Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State Logo
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Bellisario Alumnus Don Roy King speaks at a commencement ceremony with arms spread wide and hands up. He is wearing blue commencement robes and a six-sided hat and stands behind a podium with a Penn State logo on its front side.

Annual Report

Camaraderie & Community Long-time faculty and staff hold key to Bellisario College’s success

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This Annual Report provides a snapshot of the Bellisario College of Communications. In this brief recap, you get a sense of our global reach, world-class faculty, alumni engagement and abundance of student resources. We are an unquestioned educational destination for mass communications students.

Tara Wyckoff smiles broadly while talking to two students sitting behind a computer monitor during a discussion. Wyckoff has long brown hair and is wearing a white dress shirt.

Classroom Instruction

Top-notch classroom instruction represents the core of our mission. In traditional and non-traditional settings, on campus or online, our award-winning faculty strive to serve students in ways that resonate most with them and lead to their success.

3 university-wide faculty award winners

907 undergraduate students earned degrees in 2021-22

From the Communicator

King of the ‘Hot Seat’

Faculty member Steve Manuel enjoys helping students succeed — and making them a little uneasy too.

Read the Article
Students wearing masks during the COVID-19 pandemic sit behind a television studio production desk working on a live weather broadcast.

Campus Media Opportunities

More than three dozen communications-related clubs and organizations offer students the chance to complement class work through networking or practical experience. From the Ad/PR Club and Student Film Organization to CommAgency, CommRadio and Valley Magazine, students in every major have opportunities to hone vital-career related skills outside the classroom.

3 Finalists: PRWeek Outstanding Student of the Year 2022

1 “Centre County Report” student newscast honored as nation’s Top Newscast by the Broadcast Education Association

A quartet of student photos demonstrating the breadth of media opportunities including a minor league baseball team, fine art studio, and a Detroit-based rock and roll radio station.

Career Preparation

From the moment students step on campus, our internships and career services team helps prepare them for a career. With a database of more than 4,000 internship sites, three communications-specific job fairs, resume review sessions and workshops, mock interviews, an annual etiquette dinner and more, their support of students is unrivaled.

157 companies at three communications specific internship and job fairs

1071 Alumni Participants in Bellisario College Events

355 for-credit internships completed

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Faculty Expertise

Bellisario College faculty members are award-winning teachers and internationally respected researchers and thought leaders. They thrive in the classroom (in person or virtually), in labs, in “embedded courses,” and as experts sought out by the media and potential collaborators.

7 books written

11 book chapters

91 journal articles produced

Staff Support

As much as any group, Bellisario College staff members exemplify the commitment and passion that makes Penn State special. They are dedicated to supporting students and helping them succeed.

Jamey Perry, Assistant Dean for Academic Services, discussing course options with a student.
“We want to go above and beyond in trying to find ways to support, encourage and be positive for students.” – Jamey Perry, Assistant Dean for Academic Services
Seventeen members of the Bellisario College Alumni Society Board pose for a photo.

Alumni Support

The power of the Penn State network cannot be overlooked, and the commitment of Bellisario College alumni to supporting each other and students provides an example of that support on a daily basis. Our alumni enjoy interacting with each other and facilitating the success of fellow Penn Staters.

20 military abroad

67 countries where Bellisario College alumni reside

Composite photo showing the interior of the new Bellisario Media Center on the left and a rendering of the electronic donor recognition wall on the right.

$6.25 Million in Support

Donors at every level make the success of Bellisario College students and faculty possible. In addition, many opportunities exist to ensure the continued success of our people and programs.

1,754 gifts received

Social Media Growth

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Open! Bellisario Media Center

The Bellisario Media Center opened for classes at the start of the 2021-22 academic year and the facility fulfilled its promise as a place that encourages collaboration and community, entrepreneurship and excellence.

Students flocked to the media center. Groups and organizations conducted both impromptu and regular meetings. Tour groups were a daily fixture and special events were common — from the grand opening and ribbon cutting in the fall the campaign close and students awards in the spring.

In addition, the facility drew additional support as philanthropist Dr. Keiko Miwa Ross made a $1.04 million gift to name the open newsroom and the student lounge.

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