Brianna DiMaio

Penn State Abington has been providing many engaging programs and events for its community for years. Some of these include the Public Entity Leadership Certificate (PELC) program, the Art Gallery located on campus, a Media Center for Reporters, and Youth & Teen Programs.

“For over 20 years, Penn State Abington has worked with the Delaware Valley Trust to provide high-quality training designed to support the needs and interests of public entity leaders,” says Alina Raskopin, Education Program Associate at Penn State Abington.

The PELC program allows Penn State Abington’s Office of Continuing Education to provide high-end training to employees that specialize in healthcare, business, and information technology.

Raskopin says they “have served hundreds of municipal managers, supervisors, public safety officials, police officers, and other government employees through this PELC program.”

Penn State Abington also hosts an Art Gallery on campus that is open to anyone in the community. “They can visit during open campus hours. Gallery hours are posted on the gallery website,” says H. John Thompson, Art Gallery Director at Penn State Abington.

“The art gallery hosts work by professional artists who are exhibiting nationally and internationally. Artists typically have ties to the Philadelphia region,” says Thompson.

But what makes this art gallery so compelling? Well, while most displays highlight work by proficient artists, the exhibition also has a yearly show of students’ work each April.

One student exhibition in the past was the Bertha Lear Annual Student Art Exhibition in which “generously supported by Marilyn and Robert Lear, features student works of various media produced during the academic year by Penn State Abington students,” says Thompson.

So if students and/or people in the Penn State Abington community are “interested in seeing contemporary art being done in our area, the Abington Art Gallery is a good place to visit,” says Thompson.

Penn State Abington also provides a media center for reporters in the area. This center is affordable, easy, and high-impact education devoted to the achievement of a diverse student body.

According to the Penn State Abington Media Center website, “It is committed to student success through innovative approaches to 21st century public higher education within a world-class research university.”

Lastly, the University allows adults in the community to engage their children in the Youth & Teen programs at Penn State Abington.

“The Kids & Teen College at Penn State Abington offers a variety of experiences for students in grades 3-12,” says Alina Raskopin, Education Program Associate at Penn State Abington. “All of our programs, taught by Penn State approved instructed, are designed to enrich academic and soft skills, while also exploring our beautiful campus.”

Students of all ages can work on their skills set that allows them an advantage in school, college, and real-world in organizations such as the “Personal Finance Workshop, College Readiness, or the Social Justice Workshop,” says Raskopin.

Why should parents encourage their kids to join these programs? Well, “they offer a high-quality learning experience focused on building skillsets for their child on a college campus,” says Raskopin.

All of these engaging programs that Penn State Abington extends to its neighborhood not only empowers the community to come together but brings inspiration to all.