Penn State Behrend faculty members are using custom Zoom backgrounds to better engage with students during this period of remote learning. "If it lightens the mood a bit, then it served its purpose," said Dean Lewis, assistant teaching professor of mechanical engineering.
At 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 9, Penn State will host its first virtual commencement. The ceremony will be livestreamed, and available internationally, at https://spring2020.commencement.psu.edu/.
Given the continuing challenge and uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic and to protect the health of students, faculty and staff, Penn State has made the decision to extend virtual delivery of courses into the summer. Further, the University will adjust tuition for the summer sessions in light of the ongoing pandemic and the persistent fiscal strain it is causing across Pennsylvania and the country.
This year's college graduates will enter the most challenging job market since the peak of the Great Recession, in 2009. Penn State Behrend's career counselors can help.
"This pandemic is going to change many things about the way we do business," said Rod Troester, associate professor of speech communication at Penn State Behrend. Many companies, for example, likely will continue to use Zoom and other video conferencing software.
A virtual "spirit week" is lightening the mood for students in Penn State Behrend's secondary math education program. But it's also a teaching technique.
Penn State Behrend's April 18 admissions open house will be offered entirely online, with customized web pages and more than 40 Zoom meeting rooms. The college also is offering virtual tours and individual online meetings with admissions counselors, financial aid representatives, faculty members and coaches.
Each year, Penn State honors several students for the highest levels of academic excellence, outstanding leadership and meritorious service. The 2020 student award recipients exemplify best practices and achievements among Penn State students, reflecting the University's mission of teaching, research and service.
Celeste Makay, a senior majoring in environmental science at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, has been named recipient of the 2020 Ralph Dorn Hetzel Memorial Award.
Floor tape and drawer labels have made the materials lab at Penn State Behrend safer for the students and faculty members who work there. The lab was reconfigured during a three-day "Kaizen" program in late 2019.
