Penn State’s Commonwealth Campuses and the state’s community colleges have announced a new collaboration aimed at expanding educational opportunities in Pennsylvania and removing barriers to degree completion among college students. The collaboration builds upon long-standing relationships between the campuses and the community colleges and a shared commitment to access and affordability in higher education.
Numerous undergraduate research programs in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are offered at Penn State University College campuses, providing students with a special chance early in their post-secondary academic careers.
The University College at Penn State is the collective administrative umbrella for 14 of Penn State's campuses distributed throughout the commonwealth. A key area of the college is the records office, located at the University Park campus, where work is done to help support the successful graduation of students and assistance of faculty and staff across the 14 campuses.
A new research program for students will be launched this coming fall: The Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses Undergraduate Student Research Fund aims to support student-led projects in different fields. Participants will acquire hands-on experience in research, scholarship, and artistic efforts. They will be responsible for creating their own research problems, study proposals, methodologies, and presenting their findings.
A series of seed grants from the Office of the Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses has provided Penn State campus leaders with the support to implement transformative initiatives and best practices that have been successful at other University campuses.
Rick Brazier, senior associate dean for faculty and research in the Office of the Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses, has been named interim dean of Penn State’s 14-campus University College.
