A Note from Neeli: Dec. 2023

To the Penn State community,  

As 2023 draws to a close, I am filled with immense gratitude for the extraordinary contributions of our remarkable faculty, staff and students. You have demonstrated unwavering resilience, creativity and dedication, and you inspire me every day. 

As you reflect on the past year, I hope you take pride in what we have achieved together. I also hope that over the winter break you will take time to relax with your family and friends. The winter season is a time of goodwill and cheer, but we also know global events and personal experiences may create challenges and difficult circumstances for far too many, including those on our campuses. If you are navigating adversity, I hope you have found and will continue to find support in the Penn State community.  

I sincerely thank all who have supported and uplifted our students, staff and faculty. 

Over the past year, we began an ambitious journey to chart our University's future, and while I am looking forward to what’s next, I also want to take time to reflect on the impact of your efforts from 2023. As Penn Staters, you are continuing to educate and support the next generation of leaders, conduct research and develop new knowledge to address pressing problems facing humanity, and drive progress in the commonwealth and beyond. 

While I wish I could meet with each of you individually to express my gratitude, please know that I’m cheering you on and celebrating your triumphs every step of the way. I was particularly impressed by the abundance of thoughtful responses you all shared following my last note. (And please share more!). 

The incredible range of impacts you, your peers and your colleagues shared was truly inspiring, showcasing the exceptional dedication and talent that make our community so remarkable. I want to do the same — recognize a handful of the community members who exemplified success and who have had great influence across our priority areas in 2023.  

As the very heart of our mission, you are providing opportunities for every student to realize success, both inside and outside the classroom.  

• A national honors society for first generation students officially launched. 

• Students were recognized for their outstanding efforts, including the team behind “Centre County Report” that won Best Newscast and Hard News Reporting. 

• Two students were recently named finalists for the Rhodes Scholarship, one of the most sought-after scholarships in the world.  

• This year, students danced for 46 hours to raise $15 million for THON (a record amount!). 

• Student-athletes are winning on the field and in the classroom with eight conference championships, one NCAA championship and two NCAA Final Fours — all while earning a cumulative 3.31 GPA in the spring.  

• Many students’ successes are bolstered by the hard work of our faculty and staff, with several of them being recognized with University-wide awards for excellence in teaching and support.  

You are reinforcing our commitment to interdisciplinary research, a critical component of our $1.2 billion research enterprise, and creative activity. When disciplines unite, innovation sparks.  

• As part of a $26 million grant, researchers are combining gas-powered turbines and electric batteries to create new solutions for sustainable aviation.  

• Seven faculty members have been recognized this year as distinguished professors.  

• In the College of Arts and Architecture, researchers have scoured the Yucatán peninsula to document and preserve murals painted more than 400 years ago, pairing art history with cutting-edge materials science to gain new insights about these fragile artworks. 

• Researchers are forging international collaborations to create nature-inspired materials that can adapt, respond to the environment, self-power, and regenerate to meet the challenges of adaptive architecture. 

You are creating positive impacts in our neighborhoods and communities. 

• At Penn State Berks, faculty were awarded a $1.6 million grant to establish a youth violence intervention and prevention program in the surrounding county.  

• Civil engineering professors are working in Lancaster, Pennsylvania to discover how cities can better manage stormwater to address severe urban flooding and pollution. 

• With the help of the Mon Valley LaunchBox powered by Penn State Greater Allegheny, a McKeesport, Pennsylvania community member launched a CPR instruction startup to spread knowledge and save lives. In total, more than 400 new companies have been launched across the state as part of our Invent Penn State entrepreneurial network. 

• We also came together to raise more than $100,000 (best amongst the Big Ten!) to support campus food pantries and student emergency funds for Penn State students across the commonwealth. 

You are also continuing to show your commitment to foster diverse, inclusive and welcoming campuses for all. 

• Formed and led by faculty and staff members, the University recently launched its first two Employee Resource Groups to promote an inclusive and supportive workplace environment for LGBTQ+ employees and allies and to engage, connect and unite Penn State’s military-connected employees. 

• Several students earned a Fannie Lou Hamer and W.E.B. DuBois Service Scholarship for their service to the African American community.  

• Penn State Abington celebrated their first-generation college students, faculty and staff mentors. 

• A professor in the College of Education was awarded the Civil Rights Data Science Impact Fellowship to pursue research related to educational equity issues. 

Our University operations are becoming more agile and responsive to address our community needs.  

• Thousands of Penn State supporters successfully advocated for our state appropriations by reaching out to their elected officials and making their voices heard. You can join our advocacy efforts at psu.edu/advocate.

• Seed grants from the Office of the Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses provided campus leaders with the support to implement transformative initiatives and best practices that have been successful at other University campuses.  

• You are helping transform research support operations so that faculty, staff and students can devote their full attention to the pursuit of groundbreaking discoveries and innovations. 

• Workgroups comprised of more than 80 community members across the University completed preliminary work as part of the multi-year process to implement our next strategic plan. More will be shared on this soon! 

Through collaboration and synergies across the University, you are helping to strengthen health care.  

• Penn State Health Children’s Hospital and Penn State College of Medicine brought an international research consortium to Hershey to strengthen their fight against childhood cancer and after 20 years, research is informing the development of a new drug for neuroblastoma that is pending FDA approval. 

• A Penn State team, led by a neurologist and data scientist, explored how to keep people engaged in physical activity long-term, in the hopes of preventing Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. 

• Penn State College of Medicine and Penn State’s Clinical Translational Science Institute collaborated to improve rural health and address health disparities through community informed research and outreach.  

Wow — when I see that all written out, I’m overwhelmed with pride in our community. Better yet, this is only a sampling of the amazing work happening every day at Penn State.  

I sincerely hope you take some well-deserved time during the upcoming break to celebrate all you’ve accomplished and to rest, unplug and recharge with loved ones.

When we step into 2024, let’s keep this spirit of gratitude and determination with us. Together, we will elevate Penn State to become an even greater institution of excellence, a catalyst for positive change and a community of belonging for all.  

We Are! 
Neeli