The Penn Stater Magazine

Inside our May/June issue

April 23, 2020 at 11:41 am B.J. Reyes Leave a comment

We don’t operate in a vacuum, and for that reason, while much of the Penn Stater that will be arriving in members’ mailboxes in the coming days is the issue we had mapped out before the campus closures and self-quarantine orders, the final product does reflect our current reality: insight from Penn State President Eric Barron, a look at university researchers’ response to COVID-19, first-person perspective from graduating senior and lacrosse standout Brittany Dolan, and a look at how the pandemic tabled promising seasons for basketball star Lamar Stevens and other Nittany Lion athletes.

You’ll also learn about the service and sacrifice of WWII veteran Milt Feldman ’47, a Jewish-American soldier who survived both the Battle of the Bulge and a Nazi prison camp. Feldman’s reflections on war and his prayers for peace are detailed in a recently published book, Captured, Frozen, Starved, and Lucky: How One Jewish American GI Survived a Nazi Stalag, excerpts of which appear beginning on p. 44.

Plus, you’ll meet Jess Weiner ’95, a consultant who has made a career out of helping women and brands see the value in inclusiveness and female empowerment. Her story begins on p. 34. And see how Rob Roeser, Penn State’s first professor of caring and compassion, combines mindfulness with modern neuroscience to help students be calmer, focused, and more engaged. His story begins on p. 28.

Also inside: a feature spread taking you inside the Penn State Bakery and how it manages to fulfill orders for baked goods, in particular its signature chocolate chip cookie (p. 42); a look at how World Campus is helping one Brandywine student finish her degree 40 years after she started (p. 14); and an appreciation on the legacy of retiring editor and industry legend Tina Hay ’83, whose vision and storytelling prowess shaped this magazine into one of the nation’s best (p.56).

Finally, we want to hear how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting you. We’re asking readers to share stories of how you’re adapting to this new shared reality, and how it’s impacted your family, your work, your studies, and your community. We plan to incorporate your stories in our expanded coverage of the virus in our July/August issue. Email your stories, 250 words or less, to heypennstater@psu.edu. Submissions may be edited for length and clarity.

It’s all in our May/June issue, arriving in mailboxes soon.

—B.J. Reyes, associate editor

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