Student Organizations
46LIVE
46LIVE is the student-run production team that broadcasts THON events, including the official THON weekend live stream. 46LIVE's THON 2021 broadcast reached over 70 countries, 170,000 unique views, and a peak viewership of 12,000 people. The organization's goal is to spread the message and experience of THON to everyone around the world, all For The Kids. Any student interested in video production, live video production, photography, social media, and or on-air hosting is encouraged to join!
Contact: Grace Tomlinson
Ad/PR Club
The Penn State Advertising and PR Club (Ad/PRClub) is a University chapter of the American Advertising Federation (AAF). The goal of the club, which is open to students of all majors, is to stimulate interest in advertising, public relations and related communications industry careers by promoting good relations among club members and the professional communications community. To achieve this goal, Ad/PR Club hosts presentations and panel events featuring professionals from Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York and other regional agencies. Members are expected to attend these twice monthly programs and to participate in additional job prep workshops and networking events to prepare them for professional success in internships and industry careers. Ad/PR Club also offers members a chance to research and produce a comprehensive advertising and marketing plan as part of the AAF's year-long national student advertising competition.
Contact: Helena Haynes
American Advertising Federation (AAF)
Student chapter of the American Advertising Federation.
Contact: Ken Yednock
American Copy Editors Society
Student chapter of national organization.
Contact: Chris Ritchie
Association for Women in Sports Media (AWSM)
AWSM welcomes both male and female membership, working to support and promote women sports journalists, broadcasters, producers, editors, and those in public and media relations. The non-profit organization creates opportunities for members through its internship/scholarship program and career-enhancement initiatives.
Contact: John Affleck
Bellisario College Student Council
The purpose of the College of Communications Student Council is to act as the representative body of the students of the College of Communications and the University; to establish and maintain programs and activities to further student awareness of issues pertinent to the College of Communications and other colleges; to improve and maintain the academic excellence within the College of Communications; to enhance faculty and student relationships through various initiatives and activities of involvement.
Contact: Clair Dunham
Blue & White Society
The Blue & White Society is the student membership of the Penn State Alumni Association. As the student alumni association, the Blue & White Society helps students establish a connection with the university, get involved across campus by providing members with community service, athletic events, and campus-wide activities, and offers students professional development and networking opportunities with alumni. With plenty of leadership opportunities available and plenty of ways to get involved, the Blue & White Society is University Park's most active student organization. To learn more about membership, check out our website at http://www.bluewhitesociety.com/. Applications for the organization’s appointed leadership group, Programming Board, open on August 15th, 2021 and can also be found on the website. For students who are currently members, check our exclusive Campus Engage page at https://bluewhitesociety.campuslabs.com/engage/
Contact: Joseph Balay
CommAgency
CommAgency is a select group of students from every major in the College of Communications, working together in a professional agency. The projects are real, the clients’ expectations are real and the experience is real. People will see your work, you’ll be paid for your work and you’ll have experience to add to your resume and reference in job interviews.
Contact: Catie Grant
CommRadio
A carrier-current, Web-based radio station provides hands-on broadcasting opportunities for students. The student-run station provides news, talk and sports coverage 24 hours a day throughout the year. Along with student shows, the programming schedule gets supplemented by AP All-News Radio.
Contact: Josh Starr, Andre Magaro
Critically Acclaimed Movies Club
Film screenings and discussions about popular, high-quality films.
Contact: Andres Arrieta
Daily Collegian
The Collegian is published by Penn State students Monday through Friday while classes are in session. The newspaper is nationally recognized as a leader among college dailies. It has a circulation of 19,000 and averages more than twenty pages per day in a broadsheet format. Its office is located on the lower level of the James Building, 123 South Burrowes Street. Penn State students are responsible for day-to-day operations of the newspaper (200 students in the News Division and about 80 in the Business division). The Collegian welcomes all majors. If you are interested, watch the paper for ads announcing the first selection processes.
Contact: Jade Campos
ED2010.com
Networking and mentoring organization committed to helping aspiring and junior-level editors reach their dream magazine jobs.
Contact: Elise Tecco
Elite Daily PSU
Student newsroom at Penn State as part of Elite Daily news website.
Graduate Students in Communications (GSIC)
GSIC is an organization formed by the Graduate Students in the College of Communications at Penn State. The goals of the organization are to develop a unified voice for effective dialogue with the administration of the College; offer a non-hostile environment for the presentation of papers, discussion of projects and ideas, and generation of feedback on papers, projects, and ideas; establish a mentor program among students and faculty who share common interests; and offer support to one another, because graduate life can be tough.
Happy Valley Comm
Student-run communications agency.
Contact: Austin Berry
Her Campus Penn State
Penn State chapter of national online magazine that publishes content covering life and style topics for college women.
International Association of Business Communicators
Student chapter of a global network of communication professionals committed to improving organizational effectiveness through strategic communication.
