On Topic

In eighth grade, David Crowley set his sights on going to law school and becoming Perry Mason. Decades later, the career path Crowley envisioned as a youth has worked out — mostly — according to plan. “I kind of am [TV defense attorney Perry Mason] a little bit, other than he won all his cases…

Addressing transportation needs in a rural area with one of the nation’s largest universities smack in the middle presents some unique challenges — and opportunities. “There is a background level of economic activity that comes with” being home to Penn State University, says James Saylor, principal transportation planner for theCentre Regional Planning Agency. “One of…

Gary Abdullah keeps a box of tissues and a bowl of chocolates in his Carnegie Building office at Penn State’s Bellisario College of Communications. The items are simple offerings of comfort for students who may be going through a difficult time. But mostly, it’s Abdullah’s listening ear that makes all the difference. Students in need…

As founder of Centre Markets and the Centre Kitchen Collective, and as a flower farmer, Sabine Carey is used to being busy. But Saturdays are … something else. “Saturdays are long days,” she says. “I leave the house at 9 and I usually get home just before 8.” In between those hours, Carey and three…

Chris Woods’ road to becoming the founder of a cannabis business with a growing presence in Central Pennsylvania had roots at Penn State. But it was hardly a grand plan. “I was a good student. I studied engineering,” says Woods, who graduated in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering. “I was in the Ph.D.…

Penn State professor S. Shyam Sundar says he loves sitting down with coffee and a newspaper in the morning, getting his “news fix” for the day. “I usually end up spending 20, 30, 40 minutes reading The New York Times, Centre Daily Times, and other newspapers,” he says. “Even if it’s online, I have a…

Tom Range traces his love of comic books to a playground mishap that left his younger brother with two broken wrists. “I was in fifth grade. [Vince] was in third grade. He broke both his wrists trying to swing all the way around on a swing set at recess,” Range says. “Aunt Sue sent him…

Corey Phelps knows that in college communities with major universities, there can sometimes be a divide between town and gown. But Phelps wants to shatter any perception of a divide as it relates to Penn State’s Smeal College of Business. “I think business schools have an obligation to be really good citizens in our community,”…

Gary Brandeis, founder and chief executive officer of the Scholar Hotel Group, is a seasoned veteran of the hospitality business. But as a Penn State alumnus, renovating and reopening the Nittany Lion Inn hit differently for him. “I could have done this project at another university but I wouldn’t have put as much heart and…

Pat Leary is a forthright champion of the rural lifestyle, encouraging people to “leave a gentle footprint as they walk the earth.” Leary practices what he preaches. At home in his beloved Georges Valley, Leary and his wife, Julie Mason, grow much of their own food, sharing with neighbors who share alike with them. Leary…