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.
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 owe my entire education and career to the Paterno Fellows Program. As a first-generation student in the United States coming from a low-income family, higher education was unattainable without financial support. The Paterno Fellows Program provided not only financial support, but a clear pathway for me to explore all of my interests, guided by amazing mentors and educators.
Ye Eun (Esther) Lee ’20 International Politics
Enrichment FundingInternational ResearchUndergrad Research
Sarah Paterno
’22
Anthropology
|
Psychology
Anthropology
Psychology
Sarah received enrichment funding to spend two months on an archaeological excavation in Bolivia. “This project has taught me how archaeological research is carried out, and I believe it has prepared me for continuing research at a graduate level,” she said.
Grad Research
Maggie Hernandez
’24
Ph.D. Anthropology
Ph.D. Anthropology
Maggie received a five-year, $327,812 Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Transition Award for a Diverse Genomics Workforce from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) to support her multifaceted research project, “Noventa Millas: Migration history, genomic ancestry, and health disparities among Cuban immigrants and Cuban-Americans in the United States.”
Grad Research
Alex Herrera
’25
Ph.D. Latin American History and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Ph.D. Latin American History and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Alex was awarded the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad fellowship through the U.S. Department of Education to conduct her dissertation research in Guatemala, where is is examining how transnational networks of Guatemalan, American, and European doctors, public health officials, politicians, city police, and sex workers created and shaped prostitution regulations and medical knowledge about sexually transmitted infections in Guatemala City.
Grad Research
Estilita Maria Cassiani Obeso
’22
Ph.D. Spanish and Linguistics
Ph.D. Spanish and Linguistics
“My research focuses on the use of Creole by a new generation. Palenquero is a Creole language, so my research compares its uses by other speakers, and I am reporting changes in the language. I am also helping teachers at schools in Palenque find better ways to teach Palenquero.”
Career Enrichment NetworkCommunication Arts and SciencesEducation AbroadEnglishEnrichment FundingPaterno FellowsPhilosophyResearch
Daniel Zahn
’20
English
|
Philosophy
|
Communication Arts and Sciences
English
Philosophy
Communication Arts and Sciences
As a student, Daniel, a Paterno Fellow alumnus, participated in a linguistics research project in Bassila, Benin made possible by the Career Enrichment Network, where his research focused on everyday language use.
Campus LeaderCommunication Arts and SciencesEntrepreneur
Diana Weidner
’20
Communication Arts and Sciences
Communication Arts and Sciences
As a student, Diana used her communication arts and sciences background to make an impact around the country. She is the founder of Connect Unplugged, an organization that plans and executes leadership retreats with a focus on detaching from technology to create authentic connections.
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.
Faculty ResearchHistoryMiddle East Studies
Laura Robson
William L. and Donna F. Oliver-McCourtney Professor of History
William L. and Donna F. Oliver-McCourtney Professor of History
A scholar who specializes in the Middle East and especially the Arab world, Laura and a fellow scholar launched a digital humanities project to tell the stories of and raise awareness and scholarship about stateless people.
AnthroplogyFaculty AchievementFaculty Research
Kirk French
Teaching Professor of Anthropology
Teaching Professor of Anthropology
In the summer of 2022, Kirk’s documentary—which explores environmental challenges faced by a Mexican community—was nominated for a Mid-Atlantic Emmy.
AnthropologyArchaeologyFaculty ResearchMatson Museum of Anthropology
James Doyle
Director, Matson Museum of Anthropology
Director, Matson Museum of Anthropology
A former assistant curator of art of the ancient Americas at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, James Doyle has big plans for the Matson Museum of Anthropology at Penn State, which will be relocated in the Susan Welch Liberal Arts Building in 2024.
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.
The scholarship I received from the College of the Liberal Arts was immensely important because it allowed me to focus entirely on my studies without having to devote time and energy to a part-time job. Before having been awarded this scholarship, I held a part-time job at FedEx, where I would lift and load boxes for five hours a day, three days a week. Needless to say, this scholarship also alleviated much mental and physical stress.
Kato Griffiths
Enrichment FundingInternational ResearchUndergrad Research
Sarah Paterno
’22
Anthropology
|
Psychology
Anthropology
Psychology
Sarah received enrichment funding to spend two months on an archaeological excavation in Bolivia. “This project has taught me how archaeological research is carried out, and I believe it has prepared me for continuing research at a graduate level,” she said.
Career Enrichment NetworkCommunication Arts and SciencesEducation AbroadEnglishEnrichment FundingPaterno FellowsPhilosophyResearch
Daniel Zahn
’20
English
|
Philosophy
|
Communication Arts and Sciences
English
Philosophy
Communication Arts and Sciences
As a student, Daniel, a Paterno Fellow alumnus, participated in a linguistics research project in Bassila, Benin made possible by the Career Enrichment Network, where his research focused on everyday language use.
Enrichment FundingGermanMultidisciplinary StudiesPaterno Fellows
Kiara Smith
Letters, Arts, and Sciences
|
Nutritional Sciences
|
German minor
Letters, Arts, and Sciences
Nutritional Sciences
German minor
Kiara spent a summer in Berlin earning credits towards her German minor. “The Paterno Fellows Program and the College of the Liberal Arts helped to fund my trip, which meant that while I was in Berlin I was able to focus more on my experiences and learning than on calculating and worrying about the cost of everything. Instead of staying in my room to save money, I went out and took day trips to places just outside of Berlin and a weekend trip out of Poland; I went to museums and cafes and bars where I got to meet Germans and make German friends.”
HistoryInternational PoliticsMentorship
Najee Rodriguez
’23
International Politics
|
History
International Politics
History
Najee’s alumni mentor helped guide him toward internship opportunities. “As a first-generation college student, it was extremely difficult to acclimate to college. My mentor has made me feel confident about the future that I want to have for myself. The magnitude of impact that Sharon has had in my life is indescribable.”
Chapel InternsEnrichment FundingInternshipLabor and Human ResourcesPolitical Science
Dan Risser
’23
Political Science
|
Labor and Human Resources
Political Science
Labor and Human Resources
Dan, a York, Pennsylvania native, had the opportunity to blend his two majors through a summer internship at Southwest Airlines, thanks to funding he received through the Virginia Todd Chapel Executive Internship Program in the College of the Liberal Arts.
EconomicsHistoryJewish StudiesMiddle East StudiesSchwartz Fellows
Josie Krieger
’22
History
|
Economics
|
Jewish Studies minor
|
Middle East Studies minor
History
Economics
Jewish Studies minor
Middle East Studies minor
Josie is the inaugural Rhea S. Schwartz Fellow in the College of the Liberal Arts. She started her fellowship in August 2022 working with AmeriCorps VISTA on refugee case management and economic empowerment in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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