Registration for Alumni

* This registration is for alumni only. Students will have a separate link, which will be available soon. 

Connect with the college through a number of activities such as interacting with current students, networking with other alumni, gaining professional insights, and hearing about college initiatives. The day is designed so that you can sign up for the sessions that work for your schedule. Alumni who cannot return to campus can still join us for the session with new Dean Corey Phelps and may register to receive the link to join. 

• Read details about the sessions below and then select "Impact Smeal Day Registration" at the bottom of the page to register. Please note that if a session is at capacity, it will no longer appear as an option on the registration form. 
  
  
• Attendees who arrive to campus on Thursday, September 19 are invited to join the Smeal Alumni Society Board for a reception from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. at Champs Downtown (139 South Allen Street).
  
  
• Attendees who plan to stay into the evening on Friday, September 20 are invited to join us for our "Football Friday with Dean Phelps" reception event. This event requires a separate registration (which lists other Football Fridays with Dean Phelps dates also): https://engage.tassl.com/event/11376
  
  
• The next Impact Smeal Day will be on a Friday in late March or early April (date tbd).

• Disclaimer acknowledgment: Your participation at this event indicates your permission to be photographed, filmed, or recorded for Smeal publicity through print or online communication.

Schedule

Thursday, September 19 from 6:00 - 7:30

• Smeal Alumni Society Board Welcome Reception: Attendees who arrive to campus on Thursday, September 19 are invited to join the Smeal Alumni Society Board for a reception from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. at Champs Downtown (139 South Allen Street). Heavy appetizers will be provided and a bar will be available for individual purchases. 
  
  

Friday, September 20

8:00 - 8:45 a.m.

• Networking & Welcome: Kick off your day in the Atrium of the Business Building with other alumni and light continental breakfast items. 

9:00 - 10:00 a.m. (select one)

• Responsible AI in Today’s Business Landscape: During this session, participants will learn about Smeal’s effort to build a shared understanding of “responsible AI” - both within the college and beyond - while also contributing to that effort by providing feedback and their own observations related to the ethical challenges of integrating AI into business. The interactive discussion will give alumni an opportunity to share how AI is being encouraged or discouraged in their industry or company, as well as share perceived opportunities for Smeal to support the next generation of responsible business leaders. This session will be led by Dr. Michelle Darnell along with select alumni who are engaged with the Tarriff Center for Business Ethics and Social Responsibility. 
  
  
• Meet With Your Protégé: If you are a part of Smeal's formal Alumni Mentoring Program, you can choose to spend time with your protégé. Please contact your protégé and coordinate your meeting together. Feel free to use the public seating areas located in the Atrium of the Business Building for your individual meetings.

10:10 - 11:00 a.m. (select one)

• Empowering Success: Alumni Insights for FIRST@Smeal Students (First-Year): During the session, alumni will have the opportunity to support first-generation Smeal students (who are in their first-year) by helping them build confidence, navigate their recent transition to college life, and sharing tips for presenting their best selves. Through interactive group conversations, alumni will provide guidance on overcoming uncertainties and seizing opportunities.
  
  
• Empowering Success: Alumni Insights for FIRST@Smeal Students (Second-Year): During this session, alumni will have the opportunity to support first-generation students (who are in their second-year) to help them prepare for the fall Career Fair. The first half of the session will allow alumni to share best practices for confidence and readiness. The second half will allow students to interact and get feedback from alumni by practicing their pitch or reviewing their resume.
  
  
• Observe the Nittany Lion Fund: The Nittany Lion Fund (NLF) is a student managed investment fund with over $10 MM in AUM serving over 70 individual investors. One of the first of its kind in the nation, the Nittany Lion Fund provides Penn State undergraduate students with the opportunity to make real investment decisions regarding the fund's equity securities while exploring the intricacies of the financial world. Participants who sit in on this class (limit of 15), will be observing only; no formal interaction with the students will take place. This class is taught by Dr. Randy Woolridge, professor of finance and president of the Nittany Lion Fund.  
  
  
• Meet With Your Protégé: If you are a part of Smeal's formal Alumni Mentoring Program, you can choose to spend time with your protégé. Please contact your protégé and coordinate your meeting together. Feel free to use the public seating areas located in the Atrium of the Business Building for your individual meetings.

