Liberal Arts Experiences

Liberal Arts Experiences
Liberal Arts Experiences

Each Liberal Arts Experience is unique

But they all share similar traits: a sense of curiosity and exploration, a desire to learn and grow, and a yearning to make the world a better place. Experience some of that “experience” yourself through the stories of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni. 

Students Janiyah Davis (left) and Carter Gangl (right) sit with Dean Lang (center) outside Sparks Building.
Students Janiyah Davis (left) and Carter Gangl (right) sit with Dean Lang (center) outside Sparks Building.
Four Liberal Arts students walk down steps in Burrowes Building while conversing.
Four Liberal Arts students walk down steps in Burrowes Building while conversing.

Student Experiences

Read stories about our students making a difference on campus and in the community, and their experiences inside and beyond the classroom. 

I have received extensive support from the Career Enrichment Network through career coaching and workshops, as well as by taking the LA 103 professional development course this semester, which has been an amazing opportunity to learn more about beginning a career post-graduation.
Felicity Sarnoff, who is the Penn State College of the Liberal Arts as college marshal for the fall 2024 commencement ceremony, stands in front of trees and bushes at Penn State University Park.
Felicity Sarnoff
Entrepreneur

David Hayes

’26
Criminology
|
Psychology (minor)
Criminology
Psychology (minor)
David has used some of his time at Penn State to become a budding entrepreneur. After completing his first year, he founded David’s Dough, a baking company specializing in made-from-scratch cookies. “I ran through my savings my first year and really wanted to find a job I loved and was good at. With a traditional job I felt as though I was simply trading time for money, so I tried figuring out what I loved and was good at. I began by just selling cookies to my friends at home and eventually took it here.”
David Hayes, who will graduate Penn State in 2026, stands in a blue suit in front of Old Main at Penn State University Park.
5,500
+

undergraduate students

800
+

students participating in out-of-classroom experiences

870

graduate students

1,500

undergraduates met with a career coach

66

events hosted by the Career Enrichment Network 

40
%

of students identity as a member of a minority group

Most diverse college at Penn State University Park

Majors of Our Students

76%

social sciences

13%

humanities

6%

languages

5%

area and interdisciplinary studies

Faculty and Staff Experiences

Read stories about our faculty and the amazing work they do examining the past in order to make meaningful changes in the present that lead to a promising future, and the incredible staff who are so deeply committed to student, faculty, and alumni success.   

Faculty ResearchHistoryRichards Center

Rachel Shelden

Director of the George and Ann Richards Civil War Era Center
Director of the George and Ann Richards Civil War Era Center
Rachel is an associate professor of history who focuses her resarch on the political and constitutional history of the the long nineteenth century—encompassing 1789 to 1914.
RachelShelden
782 full-time faculty

325

tenured faculty

83

tenure-track faculty

374

non-tenure track faculty (full-time)

159

non-tenure track faculty (part-time)

122 Named and Distinguished Professors

25

named professors

24

Liberal Arts professors

21

distinguished professors

20

Sparks professors

17

early career professors and
career development professors

8

University
endowed fellows

4

Evan Pugh University
Professors

4

named deans chairs
and directorships

305

full-time staff

Alumni Experiences

Read stories about the incredible impact our alumni have on their alma mater, their professions, and the communities in which they live through their leadership, engagement, and philanthropy. 

My style or way of mentorship is to give mentees the time and space to identify the things they are very passionate about and get them to a point where they can clearly articulate why they enjoy it, as when it comes down to any accomplishment and what you do after college, the common thread is what your interests are and what you want to do. My mentorship is a tool. The only reason I exist is to be an informational resource and a surface to bounce ideas off of. The mentee does the work to materialize it, and I direct them to appropriate grant opportunities, help them enhance their applications to programs or introduce them to other people.
Ben Stewart is a 2015 Russian and Spanish alumnus.
Ben Stewart
Taylor Nelson is a 2017 criminology alumnus.
Mentorship

Taylor Nelson

’17
Criminology
|
Information Systems and Statistical Analysis (minor)
Criminology
Information Systems and Statistical Analysis (minor)
During his time at Penn State, Taylor was involved in the Liberal Arts Alumni Mentor Program, where he was matched with a mentor who helped him prepare for life after graduation. Taylor’s mentor was a business owner, and was able to give Taylor valuable input on his resume and networking skills. Taylor visited his mentor at his Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, company, where he talked to different employees and developed the confidence needed to pitch his background, education and professional goals.
213

student/alumni mentoring relationships

100K
+

liberal arts alumni

760
+

donor-funded accounts in the college

$ 0 M+

provided in scholarships (2021–22)

$ 0 k

provided in enrichment funding last year

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