Smeal Update: April 9, 2021

Staff reminded to update goals on performance review

Full-time staff are reminded to review and update performance goals prior to the end-of-year review. See this week’s Penn State Today article for more details. Goals must be submitted and approved by May 16. If you haven’t already, be sure to add the Smeal Honor & Integrity goal to your review by clicking “use existing goal” as you are entering your goals. It was cascaded to you in the fall, so it should appear in the drop-down box when you click this option.

Faculty encouraged to create a Google Scholar page

All tenure-line faculty are encouraged to create a Google Scholar Profile to showcase their academic publications and promote the high-caliber scholarly research from Smeal.


To create a profile, you first need to establish a Google account. Then, log into your account and click here.

After you’ve established your profile, you may activate a Google Scholar button to appear on your faculty bio page on the Smeal website. Simply follow these basic instructions:

  • Go to your Google Scholar site and copy the URL
  • Go to your Smeal Directory page and click “Update Profile,” located in the upper right corner of the page
  • You may need to complete 2-factor authentication
  • Click the link to Penn State Digital Dossier near the top of your page
  • Under “General Information” click on “Personal and Contact Information”
  • Scroll down the page to “Google Scholar URL” and paste in the URL copied earlier
  • Click “Save” at the top of the page

While you’re at it, take a moment to make sure your information in Smeal Digital Measures is updated as well. Faculty information for the Smeal directory flows from Digital Measures. Click here for more information.

Faculty Research: Warm feelings about human-looking robots can turn icy when bots blunder

If a robot worker makes a mistake on the job, or annoys customers, businesses may not give it a pink slip and a cardboard box for its office belongings, but companies may be forced to shut down these expensive machines, according to a team of researchers, including Lisa Bolton, professor of marketing and the Frank and Mary Jean Smeal Research Fellow. Read more about this team’s findings, which were recently published in the Journal of Service Research.

Smeal names winners in inaugural Undergraduate Sustainability Case Competition

The inaugural Smeal Undergraduate Sustainability Case Competition wrapped up recently, with the three winning teams demonstrating the college’s dedication to business that makes a difference not just a profit. Read the story.

Oelwang to moderate inaugural Susman Sustainability Leadership Speaker Series

Join Jean Oelwang, founding CEO and president of Virgin Unite, the inaugural recipient of the Gerald I. Susman Sustainability Leadership Award, and Smeal Board of Visitors member, at noon April 21 as she moderates a discussion ”Collective Courage: How can business leaders change their businesses, industries, and capitalism for good?” She’ll be joined by Jochen Zeitz, president and CEO of Harley-Davidson, Inc., and Erin Meezan, chief sustainability officer at Interface. Register for this webinar online.

Ask the Dean open for your questions

Send your questions to AskTheDean@smeal.psu.edu. We’ll do our best to provide answers in a video to be included in an upcoming Smeal Update.

Do you know someone who rocks? Nominate them!

Each month the Smeal Staff Advisory Committee names a You Rock! Award recipient. You can nominate a co-worker for the You Rock! Award online.

The Smeal Community Weekly Poll

This week's survey addresses a cheesy topic. Click this link to participate. Results will be shared during next week's Smeal Community Zoom.

Next week at Smeal

Powerful Women Paving the Way Conference (Thursday and Friday)
The 2021 Powerful Women Paving the Way Conference is scheduled to be held virtually on Thursday and Friday. The success of this event is attributable to the hard work and commitment from select members of Smeal's Women in Business student organization. We hope you take the opportunity to network with these students and other organizations in Smeal, sharing lessons you've learned in your career. More information can be found online.

Question from faculty

When am I eligible to get a vaccine?

Pennsylvania is currently in Phase 1B of the vaccine rollout. Those in 1B include faculty and staff members who are in contact with students as a condition of their employment and both undergraduate and graduate students who are in contact with other students while providing instructional, health-related or other services (including residence life) on behalf of the University. Phase 1C, which opens April 12, includes essential workers in a variety of sectors, including transportation, food service, finance, IT, energy, and public health. On April 19, all individuals 16 and older will be eligible. More information is available on Penn State’s vaccine page and on the Pennsylvania Department of Health website.