List of Pennsylvania State University people

This is a list of famous individuals associated with the Pennsylvania State University, including graduates, former students, and professors.

Alumni[]

Architecture and design[]

• Louis Astorino, architect, PNC Park, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
• Stanley Cole (1948), architect, designer of Citizens Bank Park^[1]
• Alex Donahue, artist, designer

Art and literature[]

• Steve Alten, author, MEG series, Domain series, and The Loch
• John Balaban, author, poet, Words for My Daughter and Locusts at the Edge of Summer
• Caroline Bowman, Broadway actress
• Dale Brown, bestselling author, Act of War, Battle Born, and Plan of Attack
• Erica Cho, artist
• Jeanne Clemson, theater director, stage actress, and teacher; preserved the Fulton Opera House
• Geffrey Davis, poet
• Richard Diehl (M.A. 1965, Ph.D. 1969), Mesoamerican archaeologist and academic, expert on the Olmec civilization^[2]
• Alan Furst, novelist
• Jean Craighead George, Newbery Medal-winning children's author
• Aaron Gilbert (A.S. 2000) painter^[3]
• Chip Kidd, book-jacket designer
• Norris J. Lacy, expert on the Arthurian legend
• Paul Levine, novelist, Jake Lassiter crime fiction series, screenwriter, JAG and First Monday
• Jerome Loving (BA), professor of American Literature and Culture at the University of Texas at Austin^[4]
• Steve McCurry, photojournalist; most known for photograph of the "Afghan Girl" in National Geographic Magazine
• Susan Miller, playwright, My Left Breast, two-time Obie winner, Eugene O'Neill Contest winner, Emmy nominee
• David Morrell, novelist, First Blood
• James Morrow, author
• Robert Neffson, artist
• John Pielmeier, playwright, Agnes of God
• Davis Schneiderman, writer and professor at Lake Forest College
• Oliver Smith, ten-time Tony Award-winning scenic designer
• Sophia Wisniewska, university administrator
• Robert Yarber, artist

Business and industry[]

• Louis D'Ambrosio, former CEO of Sears Holdings Corporation
• John Dowd, CEO of Sundance Vacations^[5]
• Robert E. Eberly, Chairman of Eberly Natural Gas Co.; Penn State benefactor
• Herman Fisher, co-founder of Fisher-Price toy company
• Kenneth Frazier, chairman and CEO, Merck & Co., Inc.
• Lloyd Huck, chairman emeritus of Merck & Co., Inc. and former CEO of Nova Pharmaceutical Corp.
• Richard T. James, inventor of the Slinky
• Albert Lord, former CEO of Sallie Mae
• Mike McBath, co-founder, part-owner of the Orlando Predators
• Eugene O'Kelly, former CEO of KPMG
• Mark Parker, executive chairman and former CEO of Nike, Inc.
• Hugh Ellsworth Rodham, textile wholesaler; father of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton^[6]
• William Schreyer, chairman emeritus and former CEO of Merrill Lynch; namesake of Schreyer Honors College
• Frank Smeal, partner, Goldman Sachs; namesake of Smeal College of Business
• John P. Surma, former CEO of US Steel
• Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO President
• Patricia A. Woertz, CEO of Archer Daniel Midland; on Fortune magazine's "Most Powerful Women in Business" list

Technology[]

• Matt Brezina, co-founder of Xobni
• Jim Keller, engineer, AMD, Apple Inc and Tesla Motors
• Jef Raskin, engineer, Apple Inc
• Harry Shoemaker, pioneer radio engineer
• Ross William Ulbricht, founder of the Silk Road, as "Dread Pirate Roberts"^[7]

Education[]

• M. Christopher Brown II, President of Alcorn State University
• Roland Fryer, Robert M. Beren Professor of Economics at Harvard University, a MacArthur fellow, and recipient of the John Bates Clark Medal.
• James T. Harris III, president of Widener University
• John W. Heston, president of Washington State University, South Dakota State University and Dakota State University
• David C. Hodge, President of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio
• Richard Hoover, former president of Hastings College
• Herbert E. Longenecker, former president of Tulane University
• Eoin McKiernan, early scholar in Irish Studies
• James Purdy, scholar of digital rhetoric
• George D. Stoddard, former president of the University of Illinois and the University of the State of New York; former chancellor of New York University and Long Island University
• James J. Whalen, former president of Ithaca College
• Robert E. Witt, president of University of Alabama

