2024 Recipient
Michelle C. Wiley
Director of Academic Development at Penn State World Campus
Michelle C. Wiley serves as the Director of Academic Development Services in the Office of Online Student Success at Penn State World Campus where she champions the work of Academic Support Resources and New Student Orientation by guiding strategic planning to set goals and create projects that promote student success. Michelle serves as the co-lead for Retention Initiatives at World Campus and represents Academic Development Services on numerous administrative committees, such as the First-Gen Forward Advisory Council, the Coalition for Student Success, and Starfish Tenant Admin group, sharing ideas and best practices for supporting World Campus students.
Michelle considers herself to be a lifelong educator and lifelong learner. She is enthusiastic about education and serving students at all levels. Michelle taught middle school special education for 13 years before making the move to higher education at Penn State. She is currently working on her D.Ed. in Lifelong Learning and Adult Education at Penn State University with a focus on best practices for supporting non-traditional students in distance education. Michelle has found significant value in understanding adult learning theory and applying those ideologies to serving and supporting adult students at World Campus and across all Penn State campuses.