UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Renata Engel, vice provost for Online Education, has been named interim vice president for Commonwealth Campuses and executive chancellor, effective May 19.
Engel will provide continued leadership for Penn State’s Commonwealth Campuses following the departure of Margo DelliCarpini, who announced in March that she will be taking on a new role at the College of New Jersey. Engel will focus on the role of vice president for Commonwealth Campuses full time. Karen Pollack, associate vice provost for Online Education, will serve as acting vice provost for Online Education while Engel fills this role.
Engel brings with her decades of leadership experience at Penn State. Since 1990 she has held diverse roles at Penn State, first as a member of faculty, and holds the title of professor of engineering mechanics and engineering design. As an administrator, she previously served as the associate vice provost for online programs, associate dean for academic programs in the College of Engineering and director for the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence. Engel has worked closely with the administration, faculty and staff at the University’s academic colleges and campuses, collaborating on numerous task forces, committees and initiatives that impact all of Penn State.
She said she is honored to accept the interim role and pledged to continue the collaborative approach that has defined her career.
“I am humbled to have been entrusted with this critical interim assignment. I want the students, faculty and staff on our campuses to know that I believe deeply in the educational mission that our campuses have helped to fulfill for decades,” Engel said. “I know this is a time of great change for our Commonwealth Campus communities as the University’s leadership team and Board of Trustees consider changes that will position Penn State for success long into the future.”
“While no final decisions have been made and important deliberations continue, I can say to all of our campus communities that I am committed to supporting students and their success, and will continue to work with care to minimize the impact of changes on our employees in the coming years.”
Tracy Langkilde, interim executive vice president and provost, thanked Engel for stepping into the role.
“Renata has valuable experience in supporting student success and learning across many locations, and engaging faculty across units to meet this mission,” Langkilde said. “She brings strong leadership to this interim role, at a critical moment in time. I know Renata’s collaborative approach and deep experience will help to drive success.”
Engel, a native of Connellsville, Pennsylvania, started as an undergraduate at Penn State Fayette and graduated from the University Park campus in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in engineering science. She completed a doctorate in engineering mechanics from the University of South Florida in 1988.
In her role as vice provost for Online Education, she provides overarching leadership of online programming in partnership and collaboration with deans, chancellors, vice presidents and vice provosts across the institution.
Through these collaborations, Engel has sought to create a diverse and comprehensive portfolio of online degree programs, one that reflects the needs of today’s adult learners and online learners. Additions under Engel’s leadership include launches of the Penn State online MBA led by the Smeal College of Business, a bachelor of science in software engineering from Penn State Behrend, a doctor of education from the College of Education and doctor of engineering from the College of Engineering, and a master of social work from the College of Health and Human Development. Engel has also focused on creating innovative pathways to a Penn State education online, such as the stackable credentials that are offered in partnership with the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School, the Great Valley School of Professional and Graduate Programs, the College of the Liberal Arts and the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.
As part of a team of University administrators that designed and implemented solutions to address learners’ needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, Engel co-led a committee that supported the University’s shift from in-person learning to remote instruction.
Additionally, Engel helped create five programs designed to address the financial, academic and personal challenges students face as they strive toward earning their degrees. The programs include the summer bridge program Pathway to Success: Summer Start (PaSSS) at select Commonwealth Campuses and Smart Track to Success for Penn State World Campus. The University raised millions of dollars to endow scholarships, through what became the Open Doors Scholarship program, for students participating in those five programs.
Engel’s strategic priorities at World Campus have focused on student success, access to education and affordability.
This year, Engel oversaw the launch of the Penn State World Campus Chaiken Center for Student Success. The virtual Chaiken Center is one of five centers of its kind created through the philanthropy of Penn State alumni Gene and Roz Chaiken. It brings together student-facing services, such as academic advising and support resources that have been developed for World Campus students.
Engel has been focused on helping students be successful in their first year so that they have the confidence to continue into their second year. The one-year retention rate for all incoming undergraduate degree-seeking World Campus students who began in the 2023-24 academic year was the highest reported in the past five years. Programming includes a scholarship program that helps students new to higher education successfully navigate their first year, as well as academic coaching, a peer mentoring program and more.
“I have always thought that we are at our best as a University when we work together to develop innovative solutions to solve our challenges,” Engel said. “That is why I approach every decision or recommendation with the breadth and comprehensiveness of this University in mind.”