Category Archives: Alumni

Join me at the Stammtisch! The SHC Podcast

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A reminder that we have nearly 40 podcasts, conversations with distinguished alumni and friends of the honors college. Please join me for interesting and engaging discussions about life choices, Penn State, and ideas that are changing the world. Recent guests include our 2012 Outstanding Scholar Alumni Stella Tsai and Casimer DeCusatis, personal finance expert Farnoosh Torabi, and co-founder of Weebly Dan Veltri.

You can find links to them in the top right corner of this blog, on iTunes on your computer, or in iTunes U on your iOS device.

“Stammtisch” is a German word that refers to a table reserved for regular guests. It is a place in a local pub where friends will regularly gather to talk and share ideas. Stammtisch we will welcome students, faculty, and friends of the College and University.

Where do you go to school to be an entrepreneur?

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Matt Brezina is a Schreyer Scholar graduate, a member of our External Advisory Board member, founder of Xobni and now Postagram. Oh, and a real mensch! He has some very interesting thoughts about how to become an entrepreneur. For those not familiar with Y Combinator start at their site: http://ycombinator.com/

I’ve always been interested in starting companies. Ten years ago I was an undergrad at Penn State. I was told by professors, my parents & the press that the best way to start a company was to go to graduate school, become an expert in your field and start a company with a classmate.   Ten years ago grad school probably was the best place to meet potential co-founders. That’s what Larry and Sergey did.  That is how Filo and Jerry met.

So I went to grad school.

I did not love my time stuck in the dark corners of the control systems lab at the University of Maryland.  The opportunities to evaluate and work with potential co-founders were lacking. Note* I realize this concentration would have been higher at a place like Stanford or MIT. Luckily I met Adam Smith on Craigslist during a summer internship, we became roommates, did a lot of brainstorming over hot pocket dinners and eventually started Xobni together.

From the outside Y Combinator may simply look like a new disruptive venture fund. And it is. But the secondary effects may be even larger.

I often say Paul Graham doesn’t do YC for the money, he does it to teach.  He is a professor in a new type of university. And as an entrepreneur himself, of course it is a university he founded.

Read it all  YC: The new grad school | The Blog Of Matt Brezina.

 

Busy day, NEW COURSE, and a break

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Yesterday broke foggy and cold in Oxford which was actually very nice. It brought back so many memories of my own days as a student here, making my way into town for a day in the Oriental Institute researching and occasionally writing. This day I took my DSLR, looking every bit the tourist, and captured what I hope will be some nice shots of the colleges through the fog. I won’t be able to upload those photos until I get home, but I also had my point-and-shoot and have a few to share. It is a visual cliché, but Christ Church really is such a beautiful college, how could I not?


Christ Church War Memorial Gardens, looking back towards the college.

As the day warmed up the weather cleared leaving the sky crystal clear. I headed over to Mansfield College at 10 am to begin a day full of activity. Scholar and PLA student Kaitlyn Randol met me at their student accommodations and showed me around. Why? Because…

We are developing a new study abroad opportunity for our incoming first year students! This won’t be up and running until summer 2012, but it will be two 3-credit courses, CAS 100H, which is a speech class that every Penn Staters must take, and an honors course on “Ethics of Global Leadership,” taught be yours truly. The first three weeks will be taught in July at University Park and then we will all pack up and head over to Oxford for three weeks with special guests and field trips. We are working through the details now and should have it already for our incoming students next summer. Stay tuned!

After meetings with Mansfield College and lunch and tea in the Senior Common Room (where the fellows of a college hang out, the grad students have the “Middle Common Room,” and undergraduates have the “Junior Common Room”) I hoofed it up the Banbury Road to St. Clare’s College international high school. It is quite an impressive school that offers and International Baccalaureate program. I met with 18 students who will be applying for college this coming year.

