Faced with the many challenges 2020 presented, staff in Undergraduate Education (UE) demonstrated creativity and resilience as they shifted student programming to virtual formats and supported students and instructors in the remote teaching and learning environment.

Here are just a few of the ways UE staff shined this year:

You offered a warm welcome to new students.

Student Orientation and Transition Programs developed a virtual orientation for entering students that captured the excitement of the moment. Undergraduate Admissions created a virtual Spend a Summer Day that enabled prospective students to explore Penn State programs from a distance. Penn State’s enrollment in fall 2020 bucked national trends and remained strong.

You counseled students 1:1 through Zoom.

The many UE offices that provide 1:1 support to undergraduates moved their work to Zoom and met students’ increased demand for guidance during the pandemic, often while handling increased family responsibilities of their own. Kudos to staff in the Division of Undergraduate Studies, Penn State Learning, Student Aid, Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Mentoring, Morgan Academic Center, and Student Success Center.

You helped students to become engaged remotely.

Staff in the Student Engagement Network (SEN) supported students in pursuing engagement experiences they could complete remotely. With support from SEN Remote Innovation Grants, Amanda Leibhardt piloted a backyard farming business, Frederick Miller amplified the voices of youth activists, and Joshua Achampong examined the work of under-represented architectural designers, to name just a few projects.

You shifted student programming online.

A number of UE units shifted programming online so Penn State students could continue to benefit from co-curricular learning opportunities. Programs included the Undergraduate Exhibition, LEAP, and financial literacy tutorials by the Sokolov-Miller Family Financial and Life Skills Center, among others.

You supported instruction during a challenging time.

The Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence created a wealth of virtual programs and resources to help instructors shift to remote teaching and learning. General Education and Prior Learning Assessment continued their great work and forged ahead with new initiatives despite the constraints of the pandemic.

You helped to make our classrooms safe.

As Penn State reconfigured space on campus to create physically distant classrooms, the Registrar’s office reassigned rooms to courses, and ROTC ceded its training facility so it could be used as a classroom.

Together, UE staff helped to provide students with the world-class experience Penn State is known for. Kudos for your hard work, dedication and resilience!

--Robert Pangborn, vice president and dean for Undergraduate Education