Amy Freeman named director of Penn State's Millennium Scholars Program
06/18/18
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A highly respected leader, educator and innovator in diversity and inclusion programs will join Penn State as the new director of the Millennium Scholars Program. Amy Freeman, a Penn State alumna and former associate provost, chief diversity officer and research assistant professor of engineering at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, will start her new position on Aug. 20.
Freeman succeeds Chuck Fisher, who will be stepping down as executive director. Georjanne Williams will return to her position as Millennium Scholars Program coordinator.
“Dr. Freeman brings to Penn State more than 25 years of experience in creating, building and nurturing programs that support diversity and inclusion,” said Nick Jones, executive vice president and provost. “Her knowledge and experience will be invaluable to our students as she takes the helm of the University’s multicultural and multidisciplinary Millennium Scholars Program.”
Now in its sixth year, the Penn State Millennium Scholars Program trains the next generation of U.S. leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) who are committed to increasing the diversity of professionals in STEM-related disciplines. Modeled after the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, a groundbreaking academic model at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, the program provides STEM students who plan to pursue doctoral study with the preparation and support necessary to enter competitive graduate programs.
As director, Freeman will manage all aspects of the program and report directly to Jones. Freeman will be responsible for planning, budgeting, growing student recruitment and retention, designing and coordinating relevant student engagement experiences, overseeing assessment of activities, fundraising, and enhancing the quality of teaching and learning experienced by the scholars.
“I’m honored and excited for the opportunity to lead this program at Penn State,” said Freeman, “and look forward to the opportunity to help Millennium Scholars navigate their college experiences and prepare for their futures as STEM leaders, innovators and educators on the global stage.”
Freeman received a bachelor’s degree in construction management from Washington State University, and a master’s degree in architectural engineering and a doctorate in workforce education and development from Penn State.
At Tufts her responsibilities included providing leadership, management and vision for diversity and inclusion initiatives across the school’s four campuses. Prior to that she was assistant dean of engineering outreach and inclusion at Penn State, where she administered the College of Engineering’s strategic plan for diversity and led the Center for Engineering Outreach and Inclusion. She also served as assistant dean of engineering diversity and director of the Multicultural Engineering Program at Penn State. Previously, Freeman was director of the Office of Human and Cultural Diversity at Lock Haven University for eight years.
She is currently president of the Women in Engineering ProActive Network and a past president of the National Association of Multicultural Engineering Program Advocates. She has been a member of and faculty adviser to student chapters in the National Society of Black Engineers, the Society of Women Engineers, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, among others.
Over her career she has initiated several programs supporting outreach, academic success and retention. These include the Student Research and Engagement projects, such as the College of Engineering Research Initiative and the Multi-campus Research Experience for Undergraduates, which provide research experience and professional development programming annually to over 100 engineering students from all Penn State campuses; and the National Science Foundation-sponsored Sustainable Bridges project, which includes five STEM bridge programs across four campuses, with transition programming through the Campus Outreach Programs in Engineering for juniors entering University Park.
Freeman’s scholarship includes more than 20 refereed publications and academic papers. She has been invited to present at national and international conferences, and she has received two National Society of Black Engineers Golden Torch Awards.
Visit http://www.millennium.psu.edu/ to learn more about the Millennium Scholars Program.
Freeman will also serve as an associate research professor in the School of Engineering Design, Technology, and Professional Programs.
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Amy Freeman will return to Penn State on August 20 as the director of the Millennium Scholars Program and as an associate research professor in SEDTAPP.