The night ended with a wonderful evening with two of our current students studying in Oxford for the year and two graduates. They were incredibly long suffering of the old man telling stories about when he was studying in the city of dreaming spires (can you think of a better way to spend the first four years of your married life?) and the food was very good. I cannot tell you how proud I am of all our students, past and present. It was such a wonderful evening!


Today I was supposed to be off to Wales for a visit with another international school but sadly they are all struck down with the flu and cancelled. The good news is I have a day free in Oxford! So I am taking my cameras and heading out for a bit more touring and visiting with old friends.

Location:Oxford, UK

Post card from the UK

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I am very pleased to say that I awoke this morning at 7:15 am GMT. This is good because I am, in fact, in the UK and jet lag can be a real drag, but I managed to get some sleep on the plane Sunday night and stay up all day yesterday.

Yesterday I met with two old friends, which is always good, but in this case I was also enlisting their help with a new course that will start summer 2012. (Stay tuned!) I also had time to wander around town a bit. Above is the Radcliffe Camera, a library where I spent a fair amount of my time as a doctoral student. I realize the town is nigh on a thousand years old but it always surprises me how much things are the same, even 14 years on. Last night I enjoyed dinner at St. Catz’s high table.

Today I will meet with folks from Mansfield College then on to meet some high school students at an IB school outside of Oxford. Finally…dinner with our students! I will be taking two of our alumni and two of our current students (and PLAers!) out to dinner at The Trout. This used to be a lovely rustic pub along the river in Wolvercote that is now quite posh. Still a great location and I think they will enjoy it.

Location:Oxford, UK

“Terrorism, Nukes, and Cyberwarfare” the 2010 Luchinsky Lecture

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The Honorable Mary Beth Long will be here in two days! Ms. Long is a scholar alumna and a wonderful friend of the College and Penn State. This is a very rare opportunity to get an inside view of current issues and concerns regarding national security. Mark your calendars now and come to the free lecture!

Luchinsky Memorial Lecture Series

Terrorism, Nukes, and Cyberwarfare: Are We Prepared?

Thursday, March 25, 2010Mary Beth Long

8:00-9:00 p.m.

The State Theatre, downtown State College

Free and open to the public

The Honorable Mary Beth Long, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense.

Scholar Alumna Mary Beth Long, ’85 Com, was instrumental in the conclusion of the negotiations for the U.S.-Iraq status-of-forces agreement. She also was highly involved in the efforts to pursue missile defense agreements with the Czech Republic and Poland, which resulted in enhanced security agreements for the United States and Europe. She was responsible for shaping improved relations with Middle Eastern allies, as well as the U.S. response for the Russian invasion of Georgia. Long also helped develop approaches for reducing the Taliban’s use of narcotics as a revenue source in Afghanistan.

Penn State co-sponsors:

For more information, contact the Schreyer Honors College at 814-863-2636.

$1M gift to endow the Jerry Polis Family Honors Scholarship

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The announcement of this tremendous gift to the SHC went out on the Penn State news wire today. I have had the opportunity to get to know the Polis’ over the last two years and they are a wonderful couple who are thoroughly committed to Penn State and the Schreyer Honors College. It was our students who  inspired the the Polis’ to give their gift.

“I was incredibly impressed with the quality of the students and what they were doing,” Polis recalled, “They are really motivated. At that point, I felt this was something I would want to support.”

Be sure to read the full story at Penn State Live. The news wire announcement:

Gift to Schreyer Honors College reflects Penn State’s lifetime impact

Listen to a conversation with Jerry Polis, and his Penn State connection
comes through loud and clear. “The biggest thing Penn State taught me was how
to think, and I believe that’s helped me a lot in life,” said Polis, who
graduated from the University in 1953 with a B.A. in commerce and has lived in
Nevada ever since. “I feel like Penn State was very good to me, and I would
like to be able to repay it in a small way.” Repayment came recently in the
form of a $1 million commitment from Polis and his wife, Lotty, to establish
the Jerry Polis Family Honors Scholarship to benefit students in the Schreyer
Honors College.

