cover of Sept/Oct 2026 issue of Penn Stater magazine
September / October 2026

Spider Caldwell's Personal History of Nittany Lion Football

Features

A Living Legacy of Giving

For more than 50 years, Penn State’s Renaissance Fund has provided scholarships to talented students with financial need, many of whom continue to support the program long after graduation.
Savita Iyer

Flight of Imagination

An array of Penn State alumni, faculty, and students have played an essential role in NASA’s upcoming Dragonfly mission, a groundbreaking exploration of Saturn’s largest moon in search of a new understanding of the origins of life on Earth.
Robyn Rydzy '95 Com

Keeper of the Flame

When Brad “Spider” Caldwell retired in July, it marked the formal end of his more than four decades as part of the Penn State football program. That run started when Caldwell ’86 H&HD joined the team as a student manager for the 1983 season, and it continued through a 31-year career, most of it spent as head equipment manager. Beginning in 2015, he worked as the events and facilities coordinator at Beaver Stadium, where his office served as an unofficial shrine to his favorite teams, moments, and people. Before he stepped away, he invited us in to share some of those memories.
Ryan Jones '95 Com

Campus Life

Sports

He Walks the Line

Assistant referee Corey Parker represented the U.S.—and Penn State—in one of the biggest matches at the 2026 World Cup.
Ryan Jones '95 Com

Top of the Class

Led by the school’s two biggest stars, Penn State was well represented in both professional hockey drafts.
Jeff Rice '03 Com

Alumni

Faculty Expertise

From the Editor

My Thoughts Exactly