Educating for the Future

Penn State advances its AI literacy initiative with a new vice provost position and online resources for faculty, staff, students, and administrators. 

As part of its AI Transformation Initiative, Penn State launched an AI Literacy Framework to support students, faculty, academic administrators, and staff in engaging responsibly and effectively with AI technologies.

The new framework identifies four core elements of AI literacy:

• Technical knowledge focuses on understanding how AI systems work, what they are designed to do, and where their limitations lie.
• Ethical awareness and social responsibility addresses issues such as bias, privacy, transparency, and broader societal impact.
• Critical thinking emphasizes the ability to evaluate AI outputs, question assumptions, and determine when AI use is appropriate or inappropriate.
• Practical use centers on applying AI tools intentionally and responsibly in academic, research, and professional 
  settings.

An AI Essentials online guide for faculty and staff was launched this spring. The free training is designed to equip the university community with the knowledge, skills, and ethical grounding needed to engage with AI responsibly and effectively across academic and professional contexts. The guide will be offered to all Penn State students this fall.

Penn State also selected Vasant Honavar as the university’s inaugural vice provost for artificial intelligence (AI); Honavar will guide a comprehensive AI strategy and advance the university’s leadership in human-centered and ethical AI innovation across teaching, learning, research, and operations.

Honavar, the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Biomedical Data Sciences and Artificial Intelligence and a professor in the Department of Informatics and Intelligent Systems in the College of Information Sciences and Technology, began his appointment on June 1. —Penn State News

New PSAA Leader

Incoming CEO Reggie Bustinza brings 20 years of alumni relations experience to the Penn State Alumni Association.

After a nationwide search,  Reggie Bustinza was selected as the next associate vice president for alumni relations and chief executive officer of the Penn State Alumni Association. Bustinza begins his new role on July 6.

Bustinza joins Penn State from the Northern Illinois University Foundation, where he served as executive director of annual giving and alumni relations. His 20 years of alumni relations experience include leadership roles across public and private institutions, and management of alumni engagement, volunteer board and donor relations, data systems, prospect research, IT, and communications. 

Bustinza is active with the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) as a frequent conference contributor and presenter, and he serves as a board member of the Council of Alumni Association Executives (CAAE). —Penn State Alumni Association

Alumni Trustees Elected

Three alumni trustees were elected by alumni and former students to serve on the Penn State Board of Trustees beginning July 1. They are:

• Joseph S. DeRenzo ’98 Sci, ’01 MD Medicine, Magee’s chief of anesthesiology and director for the Division of Obstetric & Women’s Anesthesiology. DeRenzo also serves as an associate professor and directs the Advanced Anesthesiology Consultant Fellowship Program. 
• Karen E. Keller ’00 Sci, a lawyer serving as managing partner at an intellectual property and commercial litigation boutique firm. Keller served on the Alumni Council for eight years and on the Eberly College Alumni Board, and was co-chair of the Eberly College Millenium Society. 
• Joseph “Jay” Paterno ’91 Lib, a consultant in private equity, philanthropy, athletics, and media. Paterno was among the first college name, image, and likeness (NIL) consultants in the country and co-founded Success With Honor to support Penn State student-athletes. He was executive producer for THON: 50 Years for the Kids and authored the book Paterno Legacy. 

Nine alumni trustees serve on the board, with their terms staggered so that the terms of three trustees expire each year. 

In addition to the three alumni trustees, five other trustees—all reelected by the board—also began their new terms on July 1: 

• Agricultural trustee Randall “Randy” E. Black
• Agricultural trustee Lynn A. Dietrich ’73 Eng
• At-large trustee Matthew W. Schuyler ’87 Bus
• Business and industry trustee Robert F. Beard ’89 EMS, ’94 MMgt IDF
• Business and industry trustee Karen H. Quintos ’85 Bus

Katzaman Gift Will Expand Access and Affordability

Penn State graduates Mike Katzaman ’73 Sci and Diane Malcolm Katzaman ’71 Agr faced an array of obstacles while earning their respective degrees. Now, the Lancaster-based couple have come forward with a $3 million estate commitment designed to lower financial barriers for students and provide the support they need to thrive academically and flourish within the campus community.

The gift, which reorganizes and reallocates previous endowments alongside $1 million in new giving, has been designated to support three key areas.

• $1.4 million to the College of Agricultural Sciences to provide support to students with demonstrated financial need, and to bolster programs that ensure accessible, equitable opportunities and foster an inclusive community.
• $1.4 million to the Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity, where it will establish two endowments. 
• $200,000 to the Diane Malcolm and Michael E. Katzaman First-Generation Student Fund at Penn State Berks, to support initiatives that contribute to the success of first-generation students.

“Mike and Diane recognize that a Penn State education doesn’t just occur within the walls of a classroom but also through immersion in campus organizations and culture,” said Fotis Sotiropoulos ’89 MS Eng, executive vice president and provost, of the gift. —Penn State News