Entertainment and media[]

• John Aniston, actor, Days of Our Lives; father of actress Jennifer Aniston
• Brian Baker, former Sprint spokesman
• Donald P. Bellisario, television producer
• Charles Bierbauer, television journalist
• Lindsey Broad, actress, The Office, Benders
• Benjy Bronk, comedian and writer, The Howard Stern Show
• Ryan Buell, founder of the Paranormal Research Society on A&E
• Ty Burrell, actor, star of ABC sitcom Modern Family
• Margaret Carlson, journalist, pundit; first female columnist for TIME
• Victoria Cartagena, actress, The Bedford Diaries, Gotham
• Nathan Cook, actor, The White Shadow, Hotel
• Jill Cordes, TV personality, HGTV's My First Place and The Best Of
• John A. Dalles, hymn writer and clergyman
• Bruce Davison, actor; received an Oscar nomination for his role in Longtime Companion
• Steven E. de Souza, screenwriter; Judge Dredd, Beverly Hills Cop III, 48 Hrs., Die Hard
• Julius J. Epstein, screenwriter of Casablanca
• Patrick Fabian, actor, Better Call Saul
• Carmen Finestra, Emmy Award-winning television writer and producer; The Cosby Show, Home Improvement
• Jonathan Frakes, actor and director (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
• Erica Grow, meteorologist and television reporter
• Kim Jones, clubhouse reporter for the New York Yankees and the YES Network
• Keegan-Michael Key, actor, comedian; MADtv, host of Animal Planet's The Planet's Funniest Animals
• Stan Lathan, television producer and director, co-creator of Def Comedy Jam
• Paul Levine, lawyer, novelist, screenwriter, author of the "Jake Lassiter" and "Solomon vs. Lord" series
• Rick Lyon, actor/creator of Broadway show Avenue Q
• Adam McKay, film director and screenwriter; writer and director of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, and The Landlord
• Amy Wynn Pastor, TV personality, TLC's Trading Spaces
• Mike Reid, Grammy Award-winning songwriter
• Ian Rosenberger, 3rd place in Survivor: Palau on CBS; former President of Penn State's USG
• Michael S. Rosenfeld, talent agent and co-founder of Creative Artists Agency
• Lisa Salters, ESPN reporter and former Nittany Lady Lion Basketball Star
• Lara Spencer, co-anchor of Good Morning America
• Joonas Suotamo, Chewbacca actor in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, former Penn State Basketball forward/center
• Don Taylor, film actor of the 1940s and 1950s
• Tom Verducci, senior writer for Sports Illustrated
• Andrew Kevin Walker, screenwriter of Seven
• Fred Waring, bandleader
• Rake Yohn, CKY crew; Jackass crew member; synthetic metal chemist

Politics, government, and military[]

