Join Us for Our Annual Catered Fall Picnic!

Global Connections is excited to invite you to our annual fall picnic! Come and enjoy a fun-filled afternoon with us on Sunday, September 15th, from 12:00 noon to 2:00 PM. The picnic will be held at Spring Creek Park, Pavilion 1.

It’s a great opportunity to connect with fellow members, enjoy some delicious food, and make new friends. We hope to see you there!

Date: Sunday, September 15
Time: 12:00 noon – 2:00 PM
Location: Spring Creek Park, Pavilion 1

Free for members. Guests are welcome!  RSVP here!

Don’t miss out on this fantastic event. Mark your calendars and join us for a wonderful time!

Each year, Penn State invites hundreds of international professors and PhD candidates to its many campuses to learn and do research alongside of PSU’s faculty members. Known as Visiting Scholars, these individuals come to our community for stays lasting anywhere from 2 to 12 months. One such Scholar is Jan-Iwo Jäkel, a research assistant at Aachen University in Germany, who plans to work with Professor John Messner in September and October in the Department of Architectural Engineering. For such a relatively short residency it is difficult to find housing, since most leases are for a full year. Global Connections is seeking to help by asking our members if anyone can offer Herr Jäkel accommodations. If you can, please contact Professor Messner at [email protected].

We are happy to inform you that yesterday we received a formal letter of resignation from Kieran Holland. As a result, we no longer need to hold a general meeting on July 31 to remove him from office, so that event is cancelled.

The Executive Committee will recruit and appoint officers to fill vacancies for the remainder of the calendar year. At the annual general meeting in November we will hold the customary election for officers for 2025. Global Connections members are both welcome and encouraged to suggest candidates for the offices of president, public relations officer, and secretary.

Thank you,

Bob Persiko

Acting President

Global Connections is teaming up with the organizations of two of our members for an informal “Cultural Potluck” picnic on Saturday, July 27, 12:00 noon, at Sunset Park Pavilion.

Wenjie Fu, who manages Penn State Global’s Community Engagement program, sees this as an opportunity for Conversation Partners to interact with other like-minded people in our community. Qian Zhang, who founded the Cultural Exchange Group, envisions this as an opportunity to “savor stories, savor food, and make new friends.”

GC members are welcome to bring a dish that represents your culture, or just a simple snack you enjoy. Bring a story about your heritage, your travels, or any experiences that have shaped your world view. We’d love for you to join us!

Cost: FREE and open to the public.

RSVP Here!

Questions, email us at [email protected]

The Executive Committee wants to thank, with GREAT FANFARE, all those members of both GC and our community for their unprecedented response to our call for support during the Centre Foundation’s May 8-9 “Centre Gives” campaign.

Your generosity created an 80.22% increase in the average per-capita donation over 2023 ($66.45 versus $36.88) which drove an unprecedented 65.20% rise in total direct contributions ($1,462.00 versus $885.00). Once the Centre Foundation’s greatly appreciated allocation of the Hamer Foundation’s “Stretch Funds” is added in, Global Connections received a record-breaking total gift of $1,858.98!

Yeah, we know the numbers themselves are not jaw-dropping, but you must remember that our relatively small operating budget oscillates between $5,500 and $7,500 per year and that Global Connections is an all-volunteer undertaking. So, this gift accounts for between 25% and 33% of our budget.

This will make a HUGE difference in our scope of operations, especially in our ability to fund scholarships for immigrants and refugees through our newly created English Language Literacy Program. It also means that our reach toward and presence in our service area are both expanding. We must be doing something right, huh?

So, please, keep talking us up with your friends, family, and colleagues. And, above all else, find the nearest mirror and give yourself a huge “THANK YOU” from all of us!!!