By Jo Anne Carrick
Campus Director, Penn State Shenango
SHARON, Pa. – Clearly – no pun intended – the year of 2020 was not true to its definition of clear vision. Despite the overwhelming day-to-day uncertainty, the nation worked hard to move forward.
Leaders are challenged to think differently, act with resolve, and embody the mindset of making things better. In this spirit, Penn State Shenango is working hard to advance its strategic initiatives that will help the region advance.
Our academic portfolio is growing to include four new majors that align with in-demand fields. Corporate communications, criminal justice, cybersecurity analytics and operations, and health policy and administration will join Shenango’s offerings in 2021. We look forward to continue to pursue new majors to support our region’s needs.
In 2020 we announced an updated design of our scholarship program for high-performing students. Penn State Shenango’s $3,000 for a 3.0 GPA program has been a staple at the campus since 2016.
This year we added tiers that allow students with grade-point averages ranging from 2.80 to a 3.50 to earn up to a total award of $20,000.
Good progress has been made on the $8 million modernization of our Forker Laboratory building, despite pandemic mitigation policies. This project will transform learning spaces into state-of-the-art classrooms and labs with technology to engage students and support success in their studies. We anticipate that students will be able to enjoy the renovated building this fall.
While our athletes were not able to compete this academic year, we are hopeful that competitions will resume in fall 2021 when we will launch our third sport, women’s basketball.
In 2020, we were fortunate to virtually host two commencements that celebrated 80 Penn State graduates who have entered the workforce in critical fields, such as health care and supply chain management.
As a partner to our community since 1965, we are grateful for the support that we receive and are committed to being a vital and active contributor to the region’s growth and enrichment.
We look forward to moving toward a clearer vision.