A Note from Neeli: Penn Staters, you made a difference in 2025

Dear Penn State community,

As we near the end of the calendar year, please take time to reflect on the significant difference that you and your peers have made as Penn Staters in 2025. Across our classrooms, labs, offices, student organizations, sports venues and community spaces, your work has been extraordinary. From faculty and staff contributing to our new Penn State Strategic Plan, to technical service workers keeping our campuses running and looking beautiful, to 16,500 student volunteers raising a record-breaking $17.7 million at THON, to the community welcoming our new executive vice president and provost — there is much to celebrate. Whether you’re a student, employee, alum or neighbor, I hope that the Penn State community is a source of connection for you, as it is for me. I am honored to work alongside each of you as we embrace new approaches to create transformative experiences for our students and fulfill our Penn State mission.

I’m sharing just a handful of 2025 highlights from across our institutional priorities. There’s no way to capture every achievement from across our campuses, colleges, administrative units, teams and organizations (listing all your accomplishments would fill our libraries)! From individual successes to shared moments of pride, these examples are a snapshot of who we are as Penn Staters; what matters to us; what we aspire to achieve; and how we are creating real impact in our communities, the commonwealth and the world.

This is impact that you can see when our students cross the stage at commencement to become alumni in one of the largest alumni networks in the world, feel when our Four Diamonds children and families experience THON, and share when an idea takes shape to become a life-changing solution for our world. This is why we’re here, and you made it — and so much more — happen.

This year, you helped our students succeed in and outside the classroom through transformative experiences that will prepare them for success after graduation in the workplace and in life. 

• Approximately 21,150 degrees have been awarded, including those expected this month, to Penn Staters across all our campuses and World Campus in 2025. These new graduates — including recently-revealed Nittany Lion mascot and soon-to-be alumnus from the College of Engineering, aspiring doctors and twin sisters from the College of the Liberal Arts, Army veterans and married couple from World Campus, and 75-year-old adult Greater Allegheny student — join a powerful alumni network totaling 802,500 around the world.  
• The Penn State Chaiken Center for Student Success has expanded support for undergraduates through academic coaching, a school supplies closet and first-generation community-building. In addition, Student Affairs opened a new space in the HUB-Robeson Center and Penn State Altoona launched a new Lion for Life Mentoring program that are helping to foster community, increase meaningful student engagement and create new opportunities for student success.  
• AI programming continued to expand with new majors and minors, curricula, and opportunities for students and faculty in the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST), College of Engineering, Smeal College of Business, and Bellisario College of Communications, in addition to seed funding for faculty at the Commonwealth Campuses and a new group of AI-aware instructional leaders across the University named by the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence, and more. Learning spaces like the Manufacturing Innovation and Learning Lab at Penn State Berks are providing an environment where students, faculty, industry partners and community members can work together to solve real-world manufacturing challenges using AI, advanced robotics and smart technology. Thanks to these efforts and many others, we have strong momentum going into 2026 for continued success and innovation that positions Penn State as a leader in the AI era. 
• Thirty-six faculty and staff members who are making a difference for our students were awarded with Faculty and Staff Awards in categories including teaching, mentoring, advising and academic support.  
• LEAP, the Learning Edge Academic Program, celebrated 30 years of serving tens of thousands of first-year students who took summer classes, received mentorship from a peer student leader and experienced on-campus life. 
• Students raised $17.7 million for THON, breaking yet another record and dancing for 46 hours to raise money to battle pediatric cancer. 
• Showcasing the excellence and dedication of our student body, a number of students and alumni made contributions in their fields. Among them are IST student Asa Reynolds who took first place in the U.S. Department of Energy national cybersecurity competition, two Penn Staters from the College of Engineering — graduate student Kevin Mekulu and alumnus Adam Uliana — were named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 lists, Penn State Behrend duo Cadence Rand and Andrew Jack Bond launched an AI consulting company, Schreyer Scholar and College of Agricultural Sciences student Emma Chaplin was named a finalist for a 2026 Rhodes Scholarship, and College of Education alumna Ashlie Crosson who was named National Teacher of the Year.  
• Our student athletes excelled on and off the field. Across the commonwealth, two Penn State Harrisburg students earned accolades, including women's soccer player Diana Pon, who was named an All-American by the United Soccer Coaches, the first player in program history to earn all-America honors, and softball player Madelyn Lehigh, who was named the United East Female Senior Athlete of the Year, the highest individual honor the conference bestows. At University Park, students celebrated two team and two individual national championships, seven conference titles and three national semifinal appearances. Academically, our student-athletes earned a record-tying 93% NCAA Graduation Success Rate and 13 programs earned perfect 100% ratings. This is the ninth consecutive year the Nittany Lions have posted a record or record-tying performance in the classroom. Our students also earned 423 Academic All-Big Ten honors and 150 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar awards. 

