The Penn Stater Magazine
@pennstatermag.com
The official magazine of the Penn State Alumni Association. Great stories about great Penn Staters.
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
"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
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
Wherever in the world you made an unexpected PSU connection, we want to hear about it! Send us your small-world stories (250 words or less) of meeting fellow Nittany Lions far from Happy Valley at pennstater@psu.edu by Friday 12/5, & we’ll include as many as we can in an upcoming issue. #WeAre
November 18, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Wherever in the world you made an unexpected PSU connection, we want to hear about it! Send us your small-world stories (250 words or less) of meeting fellow Nittany Lions far from Happy Valley at pennstater@psu.edu by Friday 12/5, & we’ll include as many as we can in an upcoming issue. #WeAre
Engineering prof Sanjay Joshi already had a 180-gallon fish tank in his basement at home as a hobby when Josh Nagel ’97 Sci approached him back in the early 1990s about adding an aquarium to the HUB as part of a class project. Read more: pennstatermag.com/campus-life/... #WeAre #PennStaterMag
November 7, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Engineering prof Sanjay Joshi already had a 180-gallon fish tank in his basement at home as a hobby when Josh Nagel ’97 Sci approached him back in the early 1990s about adding an aquarium to the HUB as part of a class project. Read more: pennstatermag.com/campus-life/... #WeAre #PennStaterMag
For generations of Penn Staters, Mike “The Mailman” Herr turned a mundane trip to the post office into a treat. While you’re waiting to pick up a copy of the memoir he recently published with his daughter, check out our 2016 feature “The Mayor of 16802”: pennstatermag.com/campus-life-... #WeAre
October 31, 2025 at 12:30 AM
For generations of Penn Staters, Mike “The Mailman” Herr turned a mundane trip to the post office into a treat. While you’re waiting to pick up a copy of the memoir he recently published with his daughter, check out our 2016 feature “The Mayor of 16802”: pennstatermag.com/campus-life-... #WeAre
The Nov/Dec '25 issue of the Penn Stater magazine is online now & in member mailboxes soon. Features include a look at how PSU is addressing the rural health care crisis; an alumni couple’s story of carving unexpected career paths; & an interview with Penn State’s new provost: pennstatermag.com.
October 30, 2025 at 7:00 PM
The Nov/Dec '25 issue of the Penn Stater magazine is online now & in member mailboxes soon. Features include a look at how PSU is addressing the rural health care crisis; an alumni couple’s story of carving unexpected career paths; & an interview with Penn State’s new provost: pennstatermag.com.
Then & Now: In the first photo, Paul Heppner ’82 EMS delivers a weather report in the campus weather service studio in the early 1980s, while Fred Gadomski ’83 EMS works the camera. In the second, Gavin Sandel ’25 EMS delivers a full-color forecast in March 2025. #WeAre #PennStaterMag #PennStater
October 27, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Then & Now: In the first photo, Paul Heppner ’82 EMS delivers a weather report in the campus weather service studio in the early 1980s, while Fred Gadomski ’83 EMS works the camera. In the second, Gavin Sandel ’25 EMS delivers a full-color forecast in March 2025. #WeAre #PennStaterMag #PennStater
PSU offers 11,000+ undergraduate courses each year. Here are a few “class” superlatives: 726: Seats in Thomas 100, the largest classroom at University Park; 347: Sections of ENGL 15 for fall 2025, the most of any course; & 10,154: Miles from UP to Melbourne, Australia, the farthest class from PA.
October 24, 2025 at 2:00 PM
PSU offers 11,000+ undergraduate courses each year. Here are a few “class” superlatives: 726: Seats in Thomas 100, the largest classroom at University Park; 347: Sections of ENGL 15 for fall 2025, the most of any course; & 10,154: Miles from UP to Melbourne, Australia, the farthest class from PA.
Current students share favorite tailgating memories. Alums, what are yours? #WeAre #PennStaterMag #PennStater #NittanyLions #PSUHomecoming
Video by Penn Stater intern Sarah Grosch.
Video by Penn Stater intern Sarah Grosch.
