Advancing Holistic Corporate Engagement: Insights from Penn State’s Cross-Campus Workshop

Advancing Holistic Corporate Engagement: Insights from Penn State’s Cross-Campus Workshop

By Priya Baboo

I recently had the opportunity to join colleagues from across Penn State for a dynamic workshop focused on mapping the corporate engagement lifecycle and envisioning the future of our industry partnerships.

Bringing together more than 30 leaders from across research, corporate engagement, development, career services, tech transfer, workforce development, outreach, real estate, academic colleges, institutes, and central administration, the session reflected a shared commitment: strengthening Penn State’s engagement with corporate partners in meaningful and lasting ways.

The workshop was grounded on NACRO’s recently released white paper, “Corporate Relations Reimagined: How Academic Institutions Can Build Sustainable Industry Partnerships,” which I had the pleasure of presenting. The report highlights seven essential elements of effective academic–corporate partnerships, grounded in alignment across stakeholders, clear and accessible engagement pathways, and a partner-centric approach that deliver mutual value. These principles resonated strongly with our group and affirmed their relevance as Penn State continues to evolve toward more holistic and integrated engagement strategies.

This workshop represents a major step in defining a more cohesive institutional model – one that is designed to support deeper, more coordinated, and more impactful partnerships.

One theme emerged clearly throughout our discussions. As my colleague Michael Wade Smith noted, Penn State is already doing incredible work across the institution. The opportunity ahead is not to start from scratch, but to better connect, coordinate, and align these efforts, and to build a more intentional system that makes it easier for industry partners to engage in a seamless and integrated way.

I’m grateful for the leadership and collaboration that made this workshop possible: especially Bennett Ulmer, who organized the session; along with colleagues Michael Wade Smith, Andrew Read, Jay Davenport, and the many participant leaders who contributed their insights and energy.

I also look forward to continuing this work together to advance more strategic, holistic approaches to corporate engagement that benefits our institution, our partners and the communities we serve.

Priya Baboo is Past President of NACRO and Senior Director of Corporate and Industry Engagement and Professor of Practice with the Penn State College of Engineering.