Advertise on podcast: Behrend Talks: A Penn State Podcast

Dr. Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, talks with Dr. Lena Surzhko Harned, associate teaching professor of political science, about the ongoing war in Ukraine. Originally recorded on September 29, 2026.

Dr. Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, talks with Dr. Chuck Brown, associate professor of accounting, about his work with the NCAA, where he serves as the Faculty Athletics Representative for Penn State Behrend. Originally recorded on September 16, 2026.

Dr. Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, talks with Dr. Greg Filbeck, vice chancellor and associate dean for academic affairs, and Dr. Alicyn Rhoads, vice chancellor and associate dean for research and graduate studies, about the college’s new five-year strategic plan. Originally recorded on July 15, 2026.

Dr. Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, talks with Dr. Cora MacBeth, a 1996 Behrend graduate, about her first year as director of the School of Science. Originally recorded on June 15, 2026.

Dr. Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, talks with Bibiana Mayer Steckel, a Fulbright Scholar from Brazil, about her work with the Virtual/Augmented Reality Lab, where she is studying the use of VR technology to connect with children who have autism. Originally recorded on April 30, 2026.

Dr. Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, talks with Tiffany Beers, vice president of enterprise innovation at VF Corporation, about her work designing products for Nike, Tesla, Logitech and The North Face. Originally recorded on May 8, 2026.

Dr. Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, talks with Julia Cecchetti, a 2020 graduate and recipient of the Alumni Achievement Award, about her work at SpaceX and at Impulse Space, where she is a senior propulsion engineer. Originally recorded on March 19, 2026.

Dr. Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, talks with Brandon Mendoza, president and CEO of the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership, about the Erie 300 strategy and the role of local universities in economic-development work. Originally recorded on January 12, 2026.

Dr. Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, talks with Dr. Will Walker, director of the college's Women's Health Innovation and Science Translational Lab, about how Behrend's role in the MWRI-Erie initiative is helping to benefit medical research, undergraduate learning experiences, and the broader Erie community. Originally recorded on November 14, 2025.

Dr. Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, talks with Dr. Ala Stanford, a pediatric surgeon and Alumni Fellow, about her work with the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she served as a regional director. Originally recorded on October 9, 2025.

Dr. Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, talks with Dr. Christopher Harben, the Toudy Chair of Entrepreneurship and Family Business, about the Center for Family Business and the annual Family Business Conference. Originally recorded on September 15, 2025.

Dr. Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, talks with Dr. Tiffany Petricini, associate teaching professor of communication, and Kyle Chalupczynski, assistant teaching professor of management information systems, about their work with Behrend's Ad Hoc AI Task Force. Originally recorded on June 26, 2025.

Dr. Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, talks with Sophia DiPlacido, a 2025 graduate of the college, about her student experience, including a semester abroad in France. Originally recorded on May 7, 2025.

Dr. Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, talks with Dr. Joseph Beilein Jr., professor of history, about his new book about Behrend in the years 1980-2010. Originally recorded on May 1, 2025.

Dr. Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, talks with Connor Sattely, a 2025 recipient of the Penn State Alumni Achievement Award, about his work in venture capital in the Netherlands. Originally recorded on March 27, 2025.