The Penn Stater Magazine

10/16/2026

Food Facts and Fads examines the role of food in society through the ages and from historical and cultural perspectives, as well as the migration of foods as important to the movement of people and cultures across the globe and through the ages. “We’ll use a pierogi, which is Polish, but also a Pennsylvanian food to talk about Polish immigration to the U.S.,” says John Coupland, professor of food science. Read more about this cool class:

Food science professor John Coupland helps students examine the role of food through the ages.

10/14/2026

Maybe it was the food: the Creamery ice cream that cured your homesickness, the fries that got you through Finals Week, the chocolate chip cookies that were (almost) as good as Mom’s. Maybe it was where you ate: a favorite table in the dining halls, reliable haunts in Findlay Commons or the HUB, or campus faves like Bruno’s, Lares, or Port Sky Café. Or maybe it was the people: your fellow freshmen from the dorms, or that classmate who became a lifelong friend—or even a life partner. Whatever your favorite campus dining memories, we’d love to hear them. Send them our way (250 words tops, please) at [email protected], and we’ll publish as many as we can in an upcoming issue.

10/09/2026

"Winning your first title is like your first child; you’re never gonna call it ugly. But I would like to think ’86 was just a little bit of a step above.” Read Keith Radic's reflection on the '86 football team's national championship:

Forty years later, the center on the 1986 football team revisits the national championship season.

10/05/2026

Learning basic techniques for a cast is essential for anyone looking to get into fishing. Brenden Leahy, president of the Penn State Bass Fishing Club, spent his summer as a fishing guide in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He shares tips on how to make a great cast, whether you’re using a spinner or a bait-casting reel:

The president of the Penn State Bass Fishing Club offers tips for perfecting your cast.

09/30/2026

"My dear colleague, Savita Iyer, is leaving the Penn Stater magazine after 10 years as our senior editor. At her farewell reception, members of our campus community spoke in her honor, and besides being incredibly moving, the gathering made me reflect on how large an impact one person can have." Read the Penn Stater online editor's tribute to a departing team member who became a good friend:

One inevitability in any workplace, as in life, is that people will come and go.

09/28/2026

Abigail “Abby” Conrad is a junior majoring in public relations with minors in creative writing and American Sign Language. She’s thriving in the Bellisario College of Communications: “At Penn State, you get this big school, but you also have this small college where you make connections and have opportunities.” Read more:

Budding PR specialist Abigail Conrad helps clients reach audiences they care about.

09/23/2026

Set up as a nonprofit in 1969 by five members of Penn State’s Board of Trustees at the time, the Renaissance Fund was a precursor to federal aid programs for low-income students. In 1977, Penn State trustee and Renaissance Fund board member Mimi Barash Coppersmith ’54 Com proposed the idea of an annual Renaissance Fund dinner that would honor Penn State and wider community members who already had made a significant impact on the university and in the lives of others. Raising funds in their name would, she believed, ensure continued funding for the Renaissance Fund program—and it has. Read more:

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.

09/22/2026

Penn State’s Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction, directed by Joel Segel, endeavors to leverage their expertise to bring evidence-based research on substance misuse and treatment to decision-makers in various PA counties to help them decide how funds from a national opioid settlement can be spent to improve community health and safety. Read more:

Joel Segel directs the Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction.

09/18/2026

Cooper Cousins remembers taking a tour of Beaver Stadium as a small boy and thinking, "This is where I need to be." Read more about the junior offensive lineman's favorite things, hopes for the season, and what his involvement with Team Impact, a program that matches children with disabilities or serious injuries with athletes, means to him:

The junior offensive lineman dishes on when he fell in love with State College, his relationship with a young fan, and his mental approach to the game.

09/16/2026

Alums, what was your favorite college fashion trend? Share with us for a chance to be featured in an upcoming issue.