Tina Hay will retire after 22 years as editor of The Penn Stater magazine.
One of only a half dozen editors in the magazine’s 100-year history, Hay announced on Wednesday that starting in October she would begin a phased retirement from the university, during which time she will remain as an editor-at-large.
The Penn Stater, a bimonthly magazine is a benefit of membership in the Penn State Alumni Association, which is the nation’s largest dues-paying alumni association with more than 173,000 members.
“For many Penn Staters, Tina Hay has been their connection to ‘Dear Old State’ through her storytelling in The Penn Stater magazine,” said Paul Clifford, CEO of the Penn State Alumni Association, in a news release. “Her honesty, wit, charm and tact have served as beacons to her team and moved alumni to action and emotion. Any list of the most influential collegiate magazine editors has to include Tina Hay near or at the very top. For the better part of the last quarter-century, we’ve been grateful to have her as part of the Penn State Alumni Association team.”
Hay was assistant to the dean for university relations in Penn State’s College of Health and Human Development from 1983 to 1996 before moving to her role as editor of The Penn Stater.
During her tenure leading the magazine, it has been widely recognized as one of the top alumni magazines in the country. Among its more than 200 national awards, The Penn Stater was named the 2007 Robert Sibley Magazine of the Year Award, given by Newsweek and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Its coverage of the Jerry Sandusky scandal — including a special issue, with a memorably stark black and gray cover, fully devoted to the crisis — received more than two dozen national awards.
“It’s a privilege to serve in the role,’ Hay said. ‘I’m really grateful for the creative talent and hard work of the magazine staff, and the administrative support, that enable us produce a high-quality magazine for our readers, issue after issue.
“Still, 22 years is a long time to stay in the same job, and I’m eager to explore some other possibilities and passions before my working career is over.”
Hay has been a frequent speaker at national conferences, as well as at Penn State alumni events, giving talks at reunions and Alumni Association chapters and acting as a host on Alumni Association tours.
A committee will be formed to begin the search for the magazine’s next editor
