The evening was set to focus on entrepreneurship and the future of education — but Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi’s energy and charisma definitely doubled as the takeaway from the Penn State Lehigh Valley LaunchBox Ladies Ambassador Circle event on Nov. 16. It was the second time the new president visited the Lehigh Valley campus but the first opportunity most in the audience had to hear her speak.
Even before taking the reins as Penn State’s 19th president this month, Neeli Bendapudi has spent much of the spring traveling across the commonwealth on her listening tour of the University’s campuses.
Penn State President-elect Neeli Bendapudi visited Penn State Lehigh Valley on Monday, April 18, as part of her listening tour to meet with students, faculty and staff across Penn State’s campuses. During her tour stop, President-elect Bendapudi met in separate town hall-style sessions with staff and faculty, community partners (including advisory board members, alumni, and government and business leaders) and students.
Penn State President Eric Barron and a panel of local and industry leaders and entrepreneurs appeared in Harrisburg on Nov. 9 for a hearing of the Pennsylvania Senate Community, Economic and Recreational Development Committee. Titled “Improving Pennsylvania's Innovation Economy: Invent Penn State,” the hearing focused on Penn State’s efforts to drive economic development, job creation, entrepreneurship and innovation, and student career success through the Invent Penn State initiative.
Penn State has decided to delay the start of in-person classes and transition to a fully remote learning environment for the beginning of the spring 2021 semester at all campus locations. This decision was made following extensive analysis and scenario planning given worsening virus conditions nationally and across the state indicating predictions of rising hospitalization rates in the coming weeks.
Due to the economic challenges facing Pennsylvania and the nation, Penn State President Eric J. Barron announced plans today (April 23) to freeze tuition rates for all students University-wide for the 2020-21 academic year. The plan, which will be presented to the University’s Board of Trustees for final approval at its July meeting, would mark the third consecutive year that Penn State has held tuition rates flat for Pennsylvania resident students.
In the face of severe financial impacts to the University brought on by the global coronavirus pandemic, on April 23 Penn State President Eric J. Barron announced some salary adjustments; a 3% across-the-board cut to university budgets in the next fiscal year; and his intention to work with the Board of Trustees to freeze tuition for the 2020-21 academic year to limit student costs.
