The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) is a multi-campus, land-grant, public research university that educates students from around the world and supports individuals and communities through integrated programs of teaching, research, and service. Our instructional mission includes undergraduate, graduate, professional, continuing, and extension education offered through both resident instruction and distance learning.
Our discovery-oriented, collaborative, and interdisciplinary research and scholarship promote human and economic development, global understanding, and advancement in professional practice through the expansion of knowledge and its applications in the natural and applied sciences, social and behavioral sciences, engineering, technology, arts and humanities, and myriad professions.
The College of Engineering at the University Park Campus houses the majority of the engineering programs. All engineering faculty at any of the Commonwealth campuses or colleges will be invited to participate in KEEN-related events/programs offered through the partnership.
The Vision for the College of Engineering is currently in the process of being re-written. The official vision from the most recent strategic plan (2020-2025) follows: The Penn State College of Engineering will be recognized locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally as a leading influence in creating a diverse and welcoming community that achieves excellence in engineering education, research, and service with the power to inspire change and impact tomorrow.
The Leonhard Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Education, an endowed teaching and learning center within the College, has a mission to improve engineering education at Penn State. The Center provides extensive support for faculty through services such as teaching consultations and workshops, and funding allocated toward enhancing undergraduate engineering education.
Additionally, all Penn State students are required to take a first-year seminar. The engineering sections of this seminar are specifically designed to assist students in transitioning to the college environment, developing effective study strategies and skills, accessing resources for student success, understanding engineering and its various disciplines, engaging in campus life, exploring opportunities for personal growth, and becoming responsible students and citizens.
Why We're In KEEN
KEEN's mission aligns directly with the mission of the College of Engineering and of Penn State. Our current strategic plan emphasizes that our students will be lifelong learners, have impactful careers in public and private sectors, gain deep disciplinary and transdisciplinary knowledge, and lead by example. By encouraging our students and faculty to be engaged with entrepreneurial mindset (EM), we are more likely to meet our own mission and strategic plan.
The College of Engineering at Penn State highly values quality engineering education and the creation of an inclusive environment. At the College level, becoming a KEEN partner school visibly communicates this value of quality engineering education through alignment with the entrepreneurial mindset. In addition, the Penn State Institutional Values of integrity, respect, responsibility, excellence, and community also align well with EM.
Current Work
Our discovery-oriented, collaborative, and interdisciplinary research and scholarship promote human and economic development, global understanding, and advancement in professional practice through the expansion of knowledge and its applications in the natural and applied sciences, social and behavioral sciences, engineering, technology, arts and humanities, and myriad professions.
The College of Engineering at the University Park Campus houses the majority of the engineering programs. All engineering faculty at any of the Commonwealth campuses or colleges will be invited to participate in KEEN-related events/programs offered through the partnership.
The Vision for the College of Engineering is currently in the process of being re-written. The official vision from the most recent strategic plan (2020-2025) follows: The Penn State College of Engineering will be recognized locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally as a leading influence in creating a diverse and welcoming community that achieves excellence in engineering education, research, and service with the power to inspire change and impact tomorrow.
The Leonhard Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Education, an endowed teaching and learning center within the College, has a mission to improve engineering education at Penn State. The Center provides extensive support for faculty through services such as teaching consultations and workshops, and funding allocated toward enhancing undergraduate engineering education.
Additionally, all Penn State students are required to take a first-year seminar. The engineering sections of this seminar are specifically designed to assist students in transitioning to the college environment, developing effective study strategies and skills, accessing resources for student success, understanding engineering and its various disciplines, engaging in campus life, exploring opportunities for personal growth, and becoming responsible students and citizens.
Why We're In KEEN
KEEN's mission aligns directly with the mission of the College of Engineering and of Penn State. Our current strategic plan emphasizes that our students will be lifelong learners, have impactful careers in public and private sectors, gain deep disciplinary and transdisciplinary knowledge, and lead by example. By encouraging our students and faculty to be engaged with entrepreneurial mindset (EM), we are more likely to meet our own mission and strategic plan.
The College of Engineering at Penn State highly values quality engineering education and the creation of an inclusive environment. At the College level, becoming a KEEN partner school visibly communicates this value of quality engineering education through alignment with the entrepreneurial mindset. In addition, the Penn State Institutional Values of integrity, respect, responsibility, excellence, and community also align well with EM.
Current Work
- Transformation of First Year Seminar: The College of Engineering has undertaken a comprehensive redesign of the First-Year Seminar (FYS) program to modernize and enhance the student experience, ensuring both success and consistency. The Taskforce on the Engineering First-Year Experience proposed a multi-phase approach to create a standardized model for FYS courses, ensuring equitable opportunities for all first-year COE students. Additionally, the establishment of a College of Engineering Community of Practice will support the onboarding of new instructors, provide ongoing evaluation and assessment of the shared content, and foster continuous quality improvement.
- The Leonhard Center Leads (Sarah Zappe and Stephanie Cutler) will conduct an initial inventory of current practices within the College of Engineering that align with EM, develop a Penn State specific model of EM, and begin integrating EM across Leonhard Center efforts.
- The Department Lead (Andrea Ragonese) will work within the School for Engineering Design and Innovation (SEDI) to integrate EM across the curriculum. SEDI houses both the cornerstone (first-year) and capstone (senior-year) design courses, impacting a vast majority of the students within the College of Engineering.
- EM will be introduced to the Engineering Undergraduate Council (EUC) that connects the leadership of engineering student organizations with the College leadership, and the Diversity Round Table (DRT), which connects college leadership with student organizations that support students from a variety of backgrounds.
"Engineering is at a critical junction globally, in that our students need to be prepared to face the many challenges beleaguering our world. Facing these challenges will take much strength of character and perseverance, characteristics that are among those exemplified by entrepreneurial mindset. Supporting students' development of the entrepreneurial mindset, through encouraging curiosity, making connections among diverse sets of ideas and disciplines, and creating value in their work to impact others, is critical."
