Smeal Update: April 2, 2020
Dear Smeal Community,
Welcome to another edition of the Smeal COVID-19 Update, a new communication vehicle for coordinating and delivering important information regarding the University’s response to the global pandemic and the impact on Smeal.
Our Smeal Coronavirus FAQ page contains links to the University’s faculty/staff FAQs and other pertinent information.
Expressing my gratitude during these trying times
- I wanted to share with the Smeal community my thanks and pride in our response to the historical times in which we find ourselves. Please take a few minutes to watch this video.
We Are…stories from Smeal
- Jennifer Nicholas, assistant director of Alumni Career Services, said that retired and mid-career alumni have been pitching in to help fellow alumni. Through Smeal’s Alumni-to-Alumni Career Support forum on LinkedIn, a dedicated group of volunteers is lending wisdom and encouraging re-engagement with the Smeal community.
Congratulations are in order
- Min Ding, Bard Professor in Marketing and affiliate professor of information sciences and technology, is co-author of a paper — “Contour-as-Face Framework: A Method to Preserve Privacy and Perception” —that has been accepted at Journal of Marketing Research.
- Karen Winterich, professor of marketing and Frank and Mary Smeal Research Fellow, has been awarded the AMA/MSI H. Paul Root Award. The award is given to the article that has made the most significant contribution to the advancement of the practice of marketing in a calendar year. Her paper can be found online.
Security for Zoom sessions
- In light of recent disruptions of online Zoom classes, eLDIG has prepared a webpage that is focused on securing Zoom meetings and strategy to prevent this type of behavior.
PGP extends deadlines for one-year master’s programs
- Smeal is now accepting applications to its five residential, one-year master’s programs on a rolling basis. Read the Penn State News story.
Smeal in the news
- Nick Petruzzi, chair of the Department of Supply Chain and Information Systems, professor of supply chain management, and Robert G. and Caroline Schwartz Professor of Business, was quoted in a Financial Post story about supply chain experts “watching in awe” as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds. Nick was also paraphrased in a USA Today article about a company’s challenges in making ventilators.
Keep a watchful eye out for students in distress
- The pandemic has created some acute challenges, especially for students. If you are aware of a student who is experiencing emotional distress, financial hardship, food insecurity, or a similar challenge, please consider the following:
- Referring them to Penn State Counseling and Psychological Services, which is operational and providing services via telephone at 814-863-0395.
- Donating to the Student Care and Advocacy Emergency Fund.
- Donating to the Lion's Pantry, for students residing in the State College area.
If you have information regarding COVID-19 and its impact on Penn State Smeal and would like to share it through this update, please email it to Andy Elder, manager of public relations, at awe2@psu.edu.