Penn State student AIDS volunteer chosen for national board

University Park, Pa. -- Beth Hardy, a Penn State student who volunteers with AIDS education projects, has been selected to serve on the national advisory board for the Project on Health and Higher Education, coordinated by the Association of American Colleges and Universities. The Wilmington, Del., native is the only undergraduate student selected for this national board, and will serve with eleven nationally and internationally known AIDS researchers, activists and educators.

Hardy, a junior pursuing an economics major and comparative literature minor, also serves as a student affiliate of the Health Education and Leadership Program (HELP) of the Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA). NASPA received a ten-year Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-sponsored grant to work with colleges and universities in their efforts for HIV/AIDS education and awareness programs.

Penn State's University Park campus was one of six campuses that served as a pilot site for the HELP project. Hardy has been involved in the HIV/AIDS Risk Reduction (HARRAC) program at Penn State's University Health Services (UHS), as well as serving as president of the campus chapter of the Global AIDS Initiative.

Susan Kennedy, UHS associate director for education services, expressed great pride in Hardy's accomplishments.

"She has been a dedicated leader in the AIDS education effort at Penn State," said Kennedy. "To have her recognized nationally is wonderful for her and for Penn State."

For more information about HIV/AIDS education, call the UHS Office of Health Promotion and Education at (814) 863-0461.