Robert Friedman, a restaurateur and community leader in northeastern Pennsylvania, has committed $100,000 to create the Pauline “Pauly” Friedman Memorial Scholarship at Penn State Wilkes-Barre. The scholarship, named in honor of his late mother, will be given to full-time undergraduate students who are enrolled or who plan to enroll at Penn State Wilkes-Barre, with a preference to students interested in pursuing a degree in hospitality management.
Penn State alumni and longtime supporters Ed and Judy Lucy, who previously committed an estate gift and an annual award to support Penn State Wilkes-Barre, have continued their commitment by the creation of the Samuel J. and Ruth Valick Family Scholarship with a gift of $50,000. The scholarship will give preference to students who have served or are serving in the United States military and who are majoring or plan to major in criminal justice.
In alignment with the recent announcement from the White House on federal vaccination requirements, all Penn State employees at all locations are now subject to a federal COVID-19 vaccination requirement. The deadline for employees to receive their final dose of a vaccine is Jan. 4, 2022
A Penn State Wilkes-Barre alumnus has created a named space on campus in memory of his late wife. In recognition of a $10,000 gift made by Mark Sobeck, 1976, Room 119F in the Athletic and Recreation Building will be named in remembrance of his wife, Deborah, who died on May 5, 2020.
In a move designed to limit the spread of COVID-19 on Penn State campuses, the union representing about 2,600 technical service employees, has agreed to follow University requirements for mask-wearing, regardless of vaccination status. The agreement goes into effect immediately.
Due to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 conditions around the country and in Pennsylvania, effective immediately (Aug. 4), Penn State will require all students, faculty, staff and visitors — including those who are vaccinated and unvaccinated — to wear masks indoors at all campuses. Within the last 24 hours, many counties that are home to Penn State campuses have shifted to “orange” status, warranting an immediate adjustment to the University’s on-campus masking requirement.
With COVID-19 cases rising in Pennsylvania and across the country and the more aggressive and more transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus becoming the dominant strain, Penn State is adjusting its health and safety plans for the fall 2021 semester. Penn State President Eric Barron joined other University leaders for a town hall on Aug. 3 to share the fall plans with the Penn State community.
Penn State is planning a phased return over the summer semester to a full on-campus learning environment for fall 2021. The University’s priorities continue to be the health and well-being of its students, faculty, staff and local communities, and the plans for expanded in-person classes have the flexibility built in to quickly respond to changing pandemic conditions, if necessary.
