UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The College of the Liberal Arts at Penn State has named the Filippelli Institute for e-Education and Outreach in honor of Associate Dean Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Labor Studies Ronald L. Filippelli. His initial vision and continuing dedication to online education has led the college to a position of leadership in Penn State’s e-education endeavors."Thanks to Ron's pioneering vision in the late 1990s, the College of the Liberal Arts became one of the first active partners with the World Campus," said Susan Welch, the Susan Welch Dean of the College of the Liberal Arts. "Under his stewardship, the College began offering general education courses through the World Campus. However, he recognized that the World Campus could also bring the full Penn State educational experience to students across the country and around the world."Filippelli’s support of the core elements of a liberal arts education, which include working knowledge in critical thinking, ethics, diversity, communication, global context, and understanding individuals and organizations and their roles in society, led him to organize the delivery of the first World Campus baccalaureate programs, the bachelor of arts degree in letters arts and sciences (LAS) and the bachelor of science degree in organizational leadership.
Assistant Dean for Outreach and Online Education Avis Kunz said, "After the success of LAS, he brought together a dedicated team to work with faculty in the college’s departments to build high quality degree disciplinary programs and an enhanced general education portfolio that has brought the Penn State educational experience to students around the globe and has provided significant resources to the college."Filippelli continues to be a leader in developing World Campus strategies and programs. In addition to working closely with Kunz, he serves as a special adviser to Welch for e-education and other outreach initiatives, and contributes to the discovery, development and proposal of new degree opportunities for students pursuing higher education online. He is currently spearheading the development of a bachelor of science degree in applied social sciences, designed specifically as a degree completion program for students who wish to pursue studies in the social sciences.
The College of the Liberal Arts now offers 12 baccalaureate degrees, six undergraduate minors, one master’s degree and one associate degree through the World Campus with a new master’s program in leadership coming on line this fall.