Impact

Penn State lauded for leadership in global learning, research and engagement

Credit: APLUAll Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State has been recognized by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) with the 2019 APLU Gold Level Award in Leadership and Pervasiveness. This award is a part of the Association’s annual Global Learning, Research and Engagement Awards Program. Penn State Executive Vice President and Provost Nicholas Jones accepted the award at the APLU annual meeting in San Diego on Nov. 10.

The Gold Level Award in Leadership and Pervasiveness recognizes the degree to which an institution’s leadership, at the president and provost level, has made internationalization a priority for the institution and the degree to which internationalization pervades the culture across campus.

“Penn State is honored to receive this prestigious award from the APLU,” Jones said. “It reflects our unwavering commitment as a public research university to take an inclusive approach to global engagement, research and learning, and to measure the impact of our many efforts in these areas.”

In announcing the award, APLU noted several important ways that Penn State has worked to develop and implement a Global Penn State effort to spur more pervasive internationalization, including making Enhancing Global Engagement a pillar of the University’s Strategic Plan; investing in the creation of 12 new staff positions at Commonwealth Campuses to provide immigration advising and co-curricular programming for undergraduate international students; and the formation of the Global Advisory Council, a body of industry, academic and government leaders who advise the provost on internationalization efforts.

“Over the last decade, we’ve dedicated considerable time and effort to building what we call the Global Penn State,” said Rob Crane, interim vice provost for Global Programs. “I think this award is proof that our work has paid off, and that Penn State is now a truly global university.”

For questions regarding the award and the process, contact Jennifer Theiss, senior assistant director for strategic initiatives in the Office of Global Programs, at jaw34@psu.edu. To learn more about the APLU’s Global Learning, Research and Engagement Awards Program, click here.

Last Updated September 3, 2020