Schreyer at 25: A retrospective of honors education at Penn State

Schreyer community steps up in support of record Penn State fundraising campaign

A six-year, University-wide fundraising campaign titled A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence reached an emphatic conclusion this June by surpassing its $2.1 billion goal. The generous support of Honors College alumni, partners, and friends allowed Schreyer to contribute a robust $19.9 million that helped push the campaign beyond its target.

According to Sean Miller, the College’s senior director of development and alumni relations, “the focus on our Scholars” was the driving force that delivered such a significant amount of money.

“The vast majority of [our] total raised [will benefit] the campaign’s Open Doors imperative, which directly supports our Schreyer Scholars with financial need,” Miller said. “Our Scholars are exceptionally talented, and sometimes they need extra financial assistance to help them across the finish line towards their degree. This campaign is helping them earn their Penn State degree and Scholars medal on time with less debt.” Along with increased scholarship funding, the money raised through this campaign will expand resources for travel abroad, research, and internship support.

Miller is quick to point out that many people played crucial roles in making those resources a reality for current and future Scholars.

“[Scholar alumnus] Ryan Newman (Bus ’01) deserves a ton of thanks for his leadership as volunteer chair for the Honors College in the campaign. Dean Patrick Mather helped bring us home in the last year of the campaign, former Dean Peggy Johnson really provided needed leadership during her tenure, and former Dean Chris Brady helped to plan the campaign.

“Thousands of people stepped up to give in support of Schreyer Scholars. There are too many to list, but each person who gave, whether it was $5 or $500,000 deserves a huge thank you. Lastly, the College’s development and alumni relations team worked really hard day-in and day-out in support of the Scholars,” he said. While the Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence campaign and its total of $2,204,949,028 raised is cause for great celebration, fundraising and development work must continue with diligent purpose.

“We still have some lofty goals when it comes to supporting Scholars and their academic success,” Miller said. “Support from alumni, parents, and friends is an investment in the future so Scholars can go out and make a positive impact on the world. Philanthropy in support of the Schreyer Honors College is truly helping to shape those who will shape the world.”

For details on fundraising and development opportunities, please contact Senior Director of Development and Alumni Relations, Sean Miller at smm401@psu.edu. Also, you can make a gift to Schreyer Honors College at raise.psu.edu/Schreyer

It’s all Dutch to them: Two Scholars’ journey to a summer studying linguistics in the Netherlands

Amira El-Dinary and Amanda Gryskevicz like to call themselves the “A-Team.” While they borrow their name from a television show from nearly 40 years ago, they are forward-thinking with their research and studies in linguistics and psychology.

The pair of rising fourth-year Scholars spent eight weeks together this past summer at Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. While there, El-Dinary and Gryskevicz began working on a proect for which they would collect and analyze speech recognition data from English monolingual and Dutch-English bilingual speakers to gain a deeper understanding of speech perception. Ultimately, their findings could help improve word learning and conversation.

El-Dinary summarized the project saying that “participants will be listening to single words in background speech. For example, we will play the word ‘lawnmower’ in the presence of two speakers talking in the background and the goal is to identify and type the word ‘lawnmower’ and tune out the background sentences.”

The seeds for their research and international studies were planted in the fall of 2020, when life at Penn State functioned a bit differently than it does today.

“I was a teaching assistant for a Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) class, which is my major, and at the time, Amanda was also in that major and a student in the class,” said El-Dinary. “Everything was on Zoom, and she popped into my Zoom office hours.”

“It was right after the first exam, and I hadn’t done as well as I wanted,” added Gryskevicz. “I went to Amira to get some help, and I remember having a great conversation with her.

“She was so open to me, and we were able to bounce ideas off each other. I thought, ‘This is going to be a great academic colleague,’ and it turned out to be so much more than that,” Gryskevicz continued.

In the summer of 2021, Gryskevicz’s enthusiasm for psychology prompted her to change her major. However, her interests in the science around communication and its associated disorders helped maintain the burgeoning connection between her and El-Dinary.

That same summer, the pair connected in person for the first time. The women got along just as well face-to-face as they did online and soon after began pursuing their opportunity to travel internationally and study linguistics.

Amanda Gryskevicz (L) and Amira El-Dinary (R) during their summer studying at Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands

With help from advisors who understood the synergy between their disciplines, El-Dinary and Gryskevicz applied for and were accepted into Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE). Funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, PIRE has established an “international research network that has enabled new discoveries about the consequences of bilingual and multilingual experience for learning and the brain.”

