Know Your People //
Connect with these campus personalities and discover the individuals who offer valuable support and insights tailored to your current semester needs.
Kenneth "JA" Williams
Did you know that students can spend more hours in campus spaces other than classrooms? Creating opportunities to make the most of this “out of class time” is the focus for JA Williams and his colleagues in Student Affairs! Student Affairs at Greater Allegheny offers programs and services so students can meet others, develop their leadership skills, and participate in recreational activities. The addition of the recently finished sports court on upper campus is one example of a place students can un-wind after class. A student programming committee helps to offer many activities and welcomes new members, as do the 19+ student clubs and organizations on campus. Reach out to JA if you and your friends are ready to get involved, or to create a new club or organization on campus!
“For many students, university life can be uncomfortable when confronted with diversity and unfamiliar cultures. Student Affairs helps to introduce students to programs where they can learn in a safe environment how to respectfully encounter such situations so they can be better prepared for their professional and personal lives post graduation.”
Shelbie Howard
First a student, now an employee! That’s Shelbie Howard, library operations supervisor at the J. Clarence Kelly Library. Along with her colleagues Andrew Marshall and Dan Jakubek, Shelbie helps students navigate the vast resources available through Penn State Libraries, including collections, the stacks, and databases. She also helps with proofreading papers and verifying sources. Reflecting on her own college experience, and how valuable out of class experiences were for her, it’s no wonder that Shelbie also serves as the ASL Club advisor, (the ASL Club was the Student Organization of the year for 2022-2023!), frequents the Wednesday student coffee breaks, helps in the Library’s Makerspace, and sponsors a monthly game nigh for students to play board games and Nintendo Switch. She is committed to making the campus feel as welcoming for others as it did for her.
“Andrew, Dan and I are here to help students succeed. College is hard. It’s a new transition, and we have all been in your shoes. We know what it is like to not know who to ask, or what to ask, in order to succeed in your classes. We are here to help you gain the skills needed so you can enter the workforce with confidence.”
Know Your Dates //
Use these timely reminders to stay on track with dates, activities, and other valuable academic information around Penn State Greater Allegheny.
Final Exam Schedules - Available Now!
Visit LionPATH (lionpath.psu.edu) for details!
Final exam week for the Fall 2023 semester is scheduled for Monday, December 11 through Friday, December 15. Students can view their individual final exam schedule in LionPath. On your main Home Base page, you'll see a section for Final Exams.
Students who have three or more finals on the same day are considered to have an overload conflict. If you have an overload conflict or a time conflict between more than one of your finals, you should discuss this with your instructors as soon as possible to determine which exam can be taken at an alternate time. A student with an overload conflict can choose to take all exams as scheduled if they feel it is more beneficial. The final exam conflict period ends on Sunday, October 15, therefore any discussions and arrangements made with your instructors needs to be resolved by that deadline.
Because of the large number of shared courses and students possibly taking a course at another campus this semester, we highly recommend confirming exam dates with your instructors. If your course is not yet listed, please continue to check for the course to be added or consult with your instructor to determine if a final exam, paper, or project is being offered in your course, during finals week.
Shopping Carts and Registration Dates
Students, do you know when you are able to schedule for spring courses?
Early October is a great time to ask yourself that question. Most students will schedule in late October to early November with the exception of priority (early) registration for some (including veterans, athletes, honors students and students with disabilities).
As of September 20th, your spring shopping cart was made available in LionPATH. You may be asking, “what’s so important about a shopping cart?” This means that now is the time to contact your assigned academic advisor to review and clear any holds you may have on your account and load your shopping cart to prepare for your registration date.
How to determine your registration date:
- Typically, students with more credits register first; registration dates are determined by adding your total credits earned to the credits on your current schedule.
- There are two ways to look up your date to register, in the Registration Timetable and in LionPATH, where you can look at your Student Center for "Enrollment Dates."
- You can begin enrolling in classes at 12:00 am EST on your assigned day to schedule.
For more information about shopping carts, enrollment dates or spring courses, contact your assigned academic adviser via email or during office hours.
2024-2025 FAFSA Changes
Visit Estelle Belko or studentaid.gov for details!
The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student) is going to be easier for 2024-2025 Academic Year! The number of questions is decreasing from over 100 to 36. The new simplified FAFSA won’t be available until sometime in December, but Penn State is recommending that you wait until after January 1, 2024 to complete it. Current students should always file the FAFSA by Tax Day April 15 to maximize potential aid eligibility.
The application now requires tax information to be imported directly from the IRS to the FAFSA to help reduce errors. To complete the application, a two-step factor authentication will now be required which can take four days to process. To avoid delays in completing your application, please set up your Two-Step Authenticator now by following the link.
Watch for additional information from the Office of Student Aid in the coming months about the new changes.
Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Reminder
To continue to receive your Federal Student Aid, students must meet the following Satisfactory Academic Progress criteria at the end of every semester.
- Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0
- Earn 67% of credits attempted. That means you must pass with a D or better at least two-thirds of the classes you take. F grades and Late Drops count against you in determining your completion rate. If you withdraw from all of your classes at any time during the semester, it will also negatively impact your completion rate. Please see the Financial Aid Office any time you consider late dropping a class or withdrawing from the semester.
- You must complete your degree in no more than 150% of the required credits for your degree. (ex: If your degree requires 120 credits, you cannot exceed 180 credits without losing aid eligibility.)
If you are not meeting the GPA or completion rate requirements at the end of a semester, you will be placed on a warning semester in which you will still be able to receive your federal financial aid while you attempt to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). If you do not meet SAP after the warning semester, you will no longer be eligible to receive federal financial aid. See the Financial Aid Office if you need to appeal your federal financial aid eligibility.