• William P. Atkinson, former member of the Wisconsin State Assembly^{[citation needed]}
• Kelly Ayotte, former United States Senator (R-NH)^[8]
• William Binney, former intelligence official and whistleblower associated with the Trailblazer Project
• Donald Burdick, United States Army Major General and Director of the Army National Guard^{[citation needed]}
• Christopher F. Burne, Brigadier General, United States Air Force^[9]
• Caroline Casagrande, member of the New Jersey General Assembly^[10]
• Kathleen L. Casey, Commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission^[11]
• Frank A. Cipolla, Brigadier General, United States Army Reserve^{[citation needed]}
• Jake Corman, member of the Pennsylvania State Senate (R-PA 34)^[12]
• Timothy DeFoor, Auditor General of Pennsylvania^[13]
• Charlie Dent, former United States Congressman (R-PA-15)^[14]
• Andy Dinniman, Pennsylvania State Senator^[15]
• Michael F. Doyle, United States Congressman (D-PA 14)^[16]
• Howard Fargo, former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives^[17]
• Tom Feeney, former United States Congressman (R-FL 24) and former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives^[18]
• Jon D. Fox, former United States Congressman (R-PA 13) and former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (R-PA 153)^[19]
• Barbara Hackman Franklin, former United States Secretary of Commerce^[20]
• Harold Gehman, former commander-in-chief of the U.S. Joint Forces Command and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic^[21]
• J. D. Gordon, former Pentagon spokesman, national television commentator, columnist
• Priscilla Guthrie, former Associate Director of National Intelligence and Chief Information Officer^[22]
• Patrick J. Harkins, Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives^[23]
• Joseph Heck, 2-star Major General US Army
• B. Frank Heintzleman, former Governor of Alaska Territory^[24]
• Caroline C. Hunter, member of the Federal Election Commission (FEC)^[25]
• Alan Isaacman, attorney, argued the case Hustler Magazine v. Falwell before U.S. Supreme Court^[26]
• Robert Jubelirer, former President Pro Tempore of the Pennsylvania State Senate, former Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania^[27]
• C. Robert Kehler, commander of Air Force Space Command^[28]
• Tom Killion, Pennsylvania State Representative for the 168th district (2003–2016), Pennsylvania State Senator for the 9th Senatorial District (2016–present)
• Maria Leavey, political strategist^[29]
• Lee Ju-yeol, Governor of the Bank of Korea
• Roger A. Madigan (1930–2018), Pennsylvania State Senator and Representative
• John L. McLucas, FAA administrator, Secretary of the Air Force, Director of NRO, President of MITRE
• Jill Morgenthaler, retired Colonel United States Army and Illinois politician
• Michael P. Murphy, United States Navy SEAL and Medal of Honor recipient^[30]
• Thomas Murt, member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (R-PA 152)^[31]
• Bonnie Newman, member of the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations, chief of staff to Judd Gregg^[32]
• Bernie O'Neill, member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (R-PA 29)^[33]
• Kevin Parker, New York state senator
• Scott Perry, United States Congressman (R-PA 4)^[34]
• William Perry, former United States Secretary of Defense^[35]
• Valerie Plame, former CIA officer^[36]
• Russell Redding, Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture^[37]
• Hugh Edwin Rodham, politician; brother of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton^[38]
• James Patrick Rossiter, Mayor of Erie, Pennsylvania^{[citation needed]}
• Russell Ruderman, member of the Hawaii State Senate^[39]
• Rick Santorum, former United States Senator (R-PA) and United States Congressman (R-PA 18)^[40]
• Richard Schweiker, former United States Senator (R-PA) and Secretary of Health and Human Services^[41]
• Saad Ali Shire, current Minister of Finance of Somaliland, former Foreign Minister of Somaliland, and former Minister of Planning of Somaliland^[42]
• Samuel H. Smith, member and Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (R-PA 66)^[43]
• Donald William Snyder, member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, 1981–2000; Majority Whip^[44]
• Stanley Sporkin, former judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia^[45]
• Su Jain-rong, Finance Minister of the Republic of China (Taiwan)
• Adrian Tam, Hawaii State Representative ^[46]
• Lyonpo Jigme Thinley, Prime Minister of Bhutan^[47]
• Glenn Thompson, United States Congressman (R-PA 15)^[48]
• George J. Trautman, III, Lieutenant General, United States Marine Corps^[49]
• Slobodan Uzelac, Deputy Prime Minister of the Croatian government^{[citation needed]}
• William E. Ward, General, United States Army^[50]
• R. Seth Williams, former District Attorney of Philadelphia^[51]
• Frank Wolf, former United States Congressman (R-VA 10)^[52]
• John J. Yeosock, United States Army Lieutenant General who commanded the 3rd U.S. Army during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm
• John Yudichak, Pennsylvania State Senator for the 14th district since 2011
• Francisco Sagasti, Interim President of Peru as of November 2020
• Joe Pitts, American Fighter Pilot

Science and medicine[]