In reflecting on what made PIRE the ideal international study program for them, the women highlighted how it incorporated three critical factors; traveling to a different country, doing research, and writing their theses. For Gryskevicz in particular, the travel element was especially exciting. she said. “A lot of our education abroad training modules mentioned some of the culture shock you can get. I remember thinking while we were preparing for the program, ‘I want to be culturally shocked.’”

Beyond experiencing a new country, El-Dinary and Gryskevicz spent many hours immersed in their research. They attended a linguistics conference at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, then a few weeks later, presented to colleagues at the Institute on their project’s progress. The presentation was especially valuable because they shared their work with researchers and scholars who “make it their lives work to investigate what we had only spent a few months on.”

Navin Viswanathan, associate professor in CSD, is an advisor on the project and sees the potential for impactful real-world applications for El-Dinary’s and Gryskevicz’s findings.

“Work including the type that Amanda and Amira are engaged in is critical to understanding both foundational aspects of speech-in-noise processing as well as developing solutions to the problems such as listening in noisy conditions,” he said.

Scholar alumni and students come together for Alumni Awards Ceremony and Connect

After two years defined mainly by virtual events and programming, March of 2022 brought a refreshing change for Schreyer Honors College. The Alumni Awards Ceremony and annual Connect Networking and Career Day were hosted in person at University Park and allowed current Scholars and alumni to interact with each other face-to-face.

Held on back-to-back days, the awards ceremony and Connect showcased, in unique ways, the powerful benefits of networking and relationships that are built within the Honors College community.

The Alumni Awards Ceremony brought back to campus Scholar graduates from as far away as Los Angeles and as nearby as Philadelphia. They were recognized for exemplary leadership skills and high achievement in their fields, and excellence in mentoring current Scholars. Connect, sponsored by the David S. Rocchino Family Foundation, meanwhile, gave current Scholars an entire afternoon to meet, learn from, and gain perspective on their careers from Scholar alumni who excel in their respective fields.

Brian Harkless, command property officer division director with NAVAIR (U.S. Navy), and Stephanie McKenny, police psychologist with the Los Angeles Police Department, were two Scholar alumni who traveled to University Park to participate in the events. Harkless ‘95 Eng received the 2021 Outstanding Scholar Alumni Award, and the 2022 Outstanding Scholar Alumni award went to McKenny ‘87 Lib, ‘90g, ‘96g Edu. They were both profoundly appreciative of the chance to be present at the events, and to be honored for their achievements.

“It was wonderful being in the more intimate settings of the awards ceremony and Connect,” said Harkless. “[They] highlighted the strong desire for, and tangible benefit of, building and maintaining relationships built on handshakes rather than Zoom backgrounds.” “Returning to campus sparked so many strong emotions that I genuinely did not anticipate,” noted McKenny. “I will never forget when Donna Meyer (Schreyer Honors College director of student programs) recognized me from behind, hugged me, and told me how good it was to see me again. I felt like family.”

They were joined at Connect by Ellie Manca ’21 HHD, associate scientific communications manager with AlphaGroup Medical Communications. Her attendance was noteworthy because she was the lead student volunteer working on Connect in 2019, its most recent in-person offering prior to 2022.

“Sitting in on panels to impart my advice upon current students really felt surreal to me,” Manca said. “I was impressed and humbled by the Scholars in attendance. It reminded me of what Schreyer is all about, and it reminded me how driven my peers were and are. Their drive ended up motivating me, too.”

This year, rising second-year Scholar Lauren Clymer held the role formerly occupied by Manca. She worked alongside College staff in creating Connect’s schedule, gathering input for the event’s programming from alumni and fellow Scholars, assisting with marketing, and helping to run the event. “After months of planning, it was amazing to see the hallways of the Forest Resources Building filled with Scholars and alumni interacting and making connections,” Clymer said. “While there are benefits to virtual networking opportunities, many students gave us feedback that networking feels more natural in-person.”

As the day wound down, Clymer noticed many attendees taking extra advantage of their time together.

“I loved seeing Scholars and alumni interacting after the last panel session of the day. That, to me, was Connect achieving its goal,” she said.

For Harkless and McKenny, their participation in the events and collaboration with the College are a testament to the overall commitment to Scholars’ successes as students and professionals.

“I believe that a Penn State education in general, and an Honors experience in particular, build an inherent desire to give back to the community that invested so much time and effort into my own education and growth that there’s nothing I wouldn’t be on board to help out with,” said Harkless. “I’ve never said no to helping a Penn Stater, and I can’t foresee a situation where that would change.”