Read the full story on Live: http://live.psu.edu/story/39839/nw1

Quick Notes: Scholar Commencement speakers & twitter

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Today is the last day of classes and we are fast approaching graduation! This past Monday was thesis turn-in day and, in fact, I am currently listening to an album produced by Scholar Andrew McLean for his thesis. He is a Chemistry major but wrote, performed, and produced an album for his thesis in music technology. (You can visit his myspace site here.) Some of our students will recognize Andrew since he lead The Pulse, the band that performed for the last two years at our SHO Time orientation event Late Night with the Dean.

Medal Ceremony CongratulationsAs we move towards commencement the university has posted the list of spring 2009 commencement speakers. What is exciting for us is that we have no less than three Scholar alumni who will be speaking!

  • David Han, ’88 Sci, 05g will be addressing the PSU Harrisburg graduates
  • Greg Lucier, ’86 Eng will be addressing the PSU Engineering graduates

Congratulations to all our soon-to-be graduates!

Finally, there was a recent study about social media and its effect upon the ability of people to empathize. A Collegian reporter interviewed me for an article which appeared online today. You can follow me on twitter at SHCDean.

Scholar Alumna article “How to Invest for ‘Flation”

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This past weekend was our External Advisory Board meeting, Scholar Alumni Board meeting, and our Scholar Reunion. Present at most of these events was Scholar Alumna and Business Week Personal Finance Editor Lauren Young. I thought I would point out the beginning of a new series of articles she has on “‘Flation” (Stag, In, or De?).

How to Invest for ‘Flation

Posted by: Lauren Young on April 27

Which way is the economy heading next? Is it inflation, deflation, and stagflation? Overwhelmingly, most of the 50 advisers and analysts I interviewed for a story about ‘flation in the most recent issue of BusinessWeek think the U.S. economy is headed on an inflationary path.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be highlighting arguments from some of my sources as well as their investing advice. Here are some investment ideas from three folks who are in the inflationary camp.

Boards, Alumni, and Mentors

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April isn’t just the cruelest month for the poets, it is also a very busy time for academics of all sorts. Our seniors are finishing their theses (due Monday!), high school seniors are making their final decisions (we just fnished our last of 7 on-campus offer sessions), and everyone is nearing the end of another academic year with papers to write and grade.

This past week and on into the weekend is always particularly hectic, but in a wonderful way. Today is the Blue-White game, the Penn State football scrimmage, that also signals our spring meeting of the External Advisory Board, our Scholar Alumni Board, and our Scholar Reunion. We have over a hundred alumni and families joining us today (and in 5 minutes for Donuts with the Dean!) for what should prove to be a beautiful warm day with a tailgate starting at 11:30.

One of the best parts of these weekends is introducing our board members and alumni to our current students. At dinner on Thursday night 7 of our graduating seniors and our Student Council president met with the members of the EAB. Each spoke about their experiences as a Schreyer Scholar and their accomplishments leave me wondering what I did with the last four decades of my life! They have accomplished more in four years than many do in a life time. I will share some comments from one of our seniors later this week, but today I want to highlight the value of mentoring.

Many of our alumni and board members mentor our current students and yesterday we honored our first ever Outstanding Mentor Award to Ryan Newman, ’01 Bus. Below are is part of the script I read at the award presentation. Ryan is a wonderful young man and very deserving of the award. Mentoring has become an integral part of the Schreyer experience, connecting our students with our alumni, and one that is incredibly beneficial for all concerned. Congratulations to Ryan and thank you to ALL our mentors!

Scholar Alumnus Ryan Newman a 2001 graduate from the Smeal College of Business. Ryan graduated first in his major with a B.S. in Economics and as a Schreyer Scholar. While at Penn State, he conducted research in Cameroon for his honors thesis in Demography. He presented his findings, which were subsequently published, at the Population Association Conference, held in Washington, D.C. While at Penn State, Ryan served as President of the Business Student Council and Chairman of the Business Roundtable. In addition, Ryan was Co-Founder of Smeal Survivor (later renamed, The Next CEO), a business simulation sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a non-partisan DC-based Think Tank and Penn State.

