The Penn Stater magazine in print and online
Your membership in the Penn State Alumni Association includes a subscription to our award-winning print magazine, which brings you captivating stories about Penn State and Penn Staters—with world-class writing, beautiful design, and a long tradition of objective reporting on all topics. Published six times a year, and available only as a benefit of membership in the Alumni Association, the Penn Stater keeps you tuned in to the latest university events, research and personalities; association activities; and each other.
Membership also includes full access to the magazine online at pennstatermag.com. To access the full contents, members can log in with their email address and Alumni Association ID number, which appears in the footer of most emails the association sends to members.
The first version of what would become the Penn Stater magazine, Penn State’s most visible publication, lasted but four years. The Alumni Quarterly debuted in 1910 but was renamed Penn State Alumni News and started publishing bimonthly by 1914. The four–page publication featured no photos and was mailed to “all graduates and former students of the College who pay the annual membership fee of $2.00.” In return, alumni received updates on campus happenings—bonfires after athletic victories were banned as too dangerous—and listings of weekly alumni luncheons, then held in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. By 1915, black & white photos documenting reunions were regularly included.
By 1961, Penn State Alumni News had grown to a magazine format of 32 pages with numerous photos, though still in black & white. The October 1961 issue included an aerial shot of Chambers Building under construction and the new East Halls dormitories located near the flower gardens, now site of the law school’s Katz Building. The magazine, then as now, was filled with features on Penn State students and alumni and campus news.
John Black ’62 was the editor who renamed the magazine The Penn Stater in 1972, and in the decades since it has grown to a colorful 80- to 96–page magazine with award–winning feature writing, photography, and design. In 1996 Tina Hay ’83 took over as editor and guided the magazine to hundreds of awards, including being named the 2007 Robert Sibley Magazine of the Year by the Council of Advancement and Support for Education. Upon her retirement, Ryan Jones '95 became the Penn Stater's current editor in 2018.
The Penn Stater welcomes news of weddings, births, career updates, and other significant milestones for use in the "Class Notes" section. To submit a Class Note item, e-mail pennstater@psu.edu. Letters to the Editor can also be submitted by e-mailing heypennstater@psu.edu.
The Penn Stater magazine is available exclusively as a benefit of your membership in the Penn State Alumni Association.
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