Spring has sprung, and we are looking forward to sunny days, warm social interactions, and a radiant commencement ceremony on May 7 celebrating the completion of our spring semester.
Jenifer Cushman
Penn State Beaver Chancellor
The close of the 2021-2022 academic year also signals the end of our current campaign, and I wish to express a hearty thank you to all of you who have supported Penn State Beaver over the past five years through your time, treasure, and talents. Whether serving on our campus or program advisory boards, founding a scholarship to benefit lesser-resourced students in their pursuit of a Penn State education, or providing internship opportunities to soon-to-be graduates, we honor your generosity and service to our campus.
Thanks to you, we have identified many such resources to support our ambitious strategic plan. With a student success foundation and a diversity, equity, and inclusion framework, our strategic plan offers numerous ways to engage in a meaningful way with our campus.
Our focus on diversity and recruitment steered us to add 23 (and counting!) new scholarships that support diversity, entrepreneurship, internships, and direct student needs, as well as funds for campus projects like the Dr. Donna J. Kuga pavilion and other campus beautification efforts.
Experiential learning scholarships for students allow them to participate in high-impact learning practices such as internships and study abroad, in connection with our efforts towards inclusion and retention.
Finally, our work towards equity and inclusion supports both the establishment of the Beaver Valley Hub for Innovation, Venture, and Entrepreneurship — the B-HIVE, set to open in Beaver Falls fall of 2022 – and our student farm, one of many sustainability measures we are undertaking.
Even with the close of our campaign, we will continue to offer entertaining opportunities to further the Penn State Beaver strategic priorities: both the annual Food, Wine, and Ale event May 12 and the Golf Outing September 12 generate funds to support our students. We encourage you to participate in both of these upcoming events. I hope to see you there!
Best,
Jenifer Cushman