11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

• Lunch: Boxed lunches will be served in the Atrium of the Business Building to all Impact Smeal Day alumni attendees. Alumni who are in Smeal's Mentoring Program can make arrangements ahead of time to invite their Student Protégé to join them for lunch (students should let us know they are coming through a separate form that was sent to them from the Alumni Relations Office). Although this is the time we are aiming for the majority of our event attendees to eat, you can eat at any point between 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., if there is a time that better accommodates your schedule or your student protégé's schedule.

12:15 - 1:00 p.m. (select one)

• SESSION FULL: THIS SESSION WILL NOT SHOW ON THE REGISTRATION FORM
  There's So Much More Than Your Major: This session will inspire students to think about how they can leverage what they learn in their major to explore a broad spectrum of business career possibilities. Alumni will share how their diverse experiences and skills, enriched by their well-rounded business education from Penn State, have shaped their successful careers. Encourage students to harness the full potential of their Smeal education to achieve success through adaptability and continuous learning.
  
  
• Organizational Culture: A Conversation about Finding and Fostering a Values-Fit Organization: Open to both alumni and current students, this interactive session will consider the important role of organizational culture in team member or employee satisfaction and retention. Jennifer Eury (Associate Clinical Professor of Management) and Keleigh Asbury (Director of Alumni Career Services) will discuss current trends related to workplace culture and share a framework for how to foster an organizational culture, where the formal and informal systems are aligned to support ethical behavior. Whether you are looking to understand the culture of your current organization or envisioning the culture of your future workplace, this session will offer valuable insights and thought-provoking discussion.
  
  
• Meet With Your Protégé: If you are a part of Smeal's formal Alumni Mentoring Program, you can choose to spend time with your protégé. Please contact your protégé and coordinate your meeting together. Feel free to use the public seating areas located in the Atrium of the Business Building for your individual meetings.

1:15 - 2:00 p.m. (select one)

• Flash Connect: Alumni-Student Networking Meetup: Alumni and students will get the opportunity to come together for an exciting networking experience in the Atrium. In this low-pressure meetup, participants will engage in quick, but dynamic conversations. Students will gain valuable insights, industry perspectives, and practice the art of networking, which will be especially important because the Smeal Career Fair will take place the following week. 
  
  
• Classroom Experience - Management 320 "Establishing Workforce Diversity & Inclusion": This course provides students with an understanding of the relevance and importance of diversity within corporate America. Students examine topics that directly and indirectly impact employment opportunities, day-to-day work practices, and the civil environment in which individuals deal with as they attempt to establish themselves as successful individuals on equal footing with their colleagues. Participants who sit in on this class (limit of 15) will get to be part of the class conversation, which is taught by Dr. Jamie Campbell.
  
  
• Meet With Your Protégé: If you are a part of Smeal's formal Alumni Mentoring Program, you can choose to spend time with your protégé. Please contact your protégé and coordinate your meeting together. Feel free to use the public seating areas located in the Atrium of the Business Building for your individual meetings.

2:15 - 3:00 p.m. (select one)

• Welcome, Dean Corey Phelps: Join Corey Phelps, the new John and Karen Arnold Dean of the Smeal College of Business as he begins his tenure with Smeal and looks ahead at the '24-'25 academic year. During the session, attendees can ask questions and engage in a discussion with the Dean. Alumni who cannot come to campus may register for this session and receive a link to join virtually.
  
  
• Meet With Your Protégé: If you are a part of Smeal's formal Alumni Mentoring Program, you can choose to spend time with your protégé. Please contact your protégé and coordinate your meeting together. Feel free to use the public seating areas located in the Atrium of the Business Building for your individual meetings.

3:30 - 4:30 p.m. (select one)

• Tour of the new Palmer Museum of Art: The Palmer Museum of Art within The Arboretum at Penn State replaced its 52-year home on Curtin Road. The innovative new Palmer is a larger facility that features education spaces, including a teaching gallery, flexible event spaces, and nearly twice the exhibition space of the previous museum, allowing for expanded student, faculty, and public access to Penn State’s growing collection of nearly 11,000 works of art. We will plan to walk as a group (5 minute walk across Park Avenue), but parking is available in lots adjacent to the Museum, should individuals wish to drive.

5:30 - 7:00 p.m. (select one)

• Football Fridays with Dean Phelps: This event requires a separate registration (https://engage.tassl.com/event/11376)