UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Leading bullying-prevention expert Dorothy Espelage, William C. Friday Distinguished Professor of Education at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, will deliver a virtual lecture from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Oct. 29 titled, “Addressing Bullying and School Violence and Promoting School Connectedness.”

While many students are attending school online at least part of the time, bullying remains a serious concern. According to the most recent Pennsylvania Youth Survey, 25% of middle school and high school students reported being bullied, with 14% reporting being bullied through texting or social media.

Espelage will highlight innovative approaches to address bullying, sexual violence and school violence, including mobile phone apps that students can use to communicate emotional and physical safety concerns, youth-led campaigns to address mental health issues and school climate concerns, and professional development training programs for school police officers.

Espelage has appeared on many television news and talk shows, including The Today Show, CNN, CBS Evening News, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and Anderson 360 and has been quoted in the national print press, including TIME, USA Today, People, the Boston Globe and the Wall Street Journal.

The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be held via Zoom at this link and will be recorded for viewing on the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Center (PRC) YouTube channel. No registration is required.

The Bennett Lecture in Prevention Science is an annual fall event hosted by the PRC and is funded through the generosity of Edna Bennett Pierce, a 1953 Penn State graduate in home economics who has endowed the PRC and other important Penn State initiatives dedicated to the well-being of children and families.