The Penn Stater Magazine
@pennstatermag.com
The official magazine of the Penn State Alumni Association. Great stories about great Penn Staters.
Freshly graduated from PSU, Bill Rozday ’88 Lib reflected on the historical past & his imminent future in the quiet darkness of Greenwood Furnace State Park, amid a suite of Revolutionary War veteran graves & a restored iron furnace representative of American labor: pennstatermag.com/my-thoughts-...
Nights at the Park
Finding freedom, and clarity, among history’s echoes.
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February 9, 2026 at 7:45 PM
Freshly graduated from PSU, Bill Rozday ’88 Lib reflected on the historical past & his imminent future in the quiet darkness of Greenwood Furnace State Park, amid a suite of Revolutionary War veteran graves & a restored iron furnace representative of American labor: pennstatermag.com/my-thoughts-...
The mission of the Gluten Avoidant Society is to give gluten-avoidant students a welcoming environment to increase their knowledge of gluten-free food on and off campus. Read more in the Campus Life section of the Jan/Feb '26 issue: pennstatermag.com/campus-life/...
Campus Life: January / February 2026
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February 6, 2026 at 7:30 PM
The mission of the Gluten Avoidant Society is to give gluten-avoidant students a welcoming environment to increase their knowledge of gluten-free food on and off campus. Read more in the Campus Life section of the Jan/Feb '26 issue: pennstatermag.com/campus-life/...
Francesco Di Gioia, assoc. prof. of vegetable crop science, has been conducting research focused on increasing the nutritional value of microgreens for meeting short-term nutritional needs for people in crisis or conflict situations. Read more: pennstatermag.com/faculty-expe... #WeAre #PennStaterMag
Powerful Garnish
Enriched microgreens can feed people in crises, says Francesco Di Gioia, associate professor of vegetable crop science.
pennstatermag.com
February 3, 2026 at 11:30 PM
Francesco Di Gioia, assoc. prof. of vegetable crop science, has been conducting research focused on increasing the nutritional value of microgreens for meeting short-term nutritional needs for people in crisis or conflict situations. Read more: pennstatermag.com/faculty-expe... #WeAre #PennStaterMag
We sat down with Smeal College of Business Dean Corey Phelps to discuss new initiatives within Smeal, how the college’s graduate programs can succeed in the face of increasing competition, & how faculty are incorporating AI into their curriculum: pennstatermag.com/collections/... #WeAre #PennStater
Creating Connection
From emerging technologies to collaborations across campus, Smeal College of Business Dean Corey Phelps is committed to enhancing student experiences.
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January 28, 2026 at 2:00 PM
We sat down with Smeal College of Business Dean Corey Phelps to discuss new initiatives within Smeal, how the college’s graduate programs can succeed in the face of increasing competition, & how faculty are incorporating AI into their curriculum: pennstatermag.com/collections/... #WeAre #PennStater
From our November/December 1995 issue: Revisit the seemingly cursed construction of the Bryce Jordan Center as it rose from a hole in the ground to become Pennsylvania’s third major entertainment market: pennstatermag.com/BJC #WeAre #PennStaterMag #PennStater #BJC #UniversityPark
The Lions’ New Den
From our November/December 1995 issue: Dreams really do come true, they just take a lot longer than expected.
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January 23, 2026 at 4:45 PM
From our November/December 1995 issue: Revisit the seemingly cursed construction of the Bryce Jordan Center as it rose from a hole in the ground to become Pennsylvania’s third major entertainment market: pennstatermag.com/BJC #WeAre #PennStaterMag #PennStater #BJC #UniversityPark
Last summer, Professor of History & Asian Studies Greg Smits aspired to find & photograph the remains of archeological sites from the 1300s & 1400s that counter the long-held notion of the remote Japanese Ryukyu Islands as a pacifist paradise. Read more: pennstatermag.com/faculty-expe... #WeAre
Faculty Spotlight: Revising Japanese History, on Foot
For his new book, historian Greg Smits clocked many hours walking through remote parts of Japan’s Ryukyu Islands.
pennstatermag.com
January 20, 2026 at 7:15 PM
Last summer, Professor of History & Asian Studies Greg Smits aspired to find & photograph the remains of archeological sites from the 1300s & 1400s that counter the long-held notion of the remote Japanese Ryukyu Islands as a pacifist paradise. Read more: pennstatermag.com/faculty-expe... #WeAre
Then & Now: PSU's first informal alumni association meeting—with 12 attendees, all men—was held in Old Main in 1870, & the association’s offices were located in the building’s east wing until 2001, when staff moved into the newly opened Hintz Family Alumni Center & the adjoining University House.