October 10, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Current students share favorite tailgating memories. Alums, what are yours? #WeAre #PennStaterMag #PennStater #NittanyLions #PSUHomecoming
Video by Penn Stater intern Sarah Grosch.
Video by Penn Stater intern Sarah Grosch.
Meet magazine intern Sarah Grosch! If you can catch up with her, that is. Sarah is one busy senior, but manages to find time to create video content for the Penn Stater's social channels. We're glad to have her. #WeAre #PennStaterMag #PennStater
October 1, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Meet magazine intern Sarah Grosch! If you can catch up with her, that is. Sarah is one busy senior, but manages to find time to create video content for the Penn Stater's social channels. We're glad to have her. #WeAre #PennStaterMag #PennStater
Wherever in the world you made an unexpected Penn State connection, we want to hear about it! Send us your small-world stories of meeting fellow Nittany Lions far from Happy Valley at pennstater@psu.edu no later than 10/31, and in fewer than 250 words, for an upcoming issue. #WeAre #PennStaterMag
September 30, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Wherever in the world you made an unexpected Penn State connection, we want to hear about it! Send us your small-world stories of meeting fellow Nittany Lions far from Happy Valley at pennstater@psu.edu no later than 10/31, and in fewer than 250 words, for an upcoming issue. #WeAre #PennStaterMag
It's White Out Game day! What better time to reflect on your best tailgating memories? While you wait for kickoff, check out some alum memories from our Sept/Oct '25 issue and share yours. #WeAre #PennStaterMag #PennStater #PennStateAlums #NittanyLions #PennStateWhiteOut
September 27, 2025 at 1:45 PM
It's White Out Game day! What better time to reflect on your best tailgating memories? While you wait for kickoff, check out some alum memories from our Sept/Oct '25 issue and share yours. #WeAre #PennStaterMag #PennStater #PennStateAlums #NittanyLions #PennStateWhiteOut
The September / October ’25 issue of the Penn Stater magazine is online now (& in member mailboxes soon). Features include a look at the Beaver Stadium renovations, a profile of actor/director Jonathan Frakes, & a post-conviction law story with a life-altering outcome: pennstatermag.com #WeAre
September 3, 2025 at 1:15 PM
The September / October ’25 issue of the Penn Stater magazine is online now (& in member mailboxes soon). Features include a look at the Beaver Stadium renovations, a profile of actor/director Jonathan Frakes, & a post-conviction law story with a life-altering outcome: pennstatermag.com #WeAre
Remote Area Medical is a national organization that runs free mobile medical, dental, and eye care clinics. The Penn State chapter was founded seven years ago, and its members attend and volunteer at two to three clinics per year along the East Coast. Read more: pennstatermag.com/campus-life/...
August 26, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Remote Area Medical is a national organization that runs free mobile medical, dental, and eye care clinics. The Penn State chapter was founded seven years ago, and its members attend and volunteer at two to three clinics per year along the East Coast. Read more: pennstatermag.com/campus-life/...
Welcome back, students! Roughly 14,000 students live on the University Park campus, and they begin moving in a week before the start of the fall semester, with staggered dates for first-year and returning students to help manage the flow. Then and now, moving in looks pretty much the same! #WeAre
August 22, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Welcome back, students! Roughly 14,000 students live on the University Park campus, and they begin moving in a week before the start of the fall semester, with staggered dates for first-year and returning students to help manage the flow. Then and now, moving in looks pretty much the same! #WeAre
Today, Zena Cardman, former PSU doctoral candidate in geosciences, is expected to lead a crew of four from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. Revisit our Sept/Oct '17 feature on Cardman: pennstatermag.com/alumni-archi... #WeAre
July 31, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Today, Zena Cardman, former PSU doctoral candidate in geosciences, is expected to lead a crew of four from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. Revisit our Sept/Oct '17 feature on Cardman: pennstatermag.com/alumni-archi... #WeAre
Penn State Libraries are a vast resource for students, faculty, alumni, & PA residents. Here are a few statistics that showcase their reach:
10.3 million: Physical and electronic titles
6.8 million: Annual visits in person and online
390+: Full-time staff
Illustrations by Joel Kimmel.
10.3 million: Physical and electronic titles
6.8 million: Annual visits in person and online
390+: Full-time staff
Illustrations by Joel Kimmel.
