Onward State is an independent, alternative Penn State blog that seeks to foster the student voice through the combination of commentary that is fair, authentic, and sometimes humorous; analysis that is critical and irreverent; and news that is relevant and accurate. Onward State works to generate honest conversation in the hopes of enriching the Penn State community and experience.

Need to get in touch with us? Send us an email.

History

Onward State is, quite simply, Penn State’s blog.

What began as a small project by three innovative Penn State freshmen in 43 Simmons Hall has grown into an editorial team of writers, photographers, videographers, and editors who work to produce content that is interesting and relevant. Onward State seeks to provide the Penn State community with a slice of student life that can only be conveyed by real Penn State students, and drive the conversation to help improve the Penn State experience. We harness the power of social media not only to share content rapidly, but also to get a pulse for the Penn State student body.

Since publishing our first post on November 17, 2008, Onward State has established itself as one of the quickest and most informative places for Penn State students, faculty, staff, and alumni to find the news that matters most to them.

Onward State is produced entirely by students at Penn State and was founded by Eli Glazier, Evan Kalikow, and Davis Shaver.

Onward State in the News

In February 2009, the U.S. News & World Report’s Paper Trail Blog included Onward State in its annual Best of College Newspapers competition. Competing against older sites such as Bwog and Wesleying in the Best Alternative Media Outlet category, we ended up claiming the title. The Daily Collegian wrote about the victory.

In January 2010, the Chronicle of Higher Education profiled Onward State. During that same month, Onward State repeated as Best Alternative Media Outlet champs.

In March 2010, Mashable examined how Onward State and its differences with The Daily Collegian typify the old/new media divide.

Since those early years, Onward State has been cited multiples times in USA Today, Yahoo.com, MSN, the Huffington Post, and dozens of other national publications. College Media Matters has also written about the site.