Important University and UE announcements

APPR committee shares first workstream report, supplemental materials
The first workstream report from the Academic Portfolio and Program Review (APPR) committee is now available to the Penn State community. The report provides a high-level overview of all bachelor’s and associate degrees at Penn State, focusing on student interest and employment alignment. According to Provost Langkilde, the data compiled from this report is meant to serve as a resource for further discussion and analysis, in combination with other future APPR reports, and not as a standalone decision-making tool regarding specific programs.

To learn more about the APPR process and ask questions, faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend the next virtual APPR Insight Session hosted by the APPR leadership team on March 27 from noon to 1:30 p.m. via Teams. More information on the first workstream report is available on Penn State News.

Update on Commonwealth Campus ecosystem
In a message posted to the Penn State community on February 25, President Bendapudi shared work to be undertaken regarding Penn State's Commonwealth Campus ecosystem. The key takeaways from this announcement include:

• The seven largest Commonwealth Campuses — Abington, Altoona, Behrend, Berks, Brandywine, Harrisburg, and Lehigh Valley — plus Great Valley, will remain open and we will continue to invest in them.
• The President has charged a committee led by Margo DelliCarpini, Tracy Langkilde, and Michael Wade Smith with delivering a final recommendation regarding the future composition of the Commonwealth Campus ecosystem no later than the end of the spring semester.
• The committee will recommend which of the other 12 campuses will remain open or will close. While it is clear that not all 12 campuses can continue, it is equally clear that a number of them will.
• No campus selected for closure will close before the end of the 2026–27 academic year, allowing associate degree students enrolling in fall 2025 enough time to complete their degrees and 2+2 bachelor’s degree students enough time to reach the point at which they would transition to another Penn State campus.
• The University is sharing this information — what is definitively known now — as an update regarding where we are in this process. We understand that the uncertainty of this situation is difficult, but we must allow the process to play out to identify the optimal path forward — there are no predetermined conclusions. When final decisions are made, more information will be shared out.

Read the full message on Penn State News.

Student Engagement Network services to restructure under Penn State Outreach
While the Student Engagement Network (SEN) — a student-support unit administered by Undergraduate Education, Student Affairs and Penn State Outreach — will close as of June 30, student engagement initiatives will continue across Penn State. Effective July 1, Michael Zeman, director of the SEN, will join the Penn State Outreach staff as a new director of experiential learning. Through this transition, Outreach plans to leverage the expertise of the SEN and apply best practices to existing experiential learning offerings across its current portfolio.

Read the full update on the future of the SEN on Penn State News.

Events and Deadlines

3/4 Public Service Loan Forgiveness: Overview and Updates | Sokolov-Miller Family Financial and Life Skills Center
3/4 Fellowships and Graduate School: Funding Your Next Step | Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Mentoring
3/4, 3/18, 3/25, 3/31 Study Smarter Session | Penn State Learning
3/5 Research Readiness Workshop Series: Showcase Your Research: A Guide to Posters and Conference Applications | Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Mentoring
3/6 Leveraging UDL Options for Accessible Course Design | Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence
3/7 Improv and Pedagogy Teaching Community Workshop | Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence
3/9 Daylight Saving Time Begins
3/9–3/15 Spring Break, No Classes
3/17 2025 Undergraduate Exhibition Application Deadline | Office of Undergraduate Education through Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Mentoring
3/18 Writing A Diversity Statement | Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence
3/18 Car Shopping | Sokolov-Miller Family Financial and Life Skills Center
3/19 Decoding the Disciplines: A Cohort for Grad Students and Postdocs | Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence
3/19 Research Readiness Workshop Series: Citation Management | Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Mentoring
3/19 Starfish midsemester progress surveys close | Division of Undergraduate Studies
3/20 DUS Group Advising: Explore and Find the Right Major for You | Division of Undergraduate Studies
3/20 Explorations: The Penn State Emeritus Academy Lecture Series presents Glen Mazis: The Animal as Source of Human Excellence | Faculty Affairs
3/21 General Education Colloquium | Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence and Office for General Education
3/22 Link UP | Student Orientation and Transition Programs
3/24 All-UE Meeting, 4:00 p.m. via Zoom
3/24–3/28 Penn State Startup Week Powered by PNC
3/24 LEAP Registration Opens | Penn State Chaiken Center for Student Success
3/26 Research Readiness Workshop Series: Literature Review Foundations | Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Mentoring
3/27 First-Gen Student Support Summit | Penn State Chaiken Center for Student Success

For additional Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence events, visit schreyerinstitute.psu.edu.

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