Ryan has served on the Smeal College of Business Alumni Society Board of Directors since 1998. He is a Board of Director of the Foundation for Student Enterprise which hosts a week-long simulation for High School students entitled, Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week (PFEW). He is the Vice President of Finance for the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Jewish Committee (AJC), and serves on the Estate Planning Advisory Council of the Greater Philadelphia Jewish Federation. He is also a member of The Philadelphia Estate Planning Council and the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG).

Ryan was hired by Goldman Sachs in 2001, and began his career as a financial analyst, customizing and implementing asset allocation models for clients. Ryan is now a vice president for private wealth management in the investment management division.

In 2004, Ryan earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. Since this time, he has personally advised family groups and non-profit institutions, consisting predominantly of owners of closely-held private companies, as well as public company executives and mid-sized institutions on asset allocation, investment management and wealth planning.

One friend describes Ryan as “approachable”, “extraordinarily successful”, and “inspirational.”   He continues to share that “…if there is one thing Ryan doesn’t have is TIME.  Yet, he is so passionate and self-less about paying it forward that he makes an exceptional amount of time to engage his protégés.”

… The plaque reads as follows:

SCHREYER
HONORS COLLEGE

The Scholar Alumni Society recognizes the
2009 Outstanding Scholar Alumni Mentor

Ryan Newman, 01
for his outstanding commitment and invaluable contributions
to the Mentoring with Honors program

April 24, 2009
The Pennsylvania State University

Luchinsky Lecture: “What’s Wrong/Right With Health Care Today”

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We are all thrilled that our men’s basketball team has made the finals in the NIT Thursday night. But we are also very excited about the Luchinsky Lecture which will also be this Thursday night! Our own Scholar alumnus Dr. David Han will be speaking about the ethics of health care and its future. Please join us!

14th ANNUAL MARK LUCHINSKY MEMORIAL LECTURE:
“WHAT’S WRONG RIGHT WITH HEALTH CARE TODAY”
7:00 p.m., Thursday, April 2
The State Theatre, downtown State College

Dr. David C. Han, a vascular surgeon at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, takes center stage in the debate about the current state of the practice of medicine as he presents “What’s Wrong/Right with Health Care Today” on Thursday, April 2, at the State Theatre downtown State College.

Dr. Han, who also serves as the director of Hershey’s vascular surgery division, is delivering the Schreyer Honors College’s 14th Annual Mark Luchinsky Memorial Lecture.

After graduating from Penn State’s University Scholars Program with a bachelor’s degree in Biology in 1988, Dr. Han went on to earn his M.D. from Harvard Medical School in 1992. He completed his training in vascular surgery at the Mayo Clinic in 1999 before joining the Penn State Hershey Medical Center. Dr. Han went on to complete a master’s degree in Health Evaluation Sciences from the Penn State College of Medicine in 2005.

Dr. Han is an associate professor of surgery and radiology and program director of the Vascular Surgery Fellowship at the Penn State College of Medicine and the Penn State Hershey Medical Center.

The Luchinsky Memorial Lecture Series was endowed by family and friends to honor the memory of Mark Luchinsky, a University Scholar and biochemistry major who died January 18,1995, at age 20.  Luchinsky graduated first in his class in 1992 from Thomas Jefferson High School in Pittsburgh.  In addition to being a Scholar, he was a member of the Penn State Golden Key Honor Society and the Alpha Epsilon Delta Premedical Honor Society.  Although he was a student in the field of science, Luchinsky loved the study of all other subjects: poetry, history, geography, and more.  Even at his young age, he was known for intellectual honesty and personal integrity.  Through this lecture series, family, friends, and Scholars gather to honor his memory through support of an annual speaker who exemplifies intellectual honesty, personal integrity, and a passion for learning.

The lecture is free and open to the public.