Grants & Contracts Manager - Anonymous employee Penn State Employee Review

2.0
Sep 22, 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good benefits, 401K contributions, vacation, sick leave, etc. Small town makes it easy to commute, especially if you are used to living in urban areas. Typical small college town. Tuition break is good for employees/dependents, especially in Pennsylvania.

Cons

State College/Central PA is a "company town" where Penn State football comes first - the tail wags the dog. There is really nothing else in the region except Penn State, and the region is not very diverse except for the transient university population. A very tough place to live and work if you are not from the region. Because Penn State is the only game in town, salaries are suppressed unless you are a star faculty, and cost of living is artificially high. All of this makes it very hard to attract qualified employees with specialized skills.

Explore other reviews about Penn State

5.0
Jun 27, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

They were very flexible with hours and it was a fun place to work. There was lots of downtime to do other things while on the clock, and an e-bike to get around campus quickly.

Cons

Toward the end they got pretty strict about keeping your computer on a certain tab to take online tickets, and you could get in trouble for not doing it. It’s tedious work overall.

4.0
Jun 26, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

flexibility. I'm on a fellowship I won with a great advisor. It is not so good for others.

Cons

An inherently liminal position with severely reduced benefits.

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