Penn State’s Commonwealth Campuses and the state’s community colleges have announced a new collaboration aimed at expanding educational opportunities in Pennsylvania and removing barriers to degree completion among college students. The collaboration builds upon long-standing relationships between the campuses and the community colleges and a shared commitment to access and affordability in higher education.
Adam Plucinski, assistant teaching professor of engineering at Penn State Altoona, and Lolita Paff, associate professor of business economics at Penn State Berks, are the 2022-23 recipients of the Jack P. Royer Active and Collaborative Learning Award from the Office of the Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses. The award recognizes Commonwealth Campus faculty and staff who demonstrate innovative teaching practices to enhance student learning and who facilitate student engagement in learning to advance conceptual and applied understanding and competencies.
A new research program for students will be launched this coming fall: The Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses Undergraduate Student Research Fund aims to support student-led projects in different fields. Participants will acquire hands-on experience in research, scholarship, and artistic efforts. They will be responsible for creating their own research problems, study proposals, methodologies, and presenting their findings.
A series of seed grants from the Office of the Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses has provided Penn State campus leaders with the support to implement transformative initiatives and best practices that have been successful at other University campuses.
