ON THE POD: Alumni panelists (from left) Whit Friese ’90 Com, Jim Erickson ’87 MS IDF, and Camille Chang Gilmore ’91 Bus joined host Jim Stengel ’83 MBA Bus in July for a live taping of The CMO Podcast during the annual Alumni Leadership Conference at University Park.
Strength in Numbers
Susan Robinson sees big opportunities as the 84th president of the Penn State Alumni Association. Read the full story.
Member Benefit
1:1 Career Help
Beyond the plethora of online videos, trainings, LionLink networking opportunities, and other Alumni Career Services resources, Alumni Association members have access to limited one-on-one career coaching and mock interview help, designed to assist you in developing your job search skills, exploring or implementing a career change or job search, strategizing through the interview process, and increasing your confidence. Find out more at alumni.psu.edu/career.
Save the Date
Oct. 10: Ice cream social
Come home to Hintz for the annual Alumni Ice Cream Social on Friday, Oct. 10, before that evening’s Homecoming parade, Guard the Lion Shrine, and Saturday’s Homecoming game against Northwestern. New this year, the Alumni Association is also hosting Homecoming opportunities to learn about Penn State research. This year’s Homecoming theme is Find the Glory in Your Story. alumni.psu.edu/
homecoming
Nov. 1, Nov. 29: Roar Tour Stops
Come join the Alumni Association at our Roar Tour stops at Ohio State (Nov. 1) and Rutgers (Nov. 29). The free pregame event at away football games features Penn State cheerleaders, the Nittany Lion, and special guests, plus games, refreshments, and more. Learn more at alumni.psu.edu/gameday.
From the Archives
Ten Lost Traditions
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Chapters & Groups
JACKSONVILLE CHAPTER
Chapter members walked 5 miles of Jacksonville Beach with their nonprofit charity partner Challenge Enterprises for their 2nd Annual Beach Cleanup in June. Thirty-four volunteers collected more than 30 pounds of trash in just two hours. “We heard plenty of ‘WE ARE’s during our beach trek,” says chapter secretary Ingrid Jakabcsin ’90 Bus.
LEHIGH VALLEY CHAPTER
Alumni chapters across the country sent new and returning students off to campus with Nittany Lion swag, academic scholarships, and a dose of Penn State pride through their student sendoff events this summer. Friends at the Lehigh Valley Chapter’s Summer Picnic and Student Sendoff were also treated to a performance by the chapter’s Alumni Blue Band members at Canal Park in Allentown.
CHICAGO CHAPTER
In June, Greater Chicago Chapter members Jack Williams ’20 Eng, Lina Pedrelli ’24 Com, and Jennifer Carvajal Moreno ’21 A&A helped to make and package 6,000 sandwiches in four hours for 30 shelters and sites that assist veterans, seniors, and others in Chicagoland.
Have news to share from your chapter, AIG, or alumni society? Send it to rsr3@psu.edu.
Volunteer Spotlight
Bailey Rumford, President, Metro Washington, D.C. Chapter
When Bailey Rumford ’22 IST first moved to Washington, D.C., for a tech consulting job after graduation, he lived with his uncle—and fellow alum—Danny Rumford ’98 EMS, who encouraged the new grad to keep his Penn State ties alive through the Metro Washington D.C. Chapter. Just three years later, Rumford is starting a two-year term as chapter president, hoping to increase donations to the group’s scholarship fund and THON while strengthening the committees that make the chapter run.
“Being a committee member is a pretty minimal way to get involved,” says Rumford, a 2+2 Penn Stater who played basketball during his time at Penn State Scranton. There are almost 30,000 alumni and friends in the “DMV” region, and the chapter often collaborates with the D.C.-based African American Alumni Organization, Smeal Business Club, and Penn State Professional Women’s Network. “Those groups are a great support to us, a way for all of us to broaden our reach.”
Support PSAA
LEAVE YOUR LEGACY
When you earned your Penn State degree, you became a Nittany Lion for life. Show your pride with a commemorative paver on the Alumni Plaza. Forever display a message of celebration, remembrance, or recognition on the University Park campus. Place your order by Feb. 1, 2026, to be included in the spring 2026 installation. Learn more at alumni.psu.edu/alumniplaza.
KEEPSAKE THAT GIVES BACK
When you purchase an heirloom-quality item from the Penn State Elms Collection, a portion is donated toward planting trees at University Park. Not only are you giving a second home to the majestic campus elms, you’re helping to ensure that future Penn Staters inherit a campus as picturesque as it was in your day. Visit pennstateelmscollection.com to purchase your piece of Penn State history.
New Career Resources for Members
Alumni Association members on the hunt for a job—or an entirely different career—can join the Alumni Career Launch group in LionLink and gain free access this fall to the new Job Search Masterclass, an in-depth, self-guided pathway to help job seekers navigate everything from career exploration to salary negotiation.
“[Getting a job] is not a numbers game anymore. It has to be a very tailored search,” says Cassie Rosas-Carson ’11 MEd Edu, assistant director of Alumni Career Services. Rosas-Carson created the masterclass to give members a customized way to gain the skills they need, whether that’s figuring out what their best career path might be, or learning how to answer interview questions strategically.
Broken into three learning modules—career exploration, the job search process, and the hiring process—the masterclass includes downloadable worksheets, knowledge checkpoints, and interactive features. Plus, the Alumni Career Launch group doubles as a virtual learning community, including virtual office hours with Rosas-Carson and an active message board for sharing tips, questions, and more.
Leaving Their Mark
When sisters of Delta Sigma Theta’s Epsilon Gamma Chapter return to an ever-changing University Park campus, they have a perpetual place to gather that marks their part in Penn State’s story: The Alumni Plaza at the Hintz Family Alumni Center. The chapter’s recent purchase of 65 commemorative pavers will display their Greek letters, and much more.
“I thought it was a really nice opportunity to make a permanent mark,” says Brooke Reynolds ’03 Com, a Delta sister for whom seeing her own paver last fall spurred her to encourage others to join the project. “Especially because I’ve been married, my name is changed, so I like that there is a piece of [my former self] that’s still there; it helps me feel a little bit young and reminds me and challenges me to live up to the ideals that that young lady had.”
The project brought together generations of Penn State Deltas, to benefit generations more to come. Says Reynolds, “This is just another opportunity to encourage and remind Penn Staters: Let’s continue to give back, and let’s continue to support the students at Penn State.”