“It’s important for me to be a resource to Scholars because it creates a sense of belonging for them as they move in overdrive towards their professional goals and aspirations,” added McKenny. “Schreyer Scholars are, individually, truly among the best and brightest in the world and, collectively, can be the fulcrum that moves the world.” aWaRD RECIPIENTS

Dr. alyssa Todaro brooks ’10 HHD 2021 outstanding Scholar alumni Mentor award

laurie burgess ’85 lib 2022 outstanding Scholar alumni Mentor award

Dr. Christopher X. Hong ’12 Eng 2022 outstanding GolD (Graduate of the last Decade) Scholar alumni award

laura Shupp ’14 lib 2022 outstanding GolD (Graduate of the last Decade) Scholar alumni award

brian J. Harkless ’95 Eng 2021 outstanding Scholar alumni award

Dr. Iris V. Rivero ’96, ’98g, ’02g Eng 2021 outstanding Scholar alumni award

Trevor Kress ’07 Comm 2022 outstanding Scholar alumni award

Dr. Stephanie barone McKenny ’87 lib, ’90g, ’96g Edu 2022 outstanding Scholar alumni award

Near the conclusion of their first year at Penn State, a pair of Schreyer Scholars took the opportunity to use a class project to spread gratitude among University staff.

In ENGL 138T: Rhetoric and Civic Life, students Leah Monty and Bailey McLaughlin were charged with leading an advocacy campaign on an important topic. The assignment’s timing played a significant role in choosing their topic.

“At the end of the semester, it made sense that it was the time for ‘Thank You’s,” explained Monty. “People often forget that the housing and dining staff are just as integral to our success in college as our professors, classmates, and others.”

“We chose to make expressing gratitude to the housing and dining staff the focus of our project because they may go unnoticed and not get thanked enough,” said McLaughlin.

Because the housing and dining staff’s work impacts so many Penn Staters, Monty and McLaughlin wanted to get contributions of appreciation from as many of their peers as possible. During the week of April 18, they brought large cards to commons areas outside of each dining hall and spent hours asking students passing by to sign the cards.

“We were very pleased with students’ reactions when we explained that the cards would be distributed to the staff members in their buildings,” McLaughlin said. “Many individuals expressed how glad they were to have the opportunity to sign and thank the staff members.”

“There was one moment on the phone when we were asking permission to set up in the commons that was pretty memorable,” Monty noted. “I was talking with one of the resident life coordinators, and when I explained what we were doing, her whole voice lit up, and she seemed so excited and appreciative of our project.”

All told, over 100 students signed the cards that Monty and McLaughlin hand-delivered to the housing and dining staff.

Additionally, they worked on social media graphics and digital posters that showcased small and simple ways the University community could show gratitude daily. According to Monty, they collaborated with the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) to get the content shared on UPUA’s social media channels.

Beyond their coursework, both Monty and McLaughlin work to incorporate gratitude and kindness into their daily lives because they realize the power those acts hold in raising up people within their communities.

As they continue their journeys at Penn State, they plan to take with them the lesson that students are empowered to make positive impacts, large or small, on the University community.

Make a gift to support Scholars who enter the Honors College in their second or third year at raise.psu.edu/SchreyerFamilyHonorsScholarship

Endowment and Gift Spending

2021–22 fiscal Year

Number of awards amount awarded

Academic Excellence Scholarships: (includes charitable and institutional funds) 1,155 $5,654,325 Need-based and Merit Scholarships: 324 $1,492,806

Student Awards: (travel grants, internships, and research awards) Program Support: 365 $396,475* – $1,120,882*

ToTal: 1,844 $8,664,488

Total Endowment Value: $151,263,300.42 (as of 6/30/2022)

*Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Schreyer Honors College was in a partial remote environment for the academic year 20/21, which significantly affected travel and internship grants and programming. Q: What are the key responsibilities of your role as Director of Information Technology for Schreyer Honors College? A: I lead the College’s IT team in providing computer support for the College’s staff. Our team provides IT systems for the students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the college: Student Records System (SRS), First Year Admissions management system including the Alumni Interview system, and our Scholarship Acknowledgement system to name a few.

Q: What drives your interest in information technology, and what parts of your job are the most rewarding? A: For me, it’s about solving problems and helping people to do their work easier, faster, or better. I like to see the “A-ha” moment when I help someone figure out a new way of doing something or helping them solve a frustrating problem.

Q: You’re a Penn State alumnus with a degree in agricultural engineering and you grew up on a dairy farm in eastern Pa. How would you describe the journey that led you to where you are now? A: I was active in 4-H clubs growing up and that gave me lifelong connections in Cooperative Extension and the College of Agricultural Sciences. My high school guidance counselor said one day, “You are strong in math and science, and you’ve grown up on a farm, have you ever considered Ag Engineering?” That was the first I had heard about the major. It piqued my interest, so I applied to Penn State and graduated with a BS degree. My computer interest started in 1982-83 during my last year of college. I worked a part-time job in the state 4-H office programming an Apple IIe computer. That led to full-time work in IT for Cooperative Extension. I was a team member on a $2 million grant to computerize Cooperative Extension. We set up computers, trained staff, and established a statewide network to share research information with the public. Creating solutions to help people has always been interesting and challenging for me through 25 years with the College of Ag Sciences and now 13 years with Schreyer Honors College.

Q: You’ve been on the Honors College staff since 2008. Do you have a favorite memory from your time with Schreyer? A: Generally, the best memories have been the student interactions and creating technology-enabled solutions for faculty, staff, and students. A proud moment for me came when our team (IT and Admissions) was recognized with an IT Collaboration Award for the admissions system that was first created in 2009 to manage the 4,000+ Honors College applications we receive annually.

Q: Readers might be surprised to learn that even though they never met you, they have likely heard your voice. You serve as the nomenclator, the one who reads the medal recipients’ names, at the Honors College Medals Ceremony. What’s it like for you, participating in such a memorable day for Scholars and their families? A: I enjoy being part of such a memorable day and take pride in announcing the names. Some of these students are first generation, as I was, and that has extra significance for me. I also think it’s important that the families and guests hear their student’s name pronounced correctly as they cross the stage. Students help with phonetics, and I take extra time to study the names ahead of the ceremony.

Q: Your daughter got married back in May. What was the day, what was the experience like? Also, what song did the two of you dance to? A: May 14 was a beautiful day all around! The ceremony was at the Arboretum at Penn State—such an excellent venue. My wife, Rosemary, and I are so happy for them. Carly and I danced to Alan Jackson’s “Always Be My Baby” then Carly surprised me. Near the end of the song the DJ switched to the Pennsylvania Polka so we could dance to that. Polka was a dance that I taught Carly when she was young, and it was something we had fun with over the years. That was a nice surprise! For those that know me there is often a story or small world connection…in this case a story. My daughter Carly and Jonathan met at a mutual friend’s wedding in August 2018, she caught the bouquet, and he caught the garter and they’ve been together since then. Well, that continues the family tradition, since my wife and I met at my brother’s wedding, we were paired up as bridesmaid and groomsman and have been together for 31 years in June.

Scholar builds global connections through agriculture education

Brandon Bixler did not grow up on a farm. However, he hails from Lancaster County, which, according to county officials, is comprised of 65% agricultural land. He had a “transformative” experience there, and now, the rising third-year Scholar is charting his path as an agriculture educator.

“In the United States, less than 2% of the population is involved in production agriculture. In some ways, that represents a lot of development, and on the other hand, the 98% of us who don’t work in that every day can easily become disconnected from the industry,” Bixler said.

“In high school, I was very blessed to have teachers who showed me those connections and showed me the importance of the industry and how it provides for the food needs of people all around the world,” he added. “So, that’s where the passion came from.”

A student who values augmenting classroom lessons with real-world learning opportunities, Bixler joined his high school’s chapter of FFA, which provided him with ample “hands-on, experiential learning opportunities.” The organization was formerly known as Future Farmers of America and changed its name to reflect the broad scope of careers within the agriculture industry. Within that scope, Bixler learned about agriculture education and how it aligns with his goal of positively impacting the world.

“It’s an industry where there’s potential to do a lot of good. There are so many places around the world where people don’t have access to three meals a day,” Bixler said. “These challenges are complex, and there are so many components to them. That excites me because it allows me to connect all of these different aspects to hopefully make a positive change.”

Since enrolling at Penn State, Bixler has taken on an internship with the Global Teach Ag Network (GTAN). Founded by the husband-and-wife team of Penn State faculty members Dr. Daniel Foster and Dr. Melanie Miller Foster, GTAN works to “empower educators to address global food systems transformation.” Bixler highlights advising the Global Learning in Agriculture (GLAG) Reads program and assisting with executing the year-long, virtual GLAG Conference as significant projects on which he’s worked.

“[The conference] is our biggest event of the year, and this year, for the first time, we shifted to a year-long model of virtual content delivery,” he noted. “We have over 1,000 educators from 45 countries participating, so it truly is a global conference.”

While Bixler spent many hours during the past academic year helping to facilitate international connections among agriculture educators, he got firsthand experience with global agriculture this past May.

Along with a group of three other Penn Staters, Bixler traveled with the Rebuild Nepal Education Foundation to “experience STEM education in remote areas” of the country. While there, they used a method called photovoice, which allowed Nepalese educators to provide a first-person perspective of their learning environments and resources through photographs. By analyzing that data, they sought to understand areas where help could be offered, such as ensuring that skills are taught and learned in the classroom could be applied in real life.

“The experience was stretching in many ways and a blessing in so many more,” said Bixler. “Throughout the trip, I met people who work hard to provide students with a quality education with the resources available.

“I met people who strive to inspire every student who walks in their classroom door, no matter the challenges they face. Above all, I met people who show up and do the hard work to help others whenever and wherever they can. I count myself as fortunate to have been a part of something so meaningful.”

Support international study through the William Schreyer International Study Scholarship at raise.psu.edu/SHCTravel In 2013, Schreyer Honors College and Penn State hosted the inaugural, bi-annual Honors Education at Research Universities (HERU) conference. Designed to share best practices and develop relationships that meet the needs of honors programs and colleges at Research 1 universities, HERU features a unique structure.

Every two years that the conference takes place, it is due to the work of a new planning committee with the host institution serving as chair. That decision, along with creating a committee structure that passes decision-making from one to another, allows the conference to operate with minimal overhead and possess the agility to respond to the changing needs of honors students.

This past summer, after a pandemic-related pause, the Honors College at the University of Houston hosted the fifth HERU Conference, and Schreyer Honors College sent 10 staff members – more than any year prior — to the event. Representatives from the dean’s office, admissions, career development, development and alumni relations, and information technology all made the trip to Texas.

While there, Honors College staff presented on topics such as elevating diversity, equity, and inclusion in honors education, the effective use of an honors advisory board, and more. They also attended various lectures and panel discussions and networked with colleagues from peer institutions like Nebraska, Purdue, Michigan State, Louisiana State, and Arizona State.

Upon returning to University Park, the attendees were eager to share their takeaways from the conference:

Patrick Mather, Dean: “This conference was such a time of friendship, pride, and fun for Team Schreyer. And as the College’s dean, I was incredibly proud of our palpable reputation among attendees and the high quality of presentations at the various sessions by our staff members.”

Melanie Frantz Finocchio, Coordinator of Stewardship: “It was important for me to attend this year’s HERU in Houston so that I could break out of my comfort zone, learn in a new space, and network. My presentation went well! The audience was engaged. Afterwards, in the company of my Schreyer colleagues, I felt a sense of belonging and pride. Although our roles in the Honors College are vastly different, we share at least one commonality—a commitment to our Scholars’ success.”

Sean Miller, Senior Director of Development and Alumni Relations: “Attending HERU allowed for my colleagues and me to connect with development and alumni professionals at other institutions. The conversations were enlightening, allowing us to benchmark against other programs. It reaffirmed that the Honors College is on the right path forward and our alumni and supporters are second to none.”

Deyo Olorunnisola, Director of Admissions: “Conversations about how people coped with their personal and professional stressors during the pandemic were valuable. Though few came through without stress and major adjustments, people I spoke with had mostly positive outcomes and found new ways to energize themselves. This conference represented a return to ‘normal’ and it was also valuable to see how the pandemic has changed people and the way we think about the work we do to give access to and support students.”

Mather noted that attending the conference was an energizing experience for the Honors College staff, and that plans are being made to incorporate ideas that they brought home.

“Many ideas emerged, and our hallways have been abuzz with discussion since the conference – with perfect timing relative to strategic planning activities,” he noted. “I am particularly excited about best practices and creative ideas in the areas of first-year experience (for incoming Scholars) and mental well-being for the whole community.”

(L, front to back) Deyo Olorunnisola, Ben Carr, Lynette Yarger (R, front to back) Sean Miller, Melanie Frantz Finocchio, Patrick Mather, Zaryab Iqbal

Melanie Frantz Finocchio presents at HERU 2022

Sean Miller presents at HERU 2022