UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A new University-wide initiative known as “Achieve Penn State” will provide a unified brand for communicating the range of existing Penn State programs that advance access and affordability, a key focus of President Eric Barron’s tenure.
“We remain committed to making the full Penn State experience accessible and affordable to ambitious, academically talented students — regardless of their financial circumstances,” said Penn State President Eric Barron. “We have made tremendous strides toward realizing this vision, even as we continue to forge ahead. Achieve Penn State will provide the Penn State community with a common language to convey these efforts to our stakeholders.”
Achieve Penn State marks the second presidential initiative launched during Barron’s tenure, following Invent Penn State, which focuses on entrepreneurship and innovation.
The programs within Achieve Penn State are designed to help remove obstacles undergraduates may face on the path to a Penn State degree. These programs include:
- Pathway to Success: Summer Start (PaSSS), which helps entering students to make the transition to Penn State during the summer before their first year.
- Student Transitional Experiences Program (STEP), which supports students making the junior-year transition to the University Park campus from another Penn State campus.
- The Mentoring Program within the Sokolov-Miller Family Financial and Life Skills Center, which pairs students with a financial literacy mentor.
- RaiseMe, which enables high school students to earn micro-scholarships toward their Penn State education.
- Complete Penn State, within the Student Success Center, connects students to critical and timely resources as they strive towards completing the final requirements of their Penn State degree.
- Smart Track to Success, which supports incoming World Campus students in becoming engaged members of the World Campus community.
The list of programs within Achieve Penn State may grow as new Penn State programs are created and existing programs evolve.
Achieve Penn State intersects with the University’s current fundraising campaign, "A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence," through the Open Doors imperative, which invites donors to create scholarships and support programs that advance access and affordability.
About Achieve Penn State
Achieve Penn State is an initiative which supports hard-working students and their families by helping them plan for their future by eliminating obstacles so they can graduate with lower debt and in less time. Achieve Penn State programs support students and families through institutional scholarships, summer school and on-campus employment, financial literacy and campus transitions to help students to experience all that Penn State has to offer.
To learn more about Achieve Penn State, contact achieve@psu.edu.