Director's Welcome

It is my pleasure to share with you the winter 2023 edition of our Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning newsletter. Our aim is to be in more regular communication with friends like you about the exciting work happening here at the Toulan School, the impact that work has on students and our communities, and ways you can get involved and support our work.

Last summer I had the honor to take on the role of school director, in what is my 13th year on the Toulan School faculty. In this role I have been pursuing three objectives: building community, telling our story, and growing our resources. There are many ways to build community. One of them is simply keeping in touch with one another, offering a reminder of our common connection to the Toulan School and its programs. We consider you an important member of our community, and we want to see and hear from you! In the months to come we will be sharing with you more ways for you to connect with the Toulan School and with each other.

Storytelling is a powerful way to communicate who we are, what we care about, and where we belong. In each newsletter we will present “Toulan Stories”—narratives from students, faculty, and alumni about why they came to the Toulan School and the impact their work here has had on them personally, professionally, and in the communities they serve. I hope these stories inspire you as much as they inspire me. To me, they are a reminder that institutions are ultimately about people, and embedded within the story of a great institution like the Toulan School are the stories of the thousands of students, dozens of faculty and staff, and countless community partners whose experience help to shape—and continuously re-shape—that institution. What is your Toulan School story? We want to know!

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not take this opportunity to remind you how important your support is, financially and otherwise. Especially as PSU faces historic budget challenges, it is critical to diversify our resource base, especially as support for students in the form of assistantships and tuition remissions is sadly among the first things cut. For some, this puts the transformative experience of higher education out of reach; for others, it means accepting a debilitating level of student debt that limits their professional and life opportunities. Your support matters and it makes a difference in the lives and careers of our students. Consider supporting the Toulan School through one of our scholarship funds or general support that we can use flexibly to meet the needs of students. You can donate here.

I hope you enjoy this newsletter, and I look forward to hearing from you all.

Regards,

Greg Schrock, PhD

Associate Professor and School Director

Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning