Penn State Mont Alto’s sense of campus community and focus on student success, coupled with being resourced as a world-class university, positioned it well to adapt, innovate and stay connected over the spring 2020 semester.
University students and educators alike are grappling with turbulent times, and Penn State’s course on the “Art and Science of Human Flourishing” is well-positioned to help undergraduates to develop strategies for caring for themselves and others. Robert Roeser, Bennett Pierce Professor of Caring and Compassion, explored ways to adapt the course to current events, along with 23 colleagues from 10 Penn State campuses, University of Virginia and University of Wisconsin-Madison, during the morning of the 2nd Annual Human Flourishing Summer Teaching Institute, held on June 16 and 17 via Zoom.
Following a three-month comprehensive planning process, Penn State officials have determined that the University can meet or exceed the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s guidelines for colleges and universities, and look forward to welcoming back faculty, staff and students to resume on-campus, in-person classes and other activities this fall in a limited fashion.
The Administrative Fellows Program offers Penn State faculty and staff the opportunity to work with senior University officers to gain knowledge and experiences pertaining to the challenges of leadership in the academic community. The Administrative Fellows for 2020-21 are Andrea Tapia, Linghao Zhong and Moradeyo Olorunnisola.
The Penn State Mont Alto campus held its annual Academic and Leadership Awards Ceremony online on Sunday, April 19. Eighty-eight students were recognized for their academic achievements and campus leadership during the 2019-20 academic year. Three faculty members and one staff member were also recognized for their above-and-beyond contributions to the learning environment at Penn State Mont Alto.
Amanda Moore, of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, is on track to graduate from Penn State Mont Alto this May with a degree in psychology. She credits her academic success with Mont Alto's strong focus on research and varied program offerings.
As the tally of conference championships grows and more teams get bids for national playoffs, student-athletes at Penn State Mont Alto have their eyes on a bigger prize: academic success.
At 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 9, Penn State will host its first virtual commencement. The ceremony will be livestreamed, and available internationally, at http://spring2020.commencement.airllevant.com/.
Given the continuing challenge and uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic and to protect the health of students, faculty and staff, Penn State has made the decision to extend virtual delivery of courses into the summer. Further, the University will adjust tuition for the summer sessions in light of the ongoing pandemic and the persistent fiscal strain it is causing across Pennsylvania and the country.