• Elliott Abrams, Accuweather meteorologist
• Paul Berg, recipient of 1980 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
• Guion Bluford, astronaut, first African-American in space
• David Bohm, quantum physicist known for the Aharanov-Bohm effect, Bohm diffusion, and Bohm interpretation
• Roscoe Brady, neuroscientist and senior investigator at the National Institutes of Health
• John M. Carpenter (B.S. 1957), nuclear engineer, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Robert Cenker, Space Shuttle astronaut, STS-61-C
• Jane C. Charlton, professor of astronomy and astrophysics
• Dennis S. Charney, Dean of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City
• John Call Cook, played a crucial role in establishing the field of ground-penetrating radar;^[53] received the first PhD in Geophysics at Penn State in 1951
• Muriel Davisson, neuroscientist
• Shawn Domagal-Goldman (Ph.D.), astrobiologist at NASA
• Ted Eisenberg, D.O., Guinness World Record holder for most breast augmentation surgeries performed
• Nina Fedoroff, plant geneticist, member of the U.S. National Academy of Science
• Gregory S. Forbes, meteorologist, severe thunderstorm and tornado expert, The Weather Channel severe weather expert
• James T Harris III (D.Ed. 1988), educator and academic administrator; 2003 Alumni Fellow Award recipient^[54]
• Nina G. Jablonski, Evan Pugh Professor Anthropology, Fellow American Philosophical Society, Fellow American Academy of Arts and Sciences
• Paul Julian, meteorologist; with Roland A. Madden, discovered the atmospheric phenomena known as the Madden–Julian oscillation
• Dr. , polymer physicist and chemical engineer, inventor of: pitch carbon fiber;^[55] Kevlar 149;^[56] and ECCtreme ECA 3000^{[57][58][59][60]}
• Chad Mirkin, chemist focusing on nanotechnology; member of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, NAS, NAE, and IOM
• Prasant Mohapatra, Computer Scientist; Vice Chancellor of University of California Davis
• Erwin Wilhelm Müller, physicist; inventor of the field ion microscope; first person to "see" an atom
• Joel N. Myers, founder and CEO of AccuWeather
• SonBinh Nguyen, Dow Chemical Company Research Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern University
• Charles S. Parker, botanist and head of Department of Botany (1932–1948), Howard University
• James Pawelczyk, Space Shuttle astronaut, STS-90
• Paolo Piccione, mathematician president of the Brazilian Mathematical Society 2017
• Jef Raskin, author and human–computer interface expert, known for starting the Macintosh project for Apple Computer
• David L. Reich, President and COO of the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology, Horace W. Goldsmith Professor of Anesthesiology, known for use of electronic medical records for large-scale retrospective investigations^[61]
• Robert Titzer, professor and infant researcher
• Ben Wang, industrial engineer and director of the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute^[62]
• Paul J. Weitz, astronaut, Skylab 2, STS-6

Sports[]

• David Aardsma, major league pitcher spent 1 semester before transferring to Rice University^[63]
• John Amaechi, former professional basketball player; BBC, ITV, and SKY television personality^[64]
• Adrian Amos, NFL player, Green Bay Packers
• Richie Anderson, former NFL running back^[65]
• LaVar Arrington, All-Pro NFL linebacker; radio personality^[66]
• Horace Ashenfelter, 1952 Olympic gold medalist, track and field^[67]
• Charlie Atherton^[68]
• Britt Baker, professional wrestler and dentist^[69]
• Mark Baldwin, former Major League baseball player^[70]
• Saquon Barkley, NFL running back, NFL Rookie of the Year (2018), NFL Pro Bowl (2018)
• Terry Bartlett, Olympic gymnast^[71]
• Talor Battle, basketball player who last played for Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli League
• Alex Bentley, WNBA player, Connecticut Sun
• Todd Blackledge, retired NFL quarterback; television sports analyst^[72]
• Saeed Blacknall, NFL wide receiver^[73]
• Calvin Booth, NBA center^[74]
• NaVorro Bowman, NFL linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers^[75]
• Kyle Brady, NFL tight end^[76]
• Frank Brickowski, former professional basketball player^[77]
• Jim Britton, MLB pitcher^[78]
• Courtney Brown, NFL defensive end and No. 1 overall NFL draft pick^[79]

