World Campus alumni are recognized for their service and dedication to the University with awards from World Campus, individual colleges and campuses, the Penn State Alumni Association, and the University itself.
Penn State World Campus Outstanding Alumni Awards
The Outstanding Alumni Awards recognize and celebrate some of our most talented alumni for impactful leadership in their fields and communities.
Alumni Fellow
A leader in continuing education, Dr. Rich Fischer was an early advocate for nontraditional students. He pursued a 30-year career at the University of Delaware, retiring as associate provost and director at the Division of Continuing Education, and is known for coauthoring the first text on older adult learners, Students of the Third Age. Rich provided many years of service on the Outreach and Online Education Advisory Board at Penn State, where his career experience proved influential in shaping the direction of Penn State World Campus.
Rich and his wife, Claudia, provided the lead gift to support students with financial need in Smart Track to Success — a highly impactful World Campus program that provides a scholarship together with coaching and help developing life skills.
Honorary Alumnus
Recycling visionary and dedicated fundraiser Albert E. Matyasovsky was a true Penn State leader and tireless volunteer. As a program manager at University Park’s Office of Physical Plant (1984–2015), he created recycling programs that continue to have a profound impact today. It has been said that, “Every time we throw a can into the recycle bin instead of the trash, we have Al to thank for his leadership.”
As creator of the Veterans Education and Advancement Fund (VEAF) at World Campus, along with his wife, Sharon, and as a fundraiser who inspired others to give, Al created opportunities for “those who have given the most to our country.”