UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — When Penn Staters speak with one voice, elected officials stop and listen. And there is no greater way to stand up and voice support for Penn State with leaders in Harrisburg and Washington, D.C., than to become a Penn State Advocate.
Join Advocate Penn State now — signing up takes less than a minute.
As Penn State’s advocacy network, Advocate Penn State is the easiest and most effective way to speak up for Penn State and join the University in legislative advocacy efforts. Advocate Penn State provides the resources and tools to empower the entire Penn State community to use its collective voice to show elected officials that a strong Penn State benefits all Pennsylvania communities.
Those who join Advocate Penn State will receive no more than 12 emails annually to prepare them for a few simple advocacy action requests throughout the year.
“As part of the largest alumni network in the country, you have a unique opportunity to impact change for Penn State,” said Paul Clifford, CEO of the Penn State Alumni Association. “Given Penn State’s statewide footprint, every county, every town, every neighborhood is a Penn State county, town and neighborhood. The Penn State network is powerful, and we need your voice as an advocate to help keep Penn State strong.”
Keeping Penn State strong for Pennsylvania’s future
Each year, grassroots advocacy helps Penn State to secure crucial state funding that contributes to the strength of the University’s land-grant mission and supports Pennsylvania’s economy and workforce.
For 2023-24, Penn State is requesting a $115 million increase in its general support funding from the state — money that will support Penn State’s education mission and in-state tuition discount, directly benefiting thousands of Pennsylvania students and families and helping to keep top talent in the Keystone State.
This historic request reflects an issue of fairness for Penn State’s Pennsylvania resident students, who are significantly underfunded on a per-student basis compared to their peers at other Pennsylvania public universities, who receive between $2,600 and $3,400 more per in-state student than Penn State. University leaders are asking that Penn State’s funding per Pennsylvania undergraduate, which currently ranks last among the state’s public universities, be increased to align with that of the next lowest-funded Pennsylvania public university on a per-student basis.
Alumni advocates are encouraged to connect with their elected officials to talk about how much Penn State has impacted their own lives, and the importance of a strong Penn State to the commonwealth, its citizens, and Pennsylvania’s future workforce and economy.
Conversations about this year’s requested increase will continue with Penn State’s partners at all levels of state government from now until June 2023. The support of Penn State’s advocate base will be critical throughout the entire process.
Penn State’s alumni community — numbering more than 700,000 strong — is encouraged to join Advocate Penn State here to express support for the University's state funding and stay up to date on all of Penn State’s legislative priorities.