Promoted teaching, research, library and clinical faculty honored at event

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State celebrated the 257 teaching, research, clinical and library faculty who received promotions this year during an Oct. 6 event at the Marriott Foundation Building. 

Now in its second year, the annual event honors the University’s teaching, research, clinical and library faculty, who account for more than half of all full-time Penn State faculty. This year’s event was sponsored by the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost and hosted by the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence and Office of the Senior Vice President for Research. 

Speaking at the event, Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi said the event was a way to recognize the excellence of the University’s teaching, research, clinical and library faculty.  

“We are celebrating your excellence in the classroom with the academic transformation that you make possible in people’s lives,” Bendapudi said. “We are celebrating your clinical prowess. We’re celebrating your research contributions and your scholarly contributions."

Friends and family of faculty also were invited to the Oct. 6 event, not only to cheer on those promoted, but also to be recognized for their share of credit for the sacrifices and support they’ve given over the years.

“It’s the children. It’s the spouses. It’s the partner, it’s the siblings, or parents,” Bendapudi said. “It's the whole village that we all rely on to get us to where we are.” 

Andrew Read, interim senior vice president for Research, said Penn State’s institutes all have research faculty who are critical to the function of the facilities. 

“The research faculty are the foundation of our vast research enterprise,” Read said. “Not only do they bring top-tier expertise to drive our research impact, locally and globally, but they are also deeply involved in the training of our graduate and undergraduate student researchers. Their mentorship has a lifelong impact on our students, who will take this powerful impact with them into their future lives and careers.” 

During his public remarks, Executive Vice President and Provost Justin Schwartz praised the teaching, clinical and research work by faculty at all campuses, many of whom traveled to the University Park campus for the event. 

“It's important, the work you do,” Schwartz said. “It’s the vision you have every day for our students and for research that are really, really special. So, for those of you that have just been promoted to an associate level, we do expect you back in a few years for the next the level and celebrate you again.” 

Laura Leites, research professor of quantitative forest ecology, who was among those celebrating a 2023 promotion, said, “It is wonderful to experience this event for the second year, this time as a recently promoted faculty member."

Leites advocated for the start of this new tradition at Penn State in 2022 and found an enthusiastic and supportive response from the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, which sponsored and organized the inaugural event.  

“Having this celebration supported at the institutional level makes me happy and proud,” Leites added. 

Penn State Schuylkill Chancellor Patrick M. Jones was supporting his campus’ two promoted faculty this year: Marianne Adam, teaching professor of nursing, and Gina Whalen, associate teaching professor of business. 

“Our clinical faculty, our teaching faculty, bring that real-world experience to the classroom every day,” Jones said. “And particularly in the two programs that my faculty are here for, business and nursing, that’s critical. They come from the business community, they come from nursing, and they’re taking those students out to those clinical sites or those internships sites. They bring that real-world experience that students crave.” 

Music for the evening was provided by students from the College of Arts and Architecture: Caden Werner, drums; Nehama Dormont, flute; and Frank Cloke, bass. 

Planning for this year’s event was led by Deidre Yingling, Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence; Bre Robinson, executive assistant to the executive vice president and provost; and Miki Wagner assistant to the executive vice president and provost. 

Angela Linse, director of the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence and associate dean for teaching, said the promoted faculty deserved the recognition they received, and much more. 

“The faculty and families I talked to tonight make it possible to achieve Penn State’s mission,” Linse said. “And for those that couldn’t attend, we are grateful for your passion for teaching, research, clinical and library work. These faculty have impactful interactions with our undergraduate and graduate students, and their time and energy leave impressions on our students that can last a lifetime.”