Pennsylvania State University
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

Penn State has engaged local governments on the following issues which promote sustainability:

- Alternative modes of transportation to campus
- Support of, and land transfer for, a regional park
- Support for a temporary local ordinance that mandated mask wearing and social distancing in most instances and limits the size of gatherings in the borough, directly adjacent to the University Park campus, to address health concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Engaged the local community in developing management strategies for a 355-acre parcel owned by Penn State to promote conservation, aquifer protection, and recreational use. The land abuts an existing municipal park.
- Through the Sustainable Communities Collaborative, assisted in the development of a sustainability plan for the Borough of State College, served on the Borough's Sustainability Committee, and conducted a number of student projects to inform local policy.
- Worked with the local Council of Governments' Sustainability Planner on their Climate Action & Adaptation Plan.
- Collaborated with the Borough of State College on their bike share program and updates to their bike plan to ensure that the two programs' rules and plans were complementary.

Penn State has engaged state governments on the following issues which promote sustainability:

- Funding for agricultural research and extension
- Funding for energy efficient building research
- Legislation regarding green buildings
- Advocated for clean energy policies
- Hosted a series of webinars with the PA GreenGov Council in support of the Commonwealth’s progress toward sustainability goals set forth in the Governor’s Executive Order 2019-01
- Advocated to promote more affordable educational opportunities for students across the Commonwealth.
- Engaged with state elected officials to highlight the University's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions though a large solar Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).

As part of the following national organizations, Penn State has advocated for sustainability at the national level. Areas of focus related to sustainability include: green energy tax credits, protecting the Dreamers and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, strengthening programs that expand study abroad opportunities to a broader range of students, bolstering civic engagement, supporting workforce development programs and strengthening international education, doubling the Pell Grant (to help reduce or eliminate low-income students’ need to borrow), food systems sustainability, and deepening community and economic engagement.

- American Council of Education
- American Association of Universities
- Association of Public Land-Grant Universities

The Office of Government and Community Relations has engaged at the national level on the following issues to promote overall funding of sustainability-related research programs.

Penn State endorsed or advocated in some form for the following legislation and funding initiatives:
- Inflation Reduction Act of 2022
- Building Civic Bridges Act
- Study Abraod Program Act
- America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence in Technology, and Economic Strength Act of 2022
- U.S. Innovation and Competition Act
- Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), which supports research to address public health, food production, national security, and global competitiveness which includes food systems sustainability
- S. 3429, Farmer Drive Conservation Outcomes Act
- H.R. 5374, Advanced Geothermal Research and Development Act
- H.R. 6097, Nuclear Energy Research and Development Act
- H.R. 4091, ARPA-E Reauthorization Act
- S. 2714, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy Reauthorization Act
- H.R. 2986, Better Energy Storage Technology Act
- H.R. 5428, Grid Modernization Research and Development Act
- Interior Appropriations – In support of funding for the USGS Water Resources Research Act program.


In 2017 Penn State signed an open letter ("We Are Still In") to the international community that affirmed the University’s support for efforts to follow through with targets outlined in the Paris Agreement to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions on a global scale.

In 2020, Penn State joined the International Universities Climate Alliance (IUCA). The vision of this group is "to provide a central hub for universities to share the latest climate research with the public and enable greater collaboration between leading research teams, supporting global leaders, policy makers and industry in planning for and responding to climate change". https://www.universitiesforclimate.org/members/
In December 2020 Penn State endorsed a letter drafted by the IUCA urging world leaders, specifically G20 leaders, to protect humankind from climate change. https://www.universitiesforclimate.org/climate-declaration/

Penn State engages in public policy advocacy through the Office of Government and Community Relations, which is within the Office of the President, and therefore is authorized to speak for the entire university on matters of public policy. The office chooses the issues to engage in through interactions with senior administrators, deans, faculty and staff from across the university.
In addition to this direct advocacy, Penn State faculty, staff and students have engaged policy makers to educate them on a variety of sustainability-related topics, and thereby inform legislation and policy.