A Year of Achievements

We had many successes recently that will show us the way as we work toward the future. Our reputation for research––emphasized by our designation as a High Research Activity (R2) institution by the Center for Postsecondary Research––helped us be awarded the largest single grant for research in IUP history, a $4.98 million grant from the Department of Defense for the first three years of a project to enhance cybersecurity and STEM education in Pennsylvania.

In 2022, our student-athletes continued to shine in the classroom, on the playing fields and courts, and in our communities by winning numerous team and individual championships and by growing through academic progress and acts of service.

The IUP Alumni Association gained 2,658 new members, many of whom entered the workforce in Pennsylvania, infusing our communities with talented and skilled citizens who are going confidently in the direction of their dreams and making positive impacts while doing so.

Looking ahead, the fall 2022 class of first-year students was 4.1 percent larger than 2021’s, and applications for fall 2023 have steadily stayed ahead of the fall 2022 pace. In fact, applications are ahead of pace for each of the past five years, showing that the work we are doing points to a brighter future.

STUDENT-ATHLETES CONTINUE TO SHINE: A Year of Champions

During 2022, our women’s tennis, men’s basketball, men’s golf, and football teams won Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championships, and several individuals also claimed titles. Many of our coaches won honors from their peers, in the classroom we had a school-record 274 student-athletes earn PSAC scholar-athlete awards, and our Athletics alumni continued to show their support by staying involved with the Crimson Hawks. All in all, our student-athletes are part of a winning family that supports every member in many ways, and their victories are celebrated.

THE LARGEST SINGLE GRANT: Millions for Cybersecurity

IUP received $4.98 million from the Department of Defense for a project to enhance cybersecurity and STEM education in Pennsylvania. Part of a larger $11 million grant, it is the largest single grant that has ever been awarded to IUP. Waleed Farag, a professor of computer science and director of IUP’s Institute for Cyber Security, authored the grant application and will lead the team working on the project, which will establish a dynamic, collaborative consortium of community colleges, with IUP as the lead organization.

Waleed Farag

Photos from the Year