UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.—The Penn State Bookstore, which is operated by Barnes & Noble College, a Barnes & Noble Education Inc. company, has awarded its fourth round of grants to support a range of programs and initiatives across the University. As previously announced, the bookstore launched the grant program through a five-year, $1.25 million commitment to the University. Of this total, $425,000 will support the Faculty/Staff Forum, the Four Diamonds Fund, and the Library Enrichment Fund, and the remaining $825,000 will be awarded through the grant program.
The program is expected to have a significant impact on student and faculty life through relatively small, targeted investments at Penn State campuses across the commonwealth in addition to University Park. Its focus is to extend teaching and learning beyond the classroom through projects that promote student and faculty engagement. The bookstore received nearly 35 funding requests from a range of units for the fourth round of grants.
“We were thoroughly impressed with the ingenuity and diversity of the applications we received for this most recent round of grants,” said Jennifer Guyer, general manager, Penn State Bookstore. “The Penn State Bookstore is thrilled to support a range of initiatives that, together, will help to make the Penn State student experience even more comprehensive and enriching.”
The following initiatives were selected to receive funding:
- Literacy Across Borders – Penn State Abington
- Common Reading Program Scholarship – Penn State Berks
- CSATS Blue Boxes: Expanding STEM Research to K-12 Classrooms – College of Education
- Teaching and Learning Innovation Program – Penn State Great Valley
- Healthy Aging Community Lecture Series – College of Health and Human Development
- #GivingTuesday Matching Partner for the Textbook and Educational Resources Endowment – University Libraries
- Honors Program – Penn State Schuylkill
- Student Emergency Fund – Student Affairs
- THON 2019 Web-Stream and High-Quality Video Stream – WPSU/Outreach
“The philanthropic partnership that the Penn State Bookstore has forged with the University is having a tremendous impact on Penn State’s academic enterprise,” said Dave Lieb, Penn State’s senior associate vice president for development. “From extending outreach efforts to providing critical support to students with financial need, this most recent round of grants will elevate teaching and learning across the University.”
The grant program will begin accepting applications for the fifth and final round of awards in May 2019. All members of the Penn State community are encouraged to apply. Representatives from the bookstore will review applications with the senior associate vice president for development, and applicants under consideration will be asked to submit a full proposal. Winning projects will receive up to $25,000 each. Please note that capital or facilities projects will not be considered. Contact Dave Lieb at [email protected] or 814-863-0694 with questions about the program.
This investment from the Penn State Bookstore will advance "A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence," a focused campaign that seeks to elevate Penn State’s position as a leading public university in a world defined by rapid change and global connections. With the support of alumni, friends and corporate partners like Barnes & Noble College, “A Greater Penn State” seeks to fulfill the three key imperatives of a twenty-first-century public university: keeping the doors to higher education open to hardworking students regardless of financial well-being; creating transformative experiences that go beyond the classroom; and impacting the world by fueling discovery, innovation and entrepreneurship. To learn more about “A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence,” visit greaterpennstate.psu.edu.