global Engagement and Leadership Experience (GELE), the Global Sustainable Action conference, We are the World cultural showcase, and Global Careers Institute through their participation in their LLC.

In the future, both LLCs will be meeting up in person in NYC in Spring 2024, including a tour of the United Nations.

WE ARE THE WORLD // INTERNATIONAL STUDENT COUNCIL

We Are The World serves as a campus-wide event where both U.S.based and international students get together and celebrate diversity as well as what they share in common as Penn State students. In 2023, We Are the World was hosted in the HUB on November 4th.

Students from across the Commonwealth attended the event, showing the broad impact and importance of cultural diversity across all of Penn State's campuses. Students had the ability to connect with cultural organizations, enjoy free food and performances, and participate in games and raffles.

This event has been held annually

by the International Student Council, and it has been an exceedingly successful event. Penn State Global partners with the Council and supports with logistics and marketing of the event.

In addition to We Are the World, the International Student Council provides support and puts on events for international students all year round. Events include socials, movie nights, and banquets. Support is provided in the form of subsidized bus tickets to major airports to help international students return home, open office hours for students to come and share their concerns with knowledgeable peers, and Zoom Q&A sessions for new students.

Picture from this year's We Are the World run by International Student Council

The Abington Global Livng Learning Community

We Are the World celebrates the intercultural experiences available across the University

PENN STATE PROVIDES NEW OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH EDUCATION ABROAD FUNDING

Penn State is committed to access and success for all of its students, as reflected in President Bendapudi's five goals. As a part of this philosophy, Penn State Global's Education Abroad office has invested resources into expanding access for students to experience global learning through a variety of new funding opportunities, short-term programs, and initiatives. A slate of new funding opportunities launched in Fall 2023, including those aimed at Pell Grant recipients, some scholarships for non-traditional destinations, and extra funding for students who study abroad with a partner university.

“Finances are the top reason that Penn State students choose not to study abroad, and we are actively developing ways to support students with the highest level of financial need so that an education abroad program can be part of every Penn Stater’s experience,” said Kate Manni, director of Education Abroad. “We are thrilled to provide additional certainty to Pell grant recipients and their families, who will able

to plan for their education abroad experience with a guaranteed scholarship commitment from Penn State Global.”

Available funding includes:

Student Access and Success Grants: More than $300,000 is available for the new Student Access and Success grants, funding available for students studying abroad during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 academic years on Penn State-approved, education abroad programs.

Federal Pell Grant and Gilman Scholarship Guarantee: Effective spring 2024 and beyond, Penn State Global Education Abroad will guarantee a minimum $1,000 scholarship for every Federal Pell Grant recipient that is approved to study abroad through any Penn State-approved education abroad program. Federal Pell Grant recipients who submit a completed application for the national Gilman Scholarship

Program will automatically increase their Penn State Global guaranteed scholarship amount another $500, to a minimum of $1,500.

Embedded Programs Scholarship: Students who enroll in an embedded course will be automatically considered for a $1,000 grant ($500 for graduate students) based on financial need and academic merit. For academic years 2023-24 and 2024-25, Penn State Global will award twice the number of students as in standard years.

Strategic Partner Mobility Initiative: Effective spring 2024, fall 2024 and spring 2025, students who commit to participate in the Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Kuala Lumpur: Monash University Malaysia, or Melbourne: Monash University outbound exchange programs will receive a guaranteed minimum scholarship of $3,000 per semester.

A street in Singapore. Photo Credit: Lois Jung

I was fortunate to receive a scholarship from my program, and my program provider awarded me two scholarships, one of which covered the cost of my round-trip flight to Jordan.

-Jennifer Garcia Ruiz, CIEE: Amman, Middle East Studies; Penn State School of International Affairs Graduate class of 2024

It can be paid for! There are lots of Penn State scholarships that students must apply to and also Parent

Plus loans to utilize.”

-Victor Frolenko, Ronda, Spain: Spanish Language and Culture program (summer 2023); Penn State class of 2025

Jennifer Garcia Ruiz explored Jordan as a part of her Education Abroad experience

Victor Frolenko studied in Spain partially funded by a scholarship from Education Abroad

SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS

Supporting each other is important in the Penn State family. We strive to help students in need, whether in emergency situations or those who may otherwise not be able to participate in a life-changing global learning experience.

GLOBAL EMERGENCY FUND

Each year, nearly 10,000 students from more than 140 countries call a Penn State campus their home away from home. Like their fellow students, they attend classes, join student organizations, engage in campus activities and enrich the University’s academic community.

However, unlike their U.S.-based counterparts, international students are not eligible for federal and state assistance, and there are only limited scholarships to assist when unpredictable global events impact their lives. Generally, these students do not have access to additional support if resources from their home country are no longer available due to political or natural disasters.

"The Global Emergency Fund shows international students that they are a part of a strong, supportive and inclusive Penn State family,” said William Shuey, director of development for Penn State Global and International. “We want to make sure that international students, regardless of where they’re from or their situation, have the financial support they need during times of crisis and emergency.”

Now, more than ever, it is crucial to ind a way to support these bright minds. Through gifts to the Global Emergency Fund, you can help international students cover costs like tuition, fees, travel, insurance, housing, and other living expenses in times of crisis. Wherever they hail from, students sometimes need a hand when the going gets tough. And with gifts to the Global Emergency Fund, you can help our Penn Staters who are furthest from home while making a powerful statement about the strength of our global community.