July 29, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Penn State Libraries are a vast resource for students, faculty, alumni, & PA residents. Here are a few statistics that showcase their reach:
10.3 million: Physical and electronic titles
6.8 million: Annual visits in person and online
390+: Full-time staff
Illustrations by Joel Kimmel.
10.3 million: Physical and electronic titles
6.8 million: Annual visits in person and online
390+: Full-time staff
Illustrations by Joel Kimmel.
Our July/Aug '25 issue is online now (and in member mailboxes soon). Features include a look at 125 yrs of the Blue Band; a Q&A with Tom Verducci, arguably the most respected voice in baseball; and a profile of George Daniel, who is leading Penn State’s iconic fly-fishing program. pennstatermag.com.
June 30, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Our July/Aug '25 issue is online now (and in member mailboxes soon). Features include a look at 125 yrs of the Blue Band; a Q&A with Tom Verducci, arguably the most respected voice in baseball; and a profile of George Daniel, who is leading Penn State’s iconic fly-fishing program. pennstatermag.com.
Penn State's Food Chemistry Club, founded in 2019 & with a current membership of 20-30 students, aims to offer participants a new perspective on the chemistry associated with food & cooking. Read about the club & other Campus Life stories from our May/June issue: pennstatermag.com/campus-life/...
June 18, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Penn State's Food Chemistry Club, founded in 2019 & with a current membership of 20-30 students, aims to offer participants a new perspective on the chemistry associated with food & cooking. Read about the club & other Campus Life stories from our May/June issue: pennstatermag.com/campus-life/...
The Penn State Golf Courses are a busy place during the spring & summer months. Here are a few numbers that illustrate the activity: 1.6 million: Estimated balls hit per year at driving range; 70,000: Rounds per year at Blue & White Courses combined; 20: Est. yearly average of holes-in-one #WeAre
June 2, 2025 at 7:00 PM
The Penn State Golf Courses are a busy place during the spring & summer months. Here are a few numbers that illustrate the activity: 1.6 million: Estimated balls hit per year at driving range; 70,000: Rounds per year at Blue & White Courses combined; 20: Est. yearly average of holes-in-one #WeAre
Summer sessions begin this week, and our interns headed out to ask current students what their favorites have been during their time at University Park. Video by Steph Oliver and Sarah Grosch.
Alums, tell us about your summer session experiences. #WeAre #PennStateAlums #PennStaterMag #PennStater
Alums, tell us about your summer session experiences. #WeAre #PennStateAlums #PennStaterMag #PennStater
May 20, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Summer sessions begin this week, and our interns headed out to ask current students what their favorites have been during their time at University Park. Video by Steph Oliver and Sarah Grosch.
Alums, tell us about your summer session experiences. #WeAre #PennStateAlums #PennStaterMag #PennStater
Alums, tell us about your summer session experiences. #WeAre #PennStateAlums #PennStaterMag #PennStater
Then: The first 11 Penn State diplomas were awarded in the spring of 1861, when the university was known as the Farmers’ High School. Now: In 2024, more than 22,000 new graduates received their diplomas during commencement ceremonies.
Congrats to all the brand new #PennStateAlums! #WeAre
Congrats to all the brand new #PennStateAlums! #WeAre
May 15, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Then: The first 11 Penn State diplomas were awarded in the spring of 1861, when the university was known as the Farmers’ High School. Now: In 2024, more than 22,000 new graduates received their diplomas during commencement ceremonies.
Congrats to all the brand new #PennStateAlums! #WeAre
Congrats to all the brand new #PennStateAlums! #WeAre
We asked alums to share their favorite date night spots from their time at Penn State, and we heard "The Corner Room" more than once. Magazine interns Steph Oliver and Sarah Grosch asked current students the same question. Find out the common response from a new generation of Penn Staters. #WeAre
May 2, 2025 at 7:02 PM
We asked alums to share their favorite date night spots from their time at Penn State, and we heard "The Corner Room" more than once. Magazine interns Steph Oliver and Sarah Grosch asked current students the same question. Find out the common response from a new generation of Penn Staters. #WeAre