January 16, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Then & Now: PSU's first informal alumni association meeting—with 12 attendees, all men—was held in Old Main in 1870, & the association’s offices were located in the building’s east wing until 2001, when staff moved into the newly opened Hintz Family Alumni Center & the adjoining University House.
Two new, state-of-the-art facilities have remade University Park’s West Campus, & dozens of PSU Engineering alumni had prominent roles in the process. Check out a gallery of photos of the new eCoRE & EDI buildings by Nick Sloff ’92 A&A: pennstatermag.com/campus-life/... #WeAre #PennStateAlums
Engineering the Future
The addition of two new, state-of-the-art facilities has remade University Park’s West Campus, creating a new hub for College of Engineering students and a thriving home for education, collaboration,…
pennstatermag.com
January 14, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Two new, state-of-the-art facilities have remade University Park’s West Campus, & dozens of PSU Engineering alumni had prominent roles in the process. Check out a gallery of photos of the new eCoRE & EDI buildings by Nick Sloff ’92 A&A: pennstatermag.com/campus-life/... #WeAre #PennStateAlums
Niel Brandt & Donald Schneider, profs of astronomy & astrophysics, discuss the Legacy Survey of Space & Time, from the scope of its discoveries to the types of images it provides with a camera that's the size of a car, with a pixel count equal to 267 iPhone cameras: pennstatermag.com/faculty-expe...
Q&A: Niel Brandt and Donald Schneider
Niel Brandt and Donald Schneider discuss the Legacy Survey of Space and Time.
pennstatermag.com
January 12, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Niel Brandt & Donald Schneider, profs of astronomy & astrophysics, discuss the Legacy Survey of Space & Time, from the scope of its discoveries to the types of images it provides with a camera that's the size of a car, with a pixel count equal to 267 iPhone cameras: pennstatermag.com/faculty-expe...
The Blue Loop is a free CATA bus line that University Park students & others use to get around an expanding campus. A few fun facts: 16 STOPS that traverse the campus perimeter; 4.3 MILES covered, clockwise, each time around the loop; 825,536 RIDERS climbed aboard the Blue Loop in 2024.
January 9, 2026 at 3:30 PM
The Blue Loop is a free CATA bus line that University Park students & others use to get around an expanding campus. A few fun facts: 16 STOPS that traverse the campus perimeter; 4.3 MILES covered, clockwise, each time around the loop; 825,536 RIDERS climbed aboard the Blue Loop in 2024.
“The Blue Band was why I came to Penn State,” says its drum major, Ellie Sheehan. She was spellbound watching the Band’s pregame show as a child, then joined as a freshman in 2021. Last spring, she became the first female drum major in the band’s 125-year history: pennstatermag.com/campus-life/...
Everyday People: Ellie Sheehan
Trailblazing drum major Ellie Sheehan savors a historic senior season.
pennstatermag.com
January 6, 2026 at 8:00 PM
“The Blue Band was why I came to Penn State,” says its drum major, Ellie Sheehan. She was spellbound watching the Band’s pregame show as a child, then joined as a freshman in 2021. Last spring, she became the first female drum major in the band’s 125-year history: pennstatermag.com/campus-life/...
Our Jan/Feb '26 issue is online now (& in member mailboxes soon). Features include a Q&A with new Smeal College of Business Dean Corey Phelps, a profile of an anthropology alum's explorations of immigrant stories, & a look inside two new, state-of-the-art engineering facilities: pennstatermag.com.
December 30, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Our Jan/Feb '26 issue is online now (& in member mailboxes soon). Features include a Q&A with new Smeal College of Business Dean Corey Phelps, a profile of an anthropology alum's explorations of immigrant stories, & a look inside two new, state-of-the-art engineering facilities: pennstatermag.com.
