Penn State Harrisburg offers American Sign Language I and II, and interest in the classes is expected to increase as the college’s communication sciences and disorders program, which began in 2020, grows.

In October 2023, Penn State announced that starting in spring 2024, students would be able to take American Sign Language to satisfy the bachelor of arts World Language degree requirement.

The Synthetic and Systems Biology Research Experience for Teachers (BIORETs) program, offered for the first time at Penn State Harrisburg last summer, provides research training to secondary science teachers in underserved school districts. 

Eight middle and high school teachers worked closely with Penn State Harrisburg faculty members on research projects, gaining skills and experience to take back to their classrooms. 

The EnvironMentors program links a high school student with an undergraduate student mentor and a faculty mentor at Penn State Harrisburg for an environmentally themed research project that takes place over the course of the academic year.

The teacher education programs in Penn State Harrisburg’s School of Behavioral Sciences and Education have been awarded full seven-year accreditation by the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP). 

In addition to meeting high standards, Penn State Harrisburg’s teacher education program is actively addressing the teacher shortage in Pennsylvania and nationally. The program focuses on preparing educators who are ready to meet the diverse needs of today’s classrooms and contribute positively to their communities. 

Renee Flasher, associate professor of accounting in the Penn State Harrisburg School of Business Administration, has been selected as a 2024-25 Fulbright Scholar and will travel to Portugal next summer to research the enforcement of data privacy regulations around the globe. 

Shaun Gabbidon, distinguished professor of criminal justice at Penn State Harrisburg, has been awarded a Fulbright-University of Birmingham Distinguished Scholar Award by the US-UK Fulbright Commission.

While at the University of Birmingham during Spring 2025, Gabbidon will engage with the works of Jamaican-born British sociologist, cultural theorist and political activist Stuart Hall in the university’s archives. He will also conduct research studies related to his ongoing research on “Shopping while Black.” 

For more photos from the Fall 2024 commencement!

The Fall 2024 Student Marshals

Wherever you go, don’t forget us! 💙🤍

Penn State alumnus and retired Penn State Harrisburg staff member John R. Baskwill has pledged an estate gift of $1.85 million to the college. After years in the banking industry, Baskwill joined Penn State Harrisburg in 1998 and worked at the college for 25 years before retiring as systems administrator in June 2023.

Penn State Harrisburg alumni and “lifelong friends” Gibran Jones and Marcellus Taylor have established the Jones/Tayor Legacy Scholarship, an annual gift of $2,500 for five years to support students who have financial need and who are pursuing degrees in the School of Business Administration. Jones and Taylor hope to grow the scholarship and help even more students in the future.

The Penn State Harrisburg Alumni Society honored recipients of the annual Alumni Achievement Awards and the People to Watch Awards in October. Alumni Achievement Award winners were: Jennifer Homendy, Robert Lambert, Joseph Marinko, Khalid Mumin, John Tierney and Matthew Tunnell. People to Watch winners were: Lynne Calamia, Nicholas Giglio, Kevin Matos, Corey Read, and Marcellus Taylor.

Jeffrey P. Merritt, a 1985 Penn State College of Engineering graduate, member and former chair of Penn State Harrisburg’s Board of Advisers and a longtime leader in the construction management industry, was named a 2024 Alumni Fellow.  Merritt was one of 12 Penn State alumni honored for their outstanding professional accomplishments and named Alumni Fellows, the most prestigious designation given by the Penn State Alumni Association.

Denis Crawford, a lifelong sports and history enthusiast, returned to higher education after 20 years of working in credit unions and earned his doctorate in American studies from Penn State Harrisburg in 2020. In 2022, he became the historian and exhibit designer for the College Football Hall of Fame, in Atlanta, Georgia, where he is responsible for overseeing its collections, and curating both temporary and permanent exhibits.

Alyssa M. Wilcox was named vice president for development and alumni relations at Penn State, effective Jan. 13. She previously was senior vice president and chief campaign planning officer at Purdue University.

Be sure to keep in touch with Alumni Relations!

Questions or comments? Email [email protected]

Three alumni and one former administrator were the first to be inducted into the Penn State Harrisburg Athletics Hall of Fame in October. The inaugural honorees were Kenton Alston, ‘12, men’s basketball; Daniel Francis, ‘11, men’s soccer; Kara (Boyd) Schanz ’12, softball; Reuben ‘Bud’ Smitley, longtime director of athletics.

Penn State Harrisburg baseball player Kevin Lehner was named the United East Male Senior Athlete of the Year for 2023-24. The award is the highest individual honor the United East Conference bestows.

Thomas Klemick, Penn State Harrisburg director of athletic communications, and Kendis Butler, assistant director of athletic communications, received five awards from College Sports Communicators for excellence in creative and digital design. The honors included Designer of the Year in the Best of Division II, for a portfolio of work from the 2023-24 athletic seasons.

Fans can keep up with Penn State Harrisburg Athletics all season long on Instagram, Facebook, X, and Youtube using the handle @pshbgathletics

Penn State Harrisburg goes international! ✈️