Each year, sophomores in the Academy are asked to write and present policy papers as part of the Dean's Seminar course in the fall semester. These policy papers are completed as small group projects and are organized around a central theme provided by the Dean of the Schreyer Honors College and the Director of the Presidential Leadership Academy.
Groups present their final policy proposals during the last few classes of the semester to their classmates, the Dean of the Schreyer Honors College, the Director of the Academy, and various members of Penn State leadership who have been invited to sit in. With the leadership present in the room for those final presentations, it's no wonder that several of these proposals have been implemented!
2018: Sustainable Urban Planning
Students examined the topic of Sustainable Urban Planning aligning their policies with the U.N. Sustainability Goals. Students also focused their policy proposals on the Borough of State College.
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Creating a Culturally Competent State College
Ryan Christenson, Olivia Gude, Brigette Nicolina, Tomas Sanchez
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Cultivating Awareness of Sustainable Health Resources in the State College Borough
Audrey Arner, Bailey MacDowell, Grace Miller, Emma Sinkoff, Natasha Schlaffer, Nathan Smith
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Improving Penn State Student Efficacy Through Increased Voter Registration and Participation in the State College Borough
Daniel Zahn, R. Jacob Griggs, Jason Ogden, Kathleen Gergel, Samantha Olson, Thomas Beeby
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The Need for More Affordable Housing in State College and Penn State University: An Integrative Approach
Ben Hartleb, Faith Hatchard, Ray Hoy, Emmy Muhoza, Dean Pandelaras, Eli Reber
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Sustainable Carbon Reduction Policy
Bryel Frasch, Ryan Fritz, Helia Hosseinpour, Caleb Musekiwa, Alisa Vasquez, Ian Wasserman