During my first six months as the John and Karen Arnold Dean of Smeal, I have focused on building relationships and crafting a vision for the future.
During this time, I’ve had the privilege of meeting more than 1,000 individuals — spanning our college, the Penn State community and alumni across the globe. My travels have taken me to Los Angeles, New York, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, San Francisco, London and Zurich. Closer to Happy Valley, I’ve connected with leaders at local companies, as well as civic and economic development organizations.
At Smeal, building a strong, inclusive culture is central to our foundation. Initiatives like “Coffee with Corey” and “Donuts with the Dean” have fostered meaningful connections with faculty, staff, and students. “Football Fridays” have brought alumni, faculty and staff together in the vibrant Business Building Atrium.
Corey Phelps, John and Karen Arnold Dean
But these first months have been about more than relationships — we’ve taken significant strides toward shaping Smeal’s future. Here are five highlights:
Strategic Planning: We’ve begun preparations for crafting our next five-year strategic plan using a broad-based, open approach to ensure diverse perspectives from across our community. It’s important that we receive input and buy-in from a wide swath of our Smeal community because it will take all of us to fulfill these goals.
Hybrid MBA Launch: We received approval to launch our hybrid MBA program in Fall 2025, blending residential and virtual learning, powered by our cutting-edge teaching studios. Our unique delivery method has been embraced by students in other programs and we think it will be a differentiator for the new hybrid MBA.
AI for Business: We convened a committee to explore how to harness AI responsibly, equipping students with the tools to navigate its real-world applications and implications. We are also exploring how to harness AI’s awesome potential to introduce efficiencies for faculty and staff.
Direct Freshman Admission: We received approval to directly admit first-year students into Smeal beginning as early as Fall 2026, which will enhance capacity planning and provide a more seamless, meaningful student experience.
National Rankings: Smeal climbed to No. 23 among 532 programs in the U.S. News & World Report rankings for “Best Undergraduate Business Programs.” We also secured Top 30 rankings in several key areas, including No. 10 in supply chain management/logistics and No. 13 in production/operations management. And Smeal played a key role in helping Penn State improve its ranking to No. 28 in the nation for undergraduate entrepreneurship studies.
The progress we’ve made so far is just the beginning.
Thank you for your continued support. It’s been my pleasure to meet many of you during my travels. I look forward to connecting with you soon.