• Gary Brown, Cleveland Browns running backs coach; former NFL running back^[80]
• Nate Bump, professional baseball player^[81]
• John Cappelletti, Heisman Trophy winner and subject of book Something for Joey^[82]
• Ki-Jana Carter, NFL halfback and No. 1 overall NFL draft pick^[83]
• Ken Chertow, US wrestling team and Olympian, 1986–1993^{[citation needed]}
• Mary Ellen Clark, 1992 and 1996 Olympic bronze medalist, diving^[84]
• Kerry Collins, Pro Bowl NFL quarterback and 4,000-yard passer (2002)^[85]
• Shane Conlan, former NFL linebacker^[86]
• Dan Connor, NFL linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys^[87]
• Frank Coonelly, President, Pittsburgh Pirates^[88]
• Bob Coulson, former Major League Baseball player^[89]
• Birdie Cree, former Major League Baseball player^[90]
• Joe Crispin, professional basketball player^[91]
• Patrick Cummins, 2004 NCAA runner-up wrestler; mixed martial arts fighter, currently competing in the UFC^[92]
• Helen Darling, WNBA guard for the San Antonio Silver Stars^[93]
• Phil Davis, current Bellator MMA Light Heavyweight (205 lb) contender^[94]
• D.J. Dozier, former NFL running back^[95]
• Cal Emery^[96]
• Bobby Engram, NFL wide receiver with the Seattle Seahawks^[97]
• Jim Farr^[98]
• Kevin Foley, PGA Tour golfer^[99]
• Bill Ford^[100]
• Tim Frazier, NBA player, Washington Wizards
• Mitch Frerotte, former NFL guard with the Buffalo Bills^[101]
• Sam Gash, former professional fullback, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills; current Detroit Lions assistant coach^[102]
• Robert Gibson^{[citation needed]}
• Garry Gilliam, NFL player
• John Gilmore, NFL tight end^[103]
• Robbie Gould, professional kicker for the San Francisco 49ers^[104]
• Milt Graff^[105]
• Rosey Grier, former professional football player^[106]
• Hinkey Haines, football player^[107]
• Tamba Hali, NFL defensive lineman^[108]
• Jack Ham, former professional football player^[109]
• Micha Hancock, US Olympic gold medalist in women's volleyball.^[110]
• Christa Harmotto, US Olympic silver and bronze medalist in women's volleyball.
• Franco Harris, former NFL running back^[111]
• Jeff Hartings, All-Pro NFL offensive lineman^[112]
• Michael Haynes, NFL defensive end^[113]
• Cliff Heathcote, former Major League Baseball player^[114]
• Dan Heisman, chess master^[115]
• George Hesselbacher^[116]
• Jordan Hill, NFL player, Seattle Seahawks
• Megan Hodge, US Olympic silver medalist in women's volleyball.
• Mike Hull, NFL player
• Tom Irwin, former Major League Baseball player^{[citation needed]}
• Bubba Jenkins (attended), 2008 runner-up, 2011 National Champion wrestler at 157 lbs.,^[117] professional MMA fighter
• Larry Johnson, Pro Bowl NFL running back^[118]
• Joel Johnston^[119]
• John Jones^[120]
• Bhawoh Jue, NFL safety^[121]
• Joe Jurevicius, NFL wide receiver^[122]
• Jeremy Kapinos, NFL Pittsburgh Steelers punter^[123]
• Jimmy Kennedy, NFL defensive tackle^[124]
• Ed Klepfer, former Major League Baseball player^[125]
• Pip Koehler^[126]
• Joe Kovacs, USATF Olympic shot putter. Won world championships in 2015 and 2019.
• Ali Krieger, professional women's soccer player, United States Women's National Soccer Team, Orlando Pride^[127]
• Tom Lawless^[128]
• Sean Lee, NFL linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys^[129]
• Trey Lewis (born 1992), basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
• Ken Loeffler, former La Salle University men's basketball coach
