Madison Kwiecinski – Editor-in-Chief 

Mvk5945@psu.edu

Penn State has recently acknowledged that in today’s incredibly competitive job market, specifically in the field of educators and academics, many struggle to find their first faculty position following graduation. Due to this, Penn State is implementing a new program to help address the issue in a way that not only benefits PSU alumni, but also is beneficial to the university as a whole. 

Penn State’s College of the Liberal Arts is partnering with the Office of the Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses, otherwise known as OVPCC, in order to implement a new Commonwealth Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow Program, founded in the college of the Liberal Arts. 

The first postdoctoral fellow to be hired under the new program is Mikaela Karstens, who graduated from Penn State with her doctorate in political science earlier this year. She is currently set to teach two courses each semester this year through Behrend’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences. 

As a part of the program, Karstens is receiving a salary at the same level as a lecturer, while being provided with funds allocated to relocation, research, and travel expenses. She also is receiving full benefits. 

Four Penn State campuses are currently participating in the fellowship program. These include Abington, Behrend, New Kensington, and York. These campuses allow postdoctoral students to apply for a one-year non-tenure-track position, with the possibility of renewal. 

The new program provides recent doctoral graduates with the opportunity to gain practical work experience, teach in a smaller and more comfortable environment, and pursue research with access to knowledge from Penn State’s extensive faculty. 

“Aside from the wonderful opportunities for Mikaela, Behrend and our students, I think this is an important – and I hope precedent-setting – step toward a mutually beneficial collaboration that bridges many divides between the Penn State colleges at University Park and that Penn State colleges and campuses elsewhere in the commonwealth,” Stated Pamela Silver, the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at Penn State Behrend. “I deeply appreciate the opportunity to work with OVPCC and the College of the Liberal Arts to realize a vision with so many benefits to students in both colleges.” 

According to Dr. Karstens website, her Ph.D. in political science included specialization in international relation as well as political methodology. It also states that she is affiliated with the Penn State Center for Social Data Analytics, otherwise known as C-SoDA. 

The new program will hopefully begin an era of more Penn State alumni going on to be professors at Penn State campuses following graduation. Regardless, the Behrend college has benefitted from the program, welcoming Dr. Karstens to campus.