Penn State wins CASE award for collaboration

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — On Dec. 17, Penn State received the Bronze Best Collaborative Program Award in the CASE District V Awards program for the 2019 Penn State Asia Pre-Departure Program. This award is a result of the excellent collaboration between Global Programs and the International Development Office at Penn State.

“Penn State’s Pre-Departure Orientation provided a great platform to advance other priorities of the University,” said Rolf Dietrich, international development officer. “We were able to engage younger and more senior alumni, who shared their experiences at Penn State and the impact a Penn State degree has had for them.”

The Pre-Departure Orientations ran from June 15 to July 23, 2019, in four separate cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul and Taipei. The objective of the 2019 Pre-Departure Orientation (PDO) was to engage new paid-accepted students and their families to connect with Global Programs, student leaders, and alumni to provide students with important academic, visa, and social information. The PDO aimed to help new students be better prepared to make a successful transition to university life in the United States.

“The award is a recognition of our key utilization of international alumni contacts throughout the process,” said Jennifer Campbell, director of global operations and learning in global programs. Campbell played an integral part in the planning and execution of the orientation sessions.

Overall, more than 1,000 people participated in the PDO across the four cities. During the orientation process, students were given information on life at Penn State, an overview of visa and immigration issues, and an opportunity to meet alumni and parents from their respective countries.

“The Pre-Departure Orientation provides excellent opportunities for global engagement as our paid-accepted students and families are inspired by examples of leadership and career development of our Penn State alumni in Asia,” said Anna Marshall, global education coordinator at Penn State Harrisburg and PSU Pre-Departure Orientation Program Lead.

Marshall traveled to Chicago to accept the award at the CASE District V conference, which took place Dec. 15-17.

 “I was honored to accept the award on behalf of Jennifer, Rolf, and the University,” she said.

For more information on Penn State’s Pre-Departure Orientations in Asia, contact Anna Marshall at awm15@psu.edu.