Leading the Way–Corporate Partner Invests in Student Engagement and Success
The Eberly College of Science’s community is not alone in viewing its students as talented and primed for success. Scientists and staff members at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a company with over $40 billion in market capitalization and more than 5,000 employees, also believe in Eberly’s students, so much so that the company is investing in a new corporate/college partnership aimed to enhance the students’ experiences and position them for meaningful biopharma employment upon graduation.
Natalie Griffith, senior manager of university relations at Regeneron says, “We have an innovative culture that is driven by independent thinking, and the Penn State students fit in quickly. They bring enthusiasm and passion, and a desire to jump in, own their work and projects, and deliver results.”
A company with four FDA-approved medicines and more than a dozen investigational candidates, including one for rheumatoid arthritis and one for atopic dermatitis, currently in clinical trials, Regeneron recently became the first company to join the Eberly College of Science’s Corporate Associates program. The partnership will further prepare the college’s students to enter the 21st century workforce.
“Aiming to strengthen meaningful connections for both employers and our students is the goal of the Corporate Associates program,” said Douglas Cavener, Verne M. Willaman Dean of the Eberly College of Science. “We will give students the foundational knowledge and problem-solving skills necessary to translate science into real-life solutions, including through the cure and treatment of disease, the protection of our environment, and the generation of new materials and products for the benefit of society. In turn, our students will benefit from more exposure and employment opportunities with companies like Regeneron. We are very excited to have a company that conducts cutting-edge research that is resulting in the creation of life-changing drugs committed to this new program.”
As the first Corporate Associate Partner for the college, Regeneron—based in Tarrytown, New York, and ranked by Science magazine as a top employer—is demonstrating its commitment to the future success of the college’s students by making a contribution that will be used to help support undergraduate research, education abroad, and career-development experiences. In addition, Regeneron will continue to work on new opportunities to interact and share ideas with faculty members and campus partners, and keep a pulse on the trends and needs to better prepare the students to start their careers.
Griffith noted that Regeneron is available to help the University in any way that it can. Specifically, she envisions the company giving back by helping students with resume building, mock interviewing, and business etiquette, to name a few areas of contribution. “It will be an op- portunity to give students who come onto our sites and our company even more preparation,” she said. “It’s not just about teaching technical skills in the classroom; it’s also about showing them how to recognize the importance of their non-technical skills that are equally important.”
Through the partnership, Regeneron will receive increased visibility with the college’s students, which will improve its candidate pool of highly qualified interns and future employees. In fact, many Penn State students and alumni already have joined Regeneron, either as staff members or interns, and they have played a role in the company’s success. The number continues to grow.
“We are honored that the Eberly College of Science approached us as their first Corporate Associate,” said Griffith. “We already had a great partnership, but this really solidifies the true partnership that we feel we have with the students, campus associates, and leaders and professors at Penn State.”