You advanced interdisciplinary research, knowledge and creative activity that has an impact across our commonwealth, country and world. 

• Penn State’s research enterprise reached a new milestone with $1.44 billion in total research expenditures — the largest in the University’s history — reflecting external and internal investments in critical research areas like artificial intelligence, national defense, energy resilience, agriculture and public health.
• With 12 faculty members and 10 students receiving awards, Penn State was once again a top producer of Fulbright scholars, tying for second nationally. 
• The world’s first 2-D non-silicon computer was developed at Penn State, ushering in possibilities for faster and more energy-efficient electronics.  
• Penn State will co-lead a national brain health and dementia prevention initiative aimed at advancing early Alzheimer's detection, made possible through a $39 million grant from the National Institute on Aging. 
• A team of researchers at Penn State Schuylkill and Lehigh Valley were awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice FY24 STOP School Violence program to improve school climate through education, prevention and training. The team is collaborating with local schools and law enforcement.  
• Among the many faculty members and researchers recognized for accomplishments in their fields were Jainendra Jain, who was named Wolf Prize laureate in physics, one of the highest honors in the world of science; Richard Alley, renowned geoscientist, who was awarded the National Medal of Science, the highest honor the U.S. bestows on scientists; and Réka Albert, who was elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Additionally, three Penn State researchers were awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor the government bestows on early-career scientists and engineers.
• Eighteen graduate students across 15 graduate programs were awarded inaugural Fox Endowment scholarships, enabling these students to pursue excellence in their research and academic endeavors.
• We announced a new research institute, the National Security Institute, aimed at enhancing Penn State’s contributions to defense and national security. 
• Penn State earned a national trailblazer award for our Sustainable Labs Program highlighting efforts to advance sustainability in the University’s academic laboratories. 
• Alumna Zena Cardman became the fifth Penn Stater to go to space and is currently serving as commander for the SpaceX Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station. And as humanity prepares to take its first steps on Mars, a new report commissioned by NASA and steered by Penn State scientists lays out a strategy to guide initial human missions to the planet.  

You upheld Penn State’s land-grant mission throughout communities across the state. 

• Penn State helped to power Pennsylvania’s economy with a $15.8 billion impact and supported nearly 110,000 jobs. In fact, one out of every 10 jobs in Pennsylvania is supported by Penn State and our alumni. 
• Ag Progress Days attracted 42,000 visitors and featured over 430 exhibitors from across the U.S., and countries including Canada, Italy, Poland, Ireland and more. 
• With a record harvest, the Arboretum at Penn State donated a record-breaking 2,872 pounds of produce to help the local food bank, the Student Farm distributed 19,000 pounds of produce and the Lion’s Pantry served nearly 2,500 individuals.  
• Penn State broke its record for annual fundraising thanks to notable gifts supporting student wellness, health, career readiness, and campus and community impact, including Tom Golisano’s transformative $50 million commitment to Penn State Health Children’s Hospital; Julie and Jason Borrelli’s $2 million gift to launch a new collegiate mental health initiative; Jonathan Wolf’s landmark gift to scale up resources for undergraduates studying to become addiction and recovery professionals; the Clark Foundation’s $11 million gift to further invest in the Clark Scholars Program; Steve and Nancy Sheetz’ continued commitment to the Sheetz Fellows Program and the Sheetz Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence; the Werzyn family’s gift to name West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium; and Skip Smith’s $25 million estate gift that brings his total giving to more than $43 million and whose support launched and sustains the Arboretum.  
• The Veterans Business Outreach Center at Penn State expanded its reach in 2025 by adding new regional locations, increasing statewide access to entrepreneurship training and no-cost business advising for veterans, service members and military families. 
• PennTAP celebrated its 60th anniversary, continuing its mission of helping Pennsylvania manufacturers and small businesses improve energy efficiency, reduce waste and strengthen operational performance. 
• The Invent Penn State LaunchBox & Innovation Network expanded its statewide impact, including the opening of a new innovation space — the Williamsport LaunchBox supported by Ken and Kristie Healy — at Pennsylvania College of Technology. Since 2015, the network has supported 9,785 entrepreneurs, facilitated the launch of 641 new companies across Pennsylvania, and contributed to the creation of 861.5 jobs. 
• Thousands of Penn State supporters and students participated in grassroots advocacy campaigns. Federally, advocates worked to protect vital federal student aid programs, which more than 19,000 Penn State students rely on each year to access world-class educational experiences. In addition, 250 students traveled to Harrisburg for the annual Advocate Penn State Capital Day to successfully advocate for state appropriations that benefit over 41,000 Pennsylvania-resident Penn State students. Join our advocacy efforts at psu.edu/advocate. 