Then & Now: Oswald Tower, named for former university president John W. Oswald, was constructed in 1973 and demolished last summer, and the area was converted into green space. . #WeAre #PennStaterMag #PennStater #UniversityPark
December 26, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Then & Now: Oswald Tower, named for former university president John W. Oswald, was constructed in 1973 and demolished last summer, and the area was converted into green space. . #WeAre #PennStaterMag #PennStater #UniversityPark
A well-executed lineout—a throw-in from out-of-bounds—can be a major advantage in rugby. Penn State men’s rugby coach Zac Mizell offers some insight into how his players perform lineouts & what they’re looking to accomplish: pennstatermag.com/sports/chalk... #WeAre #PennStaterMag #PennStater #rugby
Chalk Talk: Zac Mizell
Learn how to execute a lineout from the men's rugby coach.
pennstatermag.com
December 23, 2025 at 7:02 PM
A well-executed lineout—a throw-in from out-of-bounds—can be a major advantage in rugby. Penn State men’s rugby coach Zac Mizell offers some insight into how his players perform lineouts & what they’re looking to accomplish: pennstatermag.com/sports/chalk... #WeAre #PennStaterMag #PennStater #rugby
For Eduardo Navas, interim director of the School of Visual Arts in the College of Arts & Architecture, art is constantly evolving. After doing doctoral research & writing a book on "remixing," Navas is looking at how AI can enhance the artistic process: pennstatermag.com/faculty-expe... #WeAre
Faculty Spotlight: The Art of Remix
For Eduardo Navas, remixing existing art is an essential part of the creative process.
pennstatermag.com
December 22, 2025 at 3:02 PM
For Eduardo Navas, interim director of the School of Visual Arts in the College of Arts & Architecture, art is constantly evolving. After doing doctoral research & writing a book on "remixing," Navas is looking at how AI can enhance the artistic process: pennstatermag.com/faculty-expe... #WeAre
Kitchen Chemistry, says Linlin Jensen, a teaching professor of chemistry in the Eberly College of Science, is designed to “teach better chemistry and improve students’ understanding of how chemistry relates to their daily lives.” Read more about this Cool Class: pennstatermag.com/Chem5 #WeAre
Cool Class: CHEM 5 Kitchen Chemistry
Linlin Jensen is taking the "fear" out of chemistry by putting it in the kitchen.
pennstatermag.com
December 18, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Kitchen Chemistry, says Linlin Jensen, a teaching professor of chemistry in the Eberly College of Science, is designed to “teach better chemistry and improve students’ understanding of how chemistry relates to their daily lives.” Read more about this Cool Class: pennstatermag.com/Chem5 #WeAre
Catch up with Caroline Jurevicius, who shares her gratitude for being able to play volleyball at PSU after watching games here as a child & what it's like to play alongside her sister & under the influence of her dad, All-Big Ten & NFL WR Joe Jurevicius ’97 H&HD: pennstatermag.com/jurevicius #WeAre
Nittany Lion Spotlight: Caroline Jurevicius
The sophomore outside hitter enjoys gaining and imparting knowledge of sports.
pennstatermag.com
December 17, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Catch up with Caroline Jurevicius, who shares her gratitude for being able to play volleyball at PSU after watching games here as a child & what it's like to play alongside her sister & under the influence of her dad, All-Big Ten & NFL WR Joe Jurevicius ’97 H&HD: pennstatermag.com/jurevicius #WeAre
Jennifer Kowalkowski, an asst. prof. in the Nese College of Nursing, is developing a conceptual model to explain how farm owner-operators experience & respond to occupational stress, in hopes of improving farmers' situations. Read more: pennstatermag.com/faculty-expe... #WeAre #PennStaterMag
Better Mental Health Care for Farmers
A Penn State nursing professor is working to address the mental strain that leads many farmers to depression.