This grant gives me a chance not to give up, enables me to keep on and lightens a big part of the burden... I hope I can endure all the challenges with the faith that I can do because there are many people who still support, trust, and encourage me."

-A student recipient of emergency funding from Penn State Global

DAGOBERT AND ELSIE DE LEVIE STUDY ABROAD FUND

Studying abroad is a unique opportunity for students to develop academically, personally, and professionally, and expanding students' global perspectives through immersive international experiences is a key goal of Penn State Global’s vision. As the founder of Penn State’s Education Abroad program, Dagobert de Levie has opened a global experience to students since the 1960s. This fund, created by his son and Penn State Board of Trustees member Alvin de Levie, seeks to provide opportunities for students to continue to engage globally.

"Engaging in cross-cultural experiences and learning about various perspectives through immersive education abroad programs not only provide Penn Staters with a well-rounded and global education but also shapes them into well-rounded people,” said Kate Manni, Director of Education Abroad in Penn State Global.

While more than 3,000 students across the University typically participate in a study abroad experience each year, many more miss out due to the cost. Through the support of this fund, an increasing number of students can travel to parts of the world that they never thought they’d see — experiences that inform what they set out to accomplish with their careers and in their lives as global citizens.

Providing transformative opportunities is exactly what Penn State’s Education Abroad Program is designed to do.”

-Kate Manni, Director of Education Abroad

FULBRIGHT

Penn State is a Top Producer of outgoing Fulbright scholars and ranked #1 for the 2022-23 academic year

Penn State has been ranked first in the nation in faculty Fulbright Scholar awards by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The University tied with the University of Arizona, with 17 faculty members offered Fulbright awards for academic year 2022-23. This is the second time in the last four years that Penn State has been the No. 1 producer of Fulbright Scholars, with the University having also achieved this status in 2019. Seventeen scholar awards are the most Penn State has ever received in an awards cycle.

“The Fulbright Program at Penn State continues to be robust and productive,” said Provost Justin Schwartz. “The experience garnered by Fulbright Scholars directly benefits the University community. Our faculty members continue to elevate Penn State’s global reach through teaching, research and service as they represent the University on all continents.”

Fulbright is the U.S. government’s flags-

hip international educational exchange program. It also is among the largest and most diverse exchange programs in the world. Since its inception in 1946, more than 400,000 participants from all backgrounds and fields — including recent university graduates, teachers, scientists, researchers, artists and others, from the U.S. and more than 160 other countries — have participated in the Fulbright Program. Fulbright alumni have returned to their home countries to make an impact on their communities thanks to their expanded worldview, a deep appreciation for their host country and its people, and a larger network of colleagues and friends.

The Fulbright competition is administered at Penn State through the Faculty Fulbright office, led by Faculty Fulbright Adviser Sylvester Osagie. The University also sponsors discipline-based panels, which help to support faculty applications for Fulbright awards.

“I am proud and delighted to see so many awards for our well-deserving faculty,” said Osagie. “Even more import-

ant is the level of enthusiasm displayed by those faculty willing to give their time in guiding their peers through the application process.”

“On behalf of President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, congratulations to the colleges and universities recognized as 2022-23 Fulbright Top Producing Institutions, and to all the applicants who were selected for the Fulbright Program this year,” said Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Lee Satterfield.

“Thanks to the visionary leadership of these institutions, administrators and advisers, a new generation of Fulbrighters — changemakers, as I like to say — will catalyze lasting impact on their campus, in their communities and around the world,” added Satterfield.

Penn State also hosts incoming Fulbright scholars and sends undergraduate students abroad on Fulbright experiences. All in all, the Fulbright program adds vibrancy to the University's global offerings.

Penn State Global hosted a reception for incoming Fulbrighters in November

HUMPHREY FELLOWS

Coordinated by the College of Education, this program brings accomplished mid-career professionals from designated countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East to selected universities in the United States for public service, advanced study, professional training, and work-related experiences.

For me, the Humphrey Fellowship Program has been very impactful to me professionally, academically, and personally. It offers me the opportunity to network with people from diverse backgrounds and disciplines which enhanced my knowledge and skills acquisition regarding international education. "

The Humphrey Fellowship Program, established in 1978 by President Jimmy Carter to honor the late Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, is a one-year non-degree program of combined academic and professional development opportunities. As the fellowship was being founded, Carter received encouragement from a key advocate: former Penn State President John Oswald.

Penn State has been hosting Humphrey scholars since the program‘s inception and now boasts 475 Humphrey Fellow alumni from 131 countries since 1978. During their

time at Penn State, the Humphrey Fellows engage in seminars, graduate courses, professional development, community service, work experiences, and attendance in the Washington Global Leadership Forum, a four-day leadership seminar in Washington, D.C.

The Fellows are accomplished professionals who uproot their lives to come to the United States to both learn and teach. They are exemplary scholars who add tremendous value to the Penn State community while they are here and to their home countries when they return. Penn State is grateful for their efforts!

-Musa Baldeh, 2023-24 Humphrey Fellow

Musa Baldeh, a Humphrey Fellow, speaks at the Penn State Global staff retreat in the fall of 2023