You created opportunities for Penn Staters to build community and find belonging. 

• The 1,000th all-time “We Are!” shoutout was submitted this year — and more than half of these were shared in 2025 alone. That’s a 55% increase over 2024 and is reflective of the powerful impact that members of our community can make for their colleagues by taking a few minutes to give public kudos to others. 
• Three staff members from Penn State Great Valley, the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Department of Chemical Engineering were honored with 2025 University Staff Advisory Council awards for embodying Penn State’s values and going above and beyond. 
• Penn State’s new Center for Faculty Development and Advancement launched as a hub for faculty and administrators, bringing together professional development opportunities, original programming, mentoring resources and faculty recognition under one umbrella. 
• Through a resource-sharing project led by graduate students, the School of Music donated gently used instrument strings to help young musicians in need in South America and Thailand pursue the arts. 
• Since our Years of Service Program launched, 5,792 employees have celebrated an anniversary milestone: Of those, 2,750 were for between five- and 50 years, and the other 3,042 were for one- and three-year anniversaries. In October and November alone, 54 Penn Staters celebrated 25-year anniversaries! 
• A new employee resource group to support employees with disabilities and their allies launched this year to join the existing four resource groups. 

You demonstrated your commitment to the health and well-being of Pennsylvanians and beyond. 

• Reaching a record 1.3 million people this year, Penn State Health and the College of Medicine invested a total $205.8 million into community health programs to improve mental health, health equity, and wellness and disease prevention. 
• Through a collaborative effort with the College of Nursing’s Tressa Nese and Helen Diskevich Center for Geriatric Nursing Excellence, College of Health and Human Development’s Center for Healthy Aging, and Outreach’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Penn State joined the Age-Friendly University Global Network, an international group of higher education institutions committed to promoting positive and healthy aging.
• The Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health recognized Penn State for substantial contributions to rural health, naming Dr. Michael McShane as the 2025 Pennsylvania Rural Health Hero of the Year and LION Mobile Clinic as one of Pennsylvania's Rural Community Stars for the clinic’s growing impact on expanding access to care across rural communities.  
• Penn State was awarded the state’s first Centers for Disease Control colorectal cancer screening grant of its kind to expand colorectal cancer screenings, enabling earlier detection, stronger prevention efforts, and improved access to life-saving screenings in rural and underserved areas in Pennsylvania. 
• Achieving a major milestone, Penn State Health completed its 600th heart transplant, remaining the only hospital in the state outside of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia to offer heart transplant surgery. 
• The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center became the third hospital in the United States to be designated a National Guard Training Center, offering specialized trauma, nursing and deployment skills training.  

Thank you for the dedication and commitment you’ve shown this year. In case you missed it, here’s another look at our Penn State end-of-year video celebrating our “We Are” spirit.

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season and a restful start to the new year. I am grateful for the connections, collaborations and friendships throughout 2025.  

Sincerely,  

Neeli