Our Organization

We are responsible for all aspects of Penn State World Campus as well as the development, evaluation, and coordination of the shared vision, strategies, implementation, policies, and practices for online education offered by Penn State.

World Campus Enrollment Management Services

World Campus Enrollment Management Services works collaboratively with the University’s central administrative offices and academic support units to provide Penn State World Campus students with the exceptional support they would receive on campus.

1. World Campus Central is designed to serve as a single point of contact for students to find assistance or resources to address their issues or concerns. Specialists from each support team work together to resolve issues quickly, saving students from calling multiple departments and creating operational efficiencies across the organization. 
2. Admission Services supports prospective students in evaluating their programs of choice, building their application portfolio, and navigating the acceptance process. Coordinating with other teams to plan and execute a variety of recruitment events and targeted campaigns, they nurture prospects throughout the detailed steps and requirements to gain admission.
3. Financial Aid helps students understand the financial aid process and ensures that both students and staff adhere to federal, state, and University aid regulations and policies. They answer questions and address individual circumstances and issues related to aid, as well as help students manage aid usage throughout their enrollment. Other responsibilities of this team are to review scholarship applications and make awards.
4. Transfer Credit Services reviews student transfer credits and syllabi. They explain which courses may transfer and count toward degree requirements. The team ensures that approved courses are correctly reflected on student records.
5. Registrar is responsible for academic processes for all newly admitted, current, and returning students such as enrollment, re-enrollment, and course registration. They handle registration-related inquiries such as prerequisites, enrollment limits, and change-of-campus requests. They serve a primary role in the creation and maintenance of student academic records.
6. Bursar and Military Educational Benefits Team assists students in understanding their student accounts and navigating the LionPATH student system and University policies and procedures. Their specialized services include the Employer Reimbursement and Tuition Deferment Program, itemized student receipts, third-party invoicing, payment processing for external awards and employers, and helping military students understand and utilize their military benefits, military benefit processing, and military grant-in-aid.

World Campus Academic Affairs

World Campus Academic Affairs leads and coordinates the development and maintenance of academic policies, programs, and courses.

1. Program Planning and Management is the lead point of contact for academic programs and faculty from colleges and campuses across the University. They strategically manage the selection, development, and delivery of undergraduate and graduate degrees, certificates, and associated courses offered in collaboration with Penn State academic partners to students at a distance through World Campus. This work is done in coordination with other units and stakeholders to ensure smooth implementation and delivery of a quality experience to the appropriate audiences.
2. Learning Design and Faculty Development designs and develops World Campus courses in consult with course instructors. Integrating learning theory and the best technologies for effective learning outcomes, they ensure courses meet accessibility standards and comply with all copyright regulations. By performing extensive testing and quality assurance checks, they continuously monitor and improve courses to align with current technological capabilities and desired learning outcomes. Faculty Development plans and oversees noncredit faculty development courses, using learning theory to improve teaching effectiveness. Central to the development and evaluation of tools and resources for faculty and instructors, they are also responsible for educational programming for instructors.  

Chaiken Center for Student Success

The Chaiken Center for Student Success offers integrated, student-centered support to provide students with equal access and promote full participation, the development of a sound educational plan, and advocacy related to the support of their academic needs and goals.

1. Academic Advising is responsible for advising undergraduate students, assisting and advocating for students throughout their academic lifecycle. They offer specialized military services for veteran and active-duty students and their spouses.
2. Academic Development Services helps students identify the skills and tools they need to be successful in an online learning environment and offers academic programs and consultations to address typical challenges. Their services include assessment of students’ skill levels and preparations for course success, and their resources include New Student Orientation, tutoring, and proven strategies for effective learning.
3. Student Disability Services is responsible for providing disability services and accommodations for undergraduate and graduate students, overseeing requests for accommodations, and ensuring that course work is inclusive and accessible.

World Campus Student Affairs

World Campus Student Affairs strives to offer diverse opportunities for growth and development within a healthy, inclusive environment, encouraging every student to thrive as an online learner. The team uses technologies innovatively to support student success and create a genuine sense of belonging. Student Affairs offers a variety of services and programs that facilitate co-curricular learning experiences and enrich the well-being and personal and professional development of our students.

1. Student Conduct evaluates reports or concerns involving student conduct and behavior. Investigating the concern, they may gather input from faculty, staff, and other relevant parties in addition to information from the student. After this assessment, they determine whether the concern meets the criteria for required action — and, if so, what the necessary action would be.
2. Career Services provides career-related counseling, guidance, and resources. They offer individual coaching and advising to students and participate in events such as webinars and career fairs. They assist students in navigating University resources and services, such as Nittany Lion Careers.
3. Mental Health Case Management provides mental health support and case management services, which include intake counseling, resource coordination, and referrals for external service providers. This team guides students in using University-wide resources such as WellTrack, You@PSU, and Ginger.
4. Student Engagement Events, Leadership and Services, and Student Clubs and Organizations provide robust student activities, including days of service and student leadership development programs, as well as guidance and support for students developing clubs and organizations.
5. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strives to foster a community that highlights and recognizes the broad perspectives and lived experiences students bring to their Penn State educational paths. They provide a variety of student involvement options, advocacy resources, and guidance to faculty and staff who want to ensure an accepting environment for students.
6. Student Advocacy and Care and Concern provide students with support on matters negatively impacting or impeding their academic success. Common hardships the team assists with are financial, housing, or food insecurity; death of an immediate family member; family crisis; mental health concerns; medical emergency and/or hospitalization; natural disasters; and other unexpected events or challenges.