• Maggie Lucas, WNBA player, Indiana Fever
• David Macklin, NFL cornerback^[130]
• Michael Mauti, NFL player, New Orleans Saints
• Kelly Mazzante, professional basketball player^[131]
• Mike McBath, co-founder and part owner of the Orlando Predators^[132]
• Suzie McConnell-Serio, former professional basketball player, current coach^[133]
• Kerry McCoy, two-time United States Olympian in wrestling; current coach of Stanford University wrestling^[134]
• O. J. McDuffie, former NFL wide receiver^[135]
• Irish McIlveen^[136]
• Kareem McKenzie, NFL offensive lineman^[137]
• John McNulty, wide receivers coach, Arizona Cardinals^[138]
• Matt Millen, former professional football player former president of the Detroit Lions^[139]
• Mike Missanelli, host of The Mike Missanelli Show on 97.5 The Fanatic Philadelphia sports talk radio station.
• Lenny Moore, former NFL running back^[140]
• Bob Mrosko, NFL player
• Mike Munchak, Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive guard, former Tennessee Titans head coach, current Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line coach^[141]
• Danny Musser^[142]
• Alyssa Naeher, professional women's soccer player, United States Women's National Soccer Team, Chicago Red Stars^[143]
• Jim O'Hora, former football player, football coach^{[citation needed]}
• Phil Page^[144]
• Paul Pasqualoni, defensive line coach, Dallas Cowboys; former Syracuse head coach^[145]
• Terry Pegula, owner, Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bills^[146]
• Darren Perry, former professional football player; current safeties coach, Green Bay Packers^[147]
• Cumberland Posey, founded the Homestead Grays in 1912^[148]
• Paul Posluszny, NFL linebacker for the Jacksonville Jaguars^[149]
• Eldon Price, university basketball coach and other positions; 19 years with Penn State's Beaver campus, two years as Director of Basketball Operations at Penn State University^[150]
• Andrew Quarless, tight end on the Super Bowl XLV Champion Green Bay Packers^[151]
• Allen Robinson, NFL player, Jacksonville Jaguars
• Hatch Rosdahl, defensive lineman for the 1966 AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs^[152]
• Allen Rosenberg, rower and rowing coach^[153]
• Ed Ruth, three-time NCAA collegiate wrestling champion, professional Mixed Martial Artist, currently for Bellator MMA^[117]
• Jon Sandusky, Director of Player Personnel, Cleveland Browns^[154]
• Mike Scioscia, former Major League Baseball catcher and current manager^[155]
• Chad Severs, professional soccer player^[156]
• Bud Sharpe, former Major League Baseball player^[157]
• Jack Sherry, captain of the 1954 Final Four Team^{[citation needed]}
• Alan Strange, former Major League Baseball player^[158]
• Bill Stuart^[159]
• Kevin Tan, Olympic bronze medalist (gymnastics, team)^[160]
• David Taylor, 4× State Champion wrestler, 2× NCAA Champion^[161]
• Joe Tepsic^[162]
• Myles Thomas, former Major League Baseball player^[163]
• Wallace Triplett, former NFL running back; first African-American draftee to play in the NFL^[164]
• Kristal Uzelac, former U.S. Olympian^[165]
• Russ Van Atta, former Major League Baseball pitcher^[166]
• John Montgomery Ward, former Major League Baseball player, manager, and executive^[167]
• Haleigh Washington, US Olympic gold medalist in women's volleyball.^[168]
• Tiffany Weimer, professional soccer player for the FC Gold Pride in the WPS^[169]
• Trevor Williams, football player

