UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — As part of the launch of the University’s Values, Penn State Today is featuring a special series of videos highlighting those Values and people who live and strive for them every day. We’re also putting out a special call for nominations for “We Are!” recognition awards for people whose efforts embody a particular Penn State Value. 

Those Values — Integrity, Respect, Responsibility, Discovery, Excellence and Community — represent Penn State’s core ethical aspirations for what we do every day as students, faculty, staff and volunteers. The Values were developed over a four-year period that included a survey, town hall meetings and ongoing feedback from across the community.

This week, the focus is on Community. For Penn State, Community means: “We work together for the betterment of our University, the communities we serve, and the world.”

As part of this initiative, Khanjan Mehta, assistant professor and director of the Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship Program, and other Penn Staters explain what Community means to them.

“I don’t think as much about how many papers I’ve produced, but I think about: What is the net impact of all my work in terms of teaching, in terms of research and in terms of engagement with various partners,” Mehta says.

Do you know a student or member of faculty or staff who strives to have a positive impact on the community? If you do, consider sending a public “thank you” and nominate that person for a “We Are!” recognition award. We’ll include nominees in an upcoming issue of Penn State Today.