UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center (PRC) at Penn State has received a new commitment that will strengthen its Annual Lecture on Compassion. The lectureship was originally developed and funded by Mark Greenberg, the PRC’s founding director, and Christa Turksma, a curriculum developer and teacher of mindfulness skills. As the PRC prepares for this year’s free public lecture — scheduled for April 16 from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Bennett Pierce Living Center, 110 Henderson Building, at University Park — the couple has made a $70,000 gift to further fortify the endowment that supports the lecture series.
“When we treat compassion as something we can measure and strengthen, it opens the door to strategies that improve well-being before problems emerge," said Max Crowley, current director of the PRC. "That’s where the field is headed, and this series has helped lead that transition at Penn State and across the globe. We are grateful for Mark and Christa’s continued leadership with the lecture series.”
When the PRC hosted its first Lecture on Compassion in 2016, the event was grounded in a deliberately ambitious idea: Compassion deserved the same level of scientific rigor, interdisciplinary scholarship and institutional commitment as any other major area of human development research.
Over the past decade, the Lecture on Compassion has brought leading researchers to campus, fostered collaboration across disciplines and helped shape a growing field focused on well‑being, prevention and human flourishing.
“Our hope is that as the research in this field matures, Penn State will continue to be a leader in promoting caring, compassion and well-being,” Greenberg said.
The lecture series emerged from a broader vision within the Prevention Research Center to move beyond addressing problems after they appear and to instead promote positive development across the lifespan. From its earliest planning, compassion was understood not as an abstract virtue, but as a measurable, teachable capacity with meaningful implications for education, health and society.
The Lecture on Compassion was created in tandem with the establishment of the Bennett Endowed Chairs of Compassion and Caring, funded through the philanthropy of Edna Bennett Pierce, with additional support from Greenberg and Turksma.
“The chairs and the lecture were designed to reinforce one another — supporting sustained research while also ensuring that new ideas and debates were regularly brought into the academic community,” Greenberg said.
At the time of the lecture’s creation, compassion was still an emerging area of scientific study. While empathy had entered public discourse, compassion — particularly its neurological, developmental and health‑related dimensions — was less well understood. The lecture series was intended to accelerate that work by positioning Penn State's expertise at the center of these conversations.
That vision came into focus with the inaugural lecture in 2016, delivered by University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry Richard J. Davidson, whose work in contemplative neuroscience helped establish the tone for the series. His lecture demonstrated how compassion and well‑being could be studied scientifically and cultivated through intentional practice, setting a precedent for future speakers whose work bridges basic research and real‑world application.
Since that first year, the Lecture on Compassion has welcomed distinguished scholars whose research spans psychology, neuroscience, human development, mindfulness, education and public health. As the series developed year by year, each lecture added depth and perspective, contributing to a cumulative understanding of compassion as both a scientific construct and a practical force in people’s lives.
While the annual lecture remains the most visible component of the series, much of its influence has occurred beyond the formal presentation. Visiting speakers routinely engage with faculty, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers through lab visits, discussions and informal gatherings. These conversations have helped spark new research collaborations, challenge assumptions within the field and influence the direction of ongoing work at Penn State.
Over the decade, the focus of the lecture series has evolved alongside advances in science itself. Early discussions emphasized defining compassion and differentiating it from related concepts such as empathy. More recent lectures have explored how compassion influences physical health, stress regulation, emotional resilience and long‑term outcomes across the lifespan.
This growing body of research has strengthened connections between compassion, prevention science and public policy, according to Greenberg.
“And there's some pretty good evidence that these interventions that promote compassion and positive emotions can impact health outcomes and health and education policies,” Greenberg said.
Philanthropy has played a central role in sustaining and expanding the Lecture on Compassion. Donors who support the series have helped ensure that it remains accessible to the public while also enabling companion workshops and programming that translate research into practice.
Greenberg explained that this exposure is what helps grow the field.
“When others see what's going on, it often leads to more interest in growing this research," Greenberg said.
The lecture series also reflects Penn State’s longstanding commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration. Compassion research draws on psychology, biology, sociology, education, public health and neuroscience, reinforcing the idea that complex human challenges cannot be solved within a single discipline.
As the Lecture on Compassion marks its 10th anniversary, its future is intentionally being shaped by a new generation of scholars. Early-career faculty, whose research reflects the field’s continued evolution, will guide the direction of upcoming lectures and ensure that the series remains responsive to new questions and methodologies.
“After 10 years, the Lecture on Compassion has moved from a bold idea to a sustained scientific and institutional commitment," Crowley said. "As the field continues to evolve, Penn State is positioned not just to participate in that growth, but to help define how compassion is understood, measured and applied to improve lives around the world.”
The Annual Lecture on Compassion will once again bring a leading voice in the science of human flourishing to the University Park campus. This year’s lecture will feature Barbara Fredrickson, Kenan Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and director of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Fredrickson will present “Everyday Compassionate Connections: Health Benefits & Conducive Conditions” on April 16 from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Bennett Pierce Living Center, 110 Henderson Building, at University Park. In addition to the lecture, the PRC hosts a workshop on compassion for the public. This year's workshop will be led April 15 at 9 a.m. by Kamilah Majied, professor of social work at California State University, Monterey Bay. Additional details and registration information are available on the PRC website.
Donors like Bennett Pierce, Greenberg and Turksma advance the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students to join the Penn State family and prepare for lifelong success; driving research, outreach and economic development that grow our shared strength and readiness for the future; and increasing the University’s impact for families, patients and communities across the commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting raise.psu.edu.