pennstatermag.com
December 15, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Jennifer Kowalkowski, an asst. prof. in the Nese College of Nursing, is developing a conceptual model to explain how farm owner-operators experience & respond to occupational stress, in hopes of improving farmers' situations. Read more: pennstatermag.com/faculty-expe... #WeAre #PennStaterMag
"Each year, someone on the [Renaissance Interest House] floor would design a logo & we’d have shirts printed up." Margaret Hack Merlino ’85 Bus shared the story of her Renaissance House sweatshirt for this issue's Item of Note. Share your unique item & story at itemofnote@psu.edu. #WeAre #PennStater
December 11, 2025 at 8:00 PM
"Each year, someone on the [Renaissance Interest House] floor would design a logo & we’d have shirts printed up." Margaret Hack Merlino ’85 Bus shared the story of her Renaissance House sweatshirt for this issue's Item of Note. Share your unique item & story at itemofnote@psu.edu. #WeAre #PennStater
The Bryce Jordan Center is home to concerts & other events in addition to men’s & women’s basketball games. Here are the most popular food & beverage items consumed last year in the BJC:
31,830: Pounds of Chicken Tenders
59,359: Soft Pretzels
5.9 million: Fluid ounces of nonalcoholic beverages
31,830: Pounds of Chicken Tenders
59,359: Soft Pretzels
5.9 million: Fluid ounces of nonalcoholic beverages
December 9, 2025 at 5:00 PM
The Bryce Jordan Center is home to concerts & other events in addition to men’s & women’s basketball games. Here are the most popular food & beverage items consumed last year in the BJC:
31,830: Pounds of Chicken Tenders
59,359: Soft Pretzels
5.9 million: Fluid ounces of nonalcoholic beverages
31,830: Pounds of Chicken Tenders
59,359: Soft Pretzels
5.9 million: Fluid ounces of nonalcoholic beverages
At the height of WW II...a correspondent asked a G.I., “Where would you rather be right now, soldier?” And radio listeners heard the young man reply, “I’d rather be in State College, Pennsylvania...at the Rathskeller.” From our Nov/Dec '75 issue: pennstatermag.com/Rathskeller #WeAre #PennStaterMag
2,184 Fridays at the All-American Rathskeller
The cover feature from the Penn Stater’s November/December 1975 issue relays the humble beginnings and early All-American enthusiasts of State College’s oldest saloon.
pennstatermag.com
December 5, 2025 at 12:00 AM
At the height of WW II...a correspondent asked a G.I., “Where would you rather be right now, soldier?” And radio listeners heard the young man reply, “I’d rather be in State College, Pennsylvania...at the Rathskeller.” From our Nov/Dec '75 issue: pennstatermag.com/Rathskeller #WeAre #PennStaterMag
Read about two of the players most responsible for the recent success of the Penn State women's hockey team & how they made history this summer by being the first two Nittany Lions drafted by the Professional Women’s Hockey League: pennstatermag.com/sports/two-s... #WeAre #PennStaterMag #PennStater
Two for the Show
Hockey alums Brianna Brooks and Lyndie Lobdell are ready to make their mark in the PWHL.
pennstatermag.com
December 2, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Read about two of the players most responsible for the recent success of the Penn State women's hockey team & how they made history this summer by being the first two Nittany Lions drafted by the Professional Women’s Hockey League: pennstatermag.com/sports/two-s... #WeAre #PennStaterMag #PennStater
Meet the Greens, a Detroit alumni couple thriving on unlikely career paths they've forged together--she's a Pulitzer-nominated, James Beard Journalism Award-winning food writer, he's a HS football coach. Last year, they welcomed their son on Thanksgiving day: pennstatermag.com/alumni/bound... #WeAre
Bound and Determined
Marcus and Lyndsay Green couldn’t have guessed the twists their career paths have taken, but thanks to big dreams, a shared resilience, and a willingness to evolve, both are thriving—much like the…
pennstatermag.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Meet the Greens, a Detroit alumni couple thriving on unlikely career paths they've forged together--she's a Pulitzer-nominated, James Beard Journalism Award-winning food writer, he's a HS football coach. Last year, they welcomed their son on Thanksgiving day: pennstatermag.com/alumni/bound... #WeAre
Writing contemporary thrillers didn’t prepare Paul Levine '69 Com for the demands of historical fiction. Read more about the crime drama author's experience producing Midnight Burning, inspired by a 1931 photo of Albert Einstein & Charlie Chaplin in tuxedos: pennstatermag.com/my-thoughts-... #WeAre
Plot Twist
Embracing an unexpected detour into historical fiction.
pennstatermag.com
November 24, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Writing contemporary thrillers didn’t prepare Paul Levine '69 Com for the demands of historical fiction. Read more about the crime drama author's experience producing Midnight Burning, inspired by a 1931 photo of Albert Einstein & Charlie Chaplin in tuxedos: pennstatermag.com/my-thoughts-... #WeAre
Penn State's men’s club water polo team has been competitive on the national stage, winning 12 Mid-Atlantic Division regional championships since 1998 & finishing in the top 10 in 8 of the last 9 national championships. Read more: pennstatermag.com/campus-life/... #WeAre #PennStaterMag #PennStater
November 21, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Penn State's men’s club water polo team has been competitive on the national stage, winning 12 Mid-Atlantic Division regional championships since 1998 & finishing in the top 10 in 8 of the last 9 national championships. Read more: pennstatermag.com/campus-life/... #WeAre #PennStaterMag #PennStater