Contact: Renea Nichols
Kappa Tau Alpha
Kappa Tau Alpha is the college honor society that recognizes academic excellence and promotes scholarship in journalism and mass communications. It is the seventh oldest of all color honor societies, and the only journalism/mass communications honor society recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. Membership must be earned by excellence in academic work. The emblem of KTA is the key, the oldest symbol of knowledge and communications.
Contact: Tara Wyckoff
La Vie
Since 1889, La Vie has documented the life of Penn State students as Penn State’s official yearbook, offering a history of the University through photos and stories.
Lion Caucus
The purpose of Lion Caucus is to promote the official message and positive influence of Penn State to local, state, and federal elected officials. Lion Caucus will also educate fellow students about important legislation and policies that impact the University and students.
National Association of Multi-Ethnicities in Communications (NAMIC)
Founded in 1980, NAMIC is a national organization with a recently established student chapter at Penn State. NAMIC focuses attention on the mutual interests of minority cable professionals and the industry at large. Membership is open to individuals from all races and cultures. The local chapter provides students the opportunity to participate in a national network of minority business and cable professionals.
Onward State
Online news organization
Contact: Matt DiSanto
Peer Mentors
Part of College of Communications Student Council, group exists to help first-year and change-of-campus students make the transition to University Park smoothly.
Contact: Julia Duffy
Penn State Sports Night
PSN-TV's weekly sports show
Contact: Kelly Warner
Phroth Humor Publication
Penn State's longstanding humor publication
Contact: Ava Wendelken
PSN News
Student-run, weekly, live news broadcast on Penn State’s campus.
Contact: Hope Burley
PSNtv
Penn State Network Television is Penn State's only entirely student-run network, producing sports, news, comedy and more.
Contact: Sarah Simpson
Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA)
PRSSA was founded in 1968 by PRSA to cultivate a mutually advantageous relationship between students and professional public relations practitioners. It further aims to foster students' understanding of modern theories and procedures, to instill in them a professional attitude, and to encourage them to adhere to the highest ideals of the practice of public relations. It has earned the distinction of being the preeminent public relations student organization in the world. With more than 5,000 students in 184 chapters nationwide (and growing), PRSSA is proud of its reputation as a national, pre-professional organization.
Contact: Morgan Sheedy
Society of Professional Journalists
Student chapter of organization dedicated to promoting and supporting journalists.
Contact: Steve Kraycik
Sovereign Magazine
Penn State's first magazine for students of color.
Contact: Kathleen Nguyen
Spoon University
Student food and lifestyle news
Contact: Lauren Dattilo
State of State
Founded in 2013, State of State is a student-run organization at Penn State University, committed to facilitating a dialogue within the university community about important Penn State-related issues.
Contact: Panini Pandya
Student Film Organization (SFO)
Supporting student film at Penn State
Contact: Liam Nee
Student Programming Association (SPA)
The Student Programming Association exists to serve the Penn State student body by providing diverse activities, programming assistance and resources, which enhance a student’s overall co-curricular experience.
Contact: Sammy Whitney
Telecommunications Club
Student club focusing on telecommunications industry and opportunities.
Contact: Lee Mills
The Undergound
A student-run campus online news site committed to diversity of thought, opinion, and identity. Editorial and business opportunities are available.
Contact: Ethan Smith
Valley Magazine
Penn State's life and style magazine -- with a mission to recognize students for their academic and extracurricular accomplishments, and to feature local style, entertainment and lifestyle trends. Student writers and editors publish one print issue each semester and update the online site regularly.
Verge Campus
Making campus culture pop.
Contact: Alyssa Inman
WKPS-FM (The LION 90.7)
The LION 90.7 FM first went on the air on Oct. 30, 1995, and is a descendant of student radio at Penn State starting in the mid-1950s. The non-commercial station offers music that is not found anywhere else in the region. The station also broadcasts news, live sports and talk shows to round out its programming schedule. The staff is composed of about 200 student members and is always looking for more dedicated people. The station also offers the opportunity to get involved in the business side, including underwriting and promotions.
Contact: Matt Knaub
WPSU-FM
WPSU is a member station of National Public Radio (NPR) and serves the public in central Pennsylvania via two transmitters and one translator. It is a department of Penn State Public Broadcasting, which is a unit of Continuing and Distance Education. While a professional station in operation, the station does depend on volunteers for a wide variety of duties. Volunteer (and student) participation includes progressive involvement in program production, equipment operation and the administration of programming, operations and promotion activities. For those students pursuing a career in broadcasting or related fields, WPSU-FM can offer a significant amount of pre-professional experience.
Contact: Jeff Hughes
WPSU-TV
Undergraduate and graduate students have played a valuable role in public television at Penn State since operations began in 1965. Applications for part-time employment, a diversity program, work-study opportunities and volunteer participation are available to students. Various facets of the TV station include programming, production, promotion, the Center for Instructional Design and Interactive Video and engineering and technical services.
Contact: Jeff Hughes