Penn State is among eight universities selected to join a national initiative focused on preparing the future generation of workers to advance American manufacturing. The program is a collaborative partnership between higher education, industry and government to prepare the workforce for the future of manufacturing President Neeli Bendapudi joined colleagues and government officials for the launch, where she participated in a panel discussion with Michael Crow, president of Arizona State University; Douglas Girod, chancellor of University of Kansas; and Ann Fairchild, president and CEO of Siemens USA, highlighting how higher education can be a catalyst for preparing the future workforce.