UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Kelly Griffith has been named director of the Penn State Chaiken Center for Student Success, effective Dec. 1. Griffith also will continue to direct the Learning Edge Academic Program (LEAP) for first-year students and other summer programs, which will continue as offerings of the Penn State Chaiken Center for Student Success.
Griffith has been serving as the interim director of the Penn State Chaiken Center for Student Success since September when she took over the leadership role.
“We are very excited to have Kelly take on leadership of the Penn State Chaiken Center for Student Success,” said Kathy Bieschke, senior vice provost and interim dean of undergraduate education. “Kelly’s experience supporting students from both an academic and student life perspective will be invaluable as she leads the center. I am confident she will bring new ideas and create solutions that enhance student success at Penn State.”
As the director of the Penn State Chaiken Center for Student Success, in addition to leading the center’s existing programs, Griffith will continue leading the LEAP and Student Transitional Experiences Program (STEP) programs and will administer the Summer Success Scholarships. These summer transition programs will be integrated into the center’s portfolio of offerings and Griffith is developing plans to better link them to other success center resources and initiatives.
“I am looking forward to leading the Penn State Chaiken Center for Student Success and working with the dedicated staff who are committed to helping students thrive at Penn State,” said Griffith. “The center offers impressive support resources to students and continues to grow with added resources like the School Supplies for Student Success and by partnering with other units through programs like Academic Life Coaching and the First-Gen Advisory Council. Bringing summer transition programs like LEAP and STEP into the student success family of offerings allows the center to take a comprehensive approach to supporting student success from a student’s first year through degree completion. I'm very excited about this new chapter and the opportunity to engage with the university community more broadly to support student learning, advocacy and success work.”
Griffith began her career at Penn State in 2006 as a residence hall coordinator, working with first-year students in East Halls. While working for more than a decade in Residence Life, she advanced to senior assistant director, where she managed diversity initiatives, the co-curricular learning plan, and strategic planning for the department.
In 2016, Griffith became the director of the Office for Summer Session, overseeing programs such as LEAP and STEP, along with summer marketing efforts and the summer budget model. She also has been involved in developing the Summer Success Scholarship and has served on several key committees, including those focused on enrollment management and strategic planning.
Griffith holds a master's degree in counseling with a focus on student personnel services in higher education from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, earned in 2006, and a doctorate in educational theory and policy from Penn State earned in 2017. Her research focused on opportunities for college preparation in rural high schools in western New York.
In addition to her administrative roles, Griffith was an adjunct instructor in Penn State’s master’s in higher education program from 2018 to 2022 and currently serves on various University committees. She also advises several student organizations, including the Mu Eta chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. and the Black Emotions Advocate Team (The B.E.A.T.).
The Penn State Chaiken Center for Student Success in Undergraduate Education provides completion support to all Penn State undergraduate students through the Complete Penn State scholarship program and targeted support to first-generation Penn State students through the First-Generation Celebration Day each fall, the First-Gen Student Support Summit each spring, and the work of the First-Gen Forward Advisory Council. In addition to collaborations with offices supporting first-generation students across the university, the center advises two first-gen student organizations at the University Park campus, First Gen Advocates and the Eta Psi Chapter of the Tri-Alpha Honor Society, and recently launched an Academic Life Coaching program in partnership with Penn State Learning, World Campus-Academic Development, Student Disability Resources, Student Care and Advocacy, Adult Learner Programs and Services, the Sokolov-Miller Family Financial and Life Skills Center, Division of Undergraduate Studies, and the Journey Success Center. With the generous support of the Chaikens, the center plans to begin a peer coaching program in the next phases of the Academic Life Coaching program.
The Chaiken Center for Student Success is part of Penn State Undergraduate Education.