MONACA, Pa. — A grant from Barnes & Noble College will fund Penn State Beaver Thrives, an initiative designed to help the campus and local community become a more inclusive.

The resources and programming of Penn State Beaver Thrives will focus on mental health and neurodiversity. 

The first program will be a dyslexia simulation program from 4 to 6 p.m. Nov. 12 in the Student Union Building Lodge. The program will help people understand the experience of dyslexia to promote compassion and better support. This event is free and open to the public.

An increasing number of students have identified as having mental health and neurodiversity support needs. While Beaver campus already had a foundation of support in place, the Barnes & Noble grant will allow the campus to increase that support and add resources for current and future students. 

“Providing our students with resources that support their individual academic and personal growth, allows them to feel acknowledged and valued as they continue their ​journey through the confusing, stressful, yet wonderful college years,” said Kristin Oberg, learning center and disabilities coordinator at Penn State Beaver. 

In addition to programming, the campus library will add a wellness collection and promote reading groups through the Beaver County Library System, the Beaver Valley Intermediate Unit, and Bridges and Pathways College Consortium.

Penn State Beaver Associate Professor of Psychology Amy Camodeca will conduct free autism testing for 50 children in the community during the spring and summer of 2025. Testing opportunities will be advertised on social and through the Beaver Valley Intermediate Unit. 

Barnes and Noble College (BNC) — a Barnes and Noble Education company that operates the Penn State Bookstore — launched the grant program in 2015. This year, Penn State Beaver was one of 9 Commonwealth Campuses to receive the grant.