Outreach and Online Education Cross-Unit Operations

Penn State Outreach and Online Education share the following support teams.

Marketing and Communications

1. Marketing and Communications support for Online Education is composed of the three coordinating units of Communications, Marketing Technology and Operations, and Marketing Strategy and Business Development.
   1. Communications finds and tells stories of impact about programs and services that affect current and prospective students, faculty, staff, and more. Identifying compelling story ideas, they conduct interviews to craft stories, which they promote through official University channels and share with members of the media. Tasked with helping to manage the reputation of Online Education at Penn State and mitigating potential crises, they are the lead point of contact for print, broadcast, and web journalists. As official University spokespeople, they manage internal and diversity communications for employees, provide multimedia production capabilities, and offer media training and executive communication services for leadership.
   2. Marketing Technology and Operations is responsible for the technical, user experience, and operational sides of marketing and communications for both Online Education and Outreach. Working with partners and clients, they produce print and digital communications and create and manage user-centered websites. They measure effectiveness of marketing and website strategy using usability, split, and multivariate testing, user behavior studies, and marketing analytics. While performing in-depth market research, surveys, and qualitative studies, they also manage marketing technology including CRM, marketing automation, and marketing performance management. They are responsible for all levels of program, portfolio, project, and production management for marketing and communications work.
   3. Marketing Strategy and Business Development is responsible for the planning, development, execution, and analysis of marketing and sales strategies for Penn State World Campus and Online Education, as well as the brand guidelines for Penn State World Campus. Leveraging audience segmentation data, marketing analytics, and market research data, this team creates marketing plans to reach specific target audiences of each marketing channel — brand, programs, military, business-to-business, federal government, and international. All advertising media is researched, planned, negotiated, and executed within this team or managed with an external agency. They are also responsible for coordination and creation of social media and blog content, content strategy, event management, and messaging to prospective and current students, applicants, and alumni. The business development team provides outreach efforts by partnering with various units across the University to identify and cultivate relationships with corporations, government, and military partners.

Information Technology

1. Information Technology designs, delivers, and supports technology solutions for all Outreach and Online Education teams. Such solutions include enterprise applications, custom-developed data solutions, automations, collaboration tools, and staff computing devices. They ensure data security and oversee systems operations to keep teams connected and working efficiently.

Organizational Effectiveness

1. Organizational Effectiveness includes strategic planning and assessment that drives goal development, facilitates the establishment of action plans, and coordinates reporting pathways to measure progress toward desired outcomes. Involving comprehensive forecasting, discovery, execution, and assessment of major initiatives, they manage efforts to support both immediate priorities and long-term goals. They lead the Annual Planning process, facilitate cross-unit work, and assist in steering organizational efforts in support of strategic goals. They are also responsible for analytics and provide robust reporting, conduct institutional research, and assist with programmatic evaluation in support of using data to inform strategic planning and decision-making. Their responsibilities include reporting and analytics, operational research, administering surveys, conducting evaluations, promotion of information literacy across the organization, and managing business intelligence through dashboards and predictive analytics.

Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity

1. Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity is responsible for creating and maintaining an environment in Outreach and Online Education in which everyone feels safe, welcome, and included. They plan, coordinate, and implement programs and initiatives designed to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. They advocate on behalf of students while also empowering students to advocate for themselves.

Operations

1. Operations is charged with a wide range of responsibilities that support the essential day-to-day functions of all Outreach and Online Education teams.
   1. Finance has responsibility for all financial analysis, reporting, and oversight for Outreach and Online Education. They develop annual budgets, quarterly forecasts, and reports used for strategic decisions and planning. Their expertise in managing financial procedures and monitoring budget-related actions ensures all Outreach and Online Education units comply with University policies and applicable regulations.
   2. Compliance and Contracts assists with mitigating legal and financial risk in support of online education. They are responsible for the administration of the state authorization process and of policies and procedures supporting the preparation and development of proposals, sponsored awards, and business agreements.
   3. Human Resources directs all HR responsibilities within Outreach and Online Education. They advise leadership and management teams on staffing and organizational plans and offer counsel on the recruitment, hiring, and retention of Outreach and Online Education’s most valuable resources — current and future employees. They keep staff and leadership informed of any developments at the University related to human resources initiatives, while being responsive to the needs of the unit.
   4. Advancement manages the University’s engagement with donors and alumni. Staff cultivate, solicit, and steward philanthropic contributions, ensure gifts are used as donors intend, involve alumni in the vibrant life of the University, and ensure all processes comply with University policy and applicable regulations.

Serving Special Populations

Our Military Support Team is a network of staff from across all units of World Campus who focus on supporting the military online learner through unique programs, benefits, and services. Working in collaboration with the Penn State Office of Veterans Affairs and Services and other stakeholders across the University, they advocate for military learners and initiatives that will improve the student experience for this unique population.

The Penn State Education Alliance partners with business clients from multiple sectors to foster learning and workforce development in their organizations and companies. This team assists businesses in identifying industry-related degree and certificate programs that will develop their employees and provide options for their educational and professional development. Some services and benefits may include tuition reduction and deferment plans, undergrad credit for prior learning, and education fairs designed for the employees’ fields and career options.

The Penn State international network spans the globe, with students and alumni being recognized worldwide for their well-regarded educational credentials. Penn State’s Office of Global Programs and World Campus offer the flexibility required for international students to find their educational community at Penn State.