Good morning, State College.

A new playground, designed with input from local children and built by 150 community volunteers (with site prep on Aug.

13-14), will open Saturday, Aug. 15 at Autumnwood Park in Ferguson Township, offering an accessible play space for thousands of local children.

Penn State’s Center for the Performing Arts announced its 2026-27 season that features Broadway plays, ballet, and jazz performances from October through April—opening Tuesday, Oct.

13 with a production of Hamlet starring actors with Down syndrome, while members can buy tickets starting 10 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11.

The Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society with the School of Hospitality Management will honor alumni at the 2026 Awards Reception on Wednesday, Sept.

30 in the Marriott Foundation Building on campus. The event will include a new Chairperson's Award, and registration for Alumni in the Classroom is now open.

Penn State University Libraries’ TLT is launching CORE, a professional development workshop series for instructional designers with virtual sessions starting Sept.

14 (registration is required by Sept. 9).

Pennsylvania’s 500 school districts will share $565 million in supplemental education funds that guarantee each district at least $50,000 to help close adequacy gaps and improve programs like staffing, class sizes, after-school activities and full-day kindergarten.

IST intern Pratyush Mudgal built an AI tool this summer that streamlined mentor pairing for Penn State's alumni team by reducing a three-week process to seconds and supporting faster networking between alumni and students.

Penn State Smeal College of Business set a new record by raising $45 million in fiscal year 2026 to fund scholarships, research, programs, and facility upgrades at University Park + supporting its Top 5 in 5 strategic plan for future growth.

Fourteen Penn State student productions & individuals received nominations for the 2026 College Student Production Awards, highlighting work from the capstone journalism course at Bellisario College of Communications.

Award winners will be announced on Sept. 26 in Philadelphia during the Mid-Atlantic Regional Emmy Awards Ceremony.

School nurses advise parents that updating immunizations, scheduling physicals and dental exams, and establishing healthy routines are key to a smooth back-to-school season.

They recommend submitting medication forms, washing hands for 20 seconds, and keeping sick kids home so children stay safe + ready to learn.

Former Penn State player Jalen Pickett signed a two-way deal with the Clippers + their G League affiliate next season.

The 26-year-old played three seasons with the Nuggets and will join former PSU teammate Yanic Konan Niederhauser.

Penn State Baseball signed former Fairfield outfielder TJ Schmalzle on Wednesday, Aug.

5, adding him to its transfer portal class. The Hawley native, who earned All-MAAC second team honors this season with 11+ home runs and 25+ steals, is expected to make an immediate impact.

Penn State announced that its season opener against Marshall on Sept.

5 will feature the 11th annual Stripe Out Game with kickoff at 3:30 p.m. on FS1, as renovations at Beaver Stadium delay the seating map release (updates to follow).

Former Penn State wrestler Bo Nickal will face Olympic champion Shirvani Muradov at RAF Moscow on Sept.

5 - the event will air live on Fox Nation in the U.S. Nickal, a rising UFC-contender, will also fight on Aug. 22 at RAF 12.