Notable professors and coaches[]

• Gregory Ain, architect, Head of the Department of Architecture, 1963–67
• Richard Alley, glaciologist and climate scientist, IPCC lead author
• Paul Amato, sociologist
• George Andrews, mathematician
• Henry P. Armsby, agriculturalist chemist, inventor of the animal respiration calorimeter
• Larry Catá Backer, Cuban-American legal and international relations scholar
• Stephen Barrett, psychiatrist and webmaster of Quackwatch, taught health education from 1987 to 1989
• John Barth, novelist and short story author
• Samuel Preston Bayard, folklorist, expert on fife and fiddle tunes
• Leann Birch, developmental psychologist, Director of the Center for Childhood Obesity Research
• Chrystelle Trump Bond, dancer, choreographer, and dance historian
• Christian M. M. Brady, targumist and former Dean of Schreyer Honors College
• Cynthia Brewer, professor and head of the Department of Geography, notable for her contributions to cartographic visualization and the invention of ColorBrewer
• Simon J. Bronner, folklorist; professor emeritus of American Studies
• Velvet Brown, tuba soloist and recording artist; is associate professor of music
• O. Richard Bundy, Director of Athletic Bands, including the Penn State Blue Band
• Donald Byrne, coach of America's first varsity chess team
• John M. Carroll, studied human–computer interaction
• Paul F. Clark, professor of labor studies and head of the Department of Labor Studies and Employment Relations
• Paul DeMaine, a founder of the Computer Science Department
• Norman C. Deno, professor of Chemistry and seed germination researcher
• Jose Dolores Fuentes, atmospheric chemist, professor of meteorology
• William K. George, fluid dynamicist
• Lee Giles, co-creator of CiteSeer, David Reese Professor of Information Sciences and Technology; former Program Manager, Air Force Office of Scientific Research
• Kathryn Gines, professor of philosophy
• Mary Godfrey, assistant professor of art education, the first African American faculty member
• Joseph Heller, author of Catch-22
• Vasant Honavar, professor, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and bioinformatics researcher and educator, former Program Director, National Science Foundation
• Ivan Illich, polymath: author, philosopher, and polemicist
• Mary Jane Irwin, computer scientist, National Academy of Science member
• Philip Jenkins, professor of religious studies and writer on modern religious controversies
• James Kasting, atmospheric chemist and astrobiologist, aka "Dr. Habitable Zone"
• Gary N. Knoppers, head of the Department of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies; wrote a lengthy and prominent two-volume commentary on I Chronicles
• Bohdan Kulakowski, professor of mechanical engineering; head of the Pennsylvania Transportation Institute (PTI) from 1992 to 2003
• Alan MacEachren, professor of geography, notable for his contributions to geographic visualization
• Michael E. Mann, professor of atmospheric science, IPCC lead author, known for the hockey stick graph
• Mark D. Maughmer, developed first successful winglet designs for gliding competitions; aerodynamicist; author
• John D. McCarthy, professor of sociology, notable for his contributions to social movement studies and resource mobilization theory
• Webb Miller, one of the pioneers of computational biology; co-creator of BLAST, a research tool used by geneticists worldwide
• Michael G. Moore, pioneer of online learning and theory of distance education; listed (Routledge, 2017) as one of "most influential thinkers about education of all time"
• Erwin Wilhelm Müller, inventor of the field emission microscope, field ion microscope, and atom probe; first person to view atoms
• Robert Neffson, artist
• Masatoshi Nei, theoretical population geneticist and evolutionary biologist
• Jon Nese, lecturer in meteorology and former Weather Channel personality
• Joe Paterno, head football coach, 1966–2011
• Roger Penrose
• Rene Portland, head women's basketball coach, 1980–2007
• C. R. Rao, 2002 National Medal of Science-winning statistician
• Frank Ritter
• Theodore Roethke, 1954 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry recipient
• Russ Rose, Women's volleyball head coach since 1979 and university professor
• Mary Beth Rosson
• Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Empire Falls; his novel Straight Man was drawn from his experiences teaching at Penn State Altoona
• Cael Sanderson, 2004 Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling at 84 kg; current head wrestling coach
• Jerry Sandusky, former assistant football coach 1969–1999, a period during which he committed crimes that led to the Penn State child sex abuse scandal
• Kenneth Bernard Schade, sexual offender; founder of the Singing Boys of Pennsylvania
• Lee Smolin, theoretical physicist
• William Tenn (pen name of Philip Klass), science fiction writer
• David Titley professor of meteorology, NOAA's chief operating office 2012–2013, US Navy rear admiral and chief oceanographer
• Susan Trolier-McKinstry, materials scientist
• Alan Walker, paleoanthropologist
• James Z. Wang
• Frank C. Whitmore, pioneering organic chemist who described the mechanism of carbocation reactions
• James Wines, artist, founder of SITE
• Aleksander Wolszczan, discoverer of first extrasolar planets and pulsar planets
• Qiming Zhang, professor of Electrical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering
• Saad Ali Shire, Minister of Finance of Somaliland

References[]