IST announces new information technology ethics and compliance major; Penn State, May 5, 2025

 Mary Fetzer , Penn State; IST announces new information technology ethics and compliance major

"The Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) has announced a new undergraduate degree to guide the creation and use of technology toward fair, just and ethical outcomes. The Bachelor of Science in Information Technology Ethics and Compliance (IEC) program is about maximizing technology’s positive effects on society. New and current students can now enroll for the fall 2025 semester. 

“As technology becomes embedded into everyday aspects of life, the need for ethical, thoughtful and socially responsible leadership in information technology has never been greater,” said Andrea Tapia, dean of the College of IST. “From artificial intelligence and data analytics to digital surveillance and cybersecurity, today’s most urgent challenges are as much about people and power as they are about code.” 

Meeting those challenges will require professionals who can navigate complex sociotechnical systems and advocate for justice, equity and the public good, ensuring that design systems support fairness and accountability."

We Are! Not happy! U.S. Patent office frowns on Penn State trademark request; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 14, 2019

Bill Schackner, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; We Are! Not happy! U.S. Patent office frowns on Penn State trademark request 

"Josh Gerben, a trademark attorney in Washington, D.C., offered an analysis via twitter of the geographic issue raised by the Patent Office and another reason the agency refused the application: the trademark as submitted was deemed "ornamental.''

He said both issues are correctable...

Of the ornamental issue, he said, "I believe this is trademarks 101 and it shocks me every time a large institution or organization gets it wrong.""

Lauren Reiter | Movers & Shakers 2016 – Advocates; Library Journal, 3/14/16

Library Journal; Lauren Reiter | Movers & Shakers 2016 – Advocates:

"Even though she worked as a corporate analyst before becoming a business librarian, college hadn’t prepared Lauren Reiter for personal money management. So when she heard discussions at Penn State seeking ways to address rising student debt and the lack of basic financial literacy, Reiter jumped at the opportunity. “I recognized the need for financial literacy education among college students and also the potential for the library to take a leading role,” she says...

Her efforts have resulted in the establishment of an endowment for financial education at Penn State, says associate dean Anne Langley, which is further funding Reiter’s financial literacy initiative.

Reiter has only just begun. Next, she says, she’s interested in “track[ing] the long-term impact of her efforts, the lifelong application of financial literacy skills, and continued engagement in financial learning.”"