Penn State has continued to respond to Pennsylvania’s changing economic and social needs. In 1989 the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport became an affiliate of the University. In 1997, Penn State and the Dickinson School of Law joined ranks. And Penn State’s new World Campus, which "graduated" its first students in 2000, uses the Internet and other new technologies to offer instruction on an "anywhere, anytime" basis.

To help meet the increasing demands placed on it, Penn State has looked to philanthropy for additional resources. President Bryce Jordan in 1984 launched a six-year effort that raised $352 million in private gifts to the University. This initiative enabled Penn State to attract world-class teachers and researchers, and assist thousands of financially needy and academically talented students. The Grand Destiny campaign (1996-2003) raised $1.37 billion, further strengthening academic programs and broadening the University's service to the Commonwealth and beyond.

The Materials Research Institute is an administrative unit that coordinates, supports and performs materials research in association with more than 200 faculty in 15 different departments and 4 colleges. The MRI is established under the Office of the Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School to promote integration of research, teaching and outreach in materials research, science and engineering with a University-wide, interdisciplinary perspective. The MRI has several sister organizations with similar missions including the Institute for Life Science and the Penn State Institutes of the Environment (PSIE).