Aug 17, 2025 By Stephanie Koons, on behalf of Penn State University 4 min read

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Frank Andrews was 17 and sitting quietly in church when the tears started to fall.

“I didn’t know what was going to happen to me,” he recalled. “I was a very severe stutterer, and I didn’t know what would become of my life.”

That moment of uncertainty marked the beginning of a path that would ultimately change thousands of lives — including his own.

Nearly six decades later, Andrews has been named the recipient of the 2025 Alumni Excellence Award from Penn State’s College of Education. A 1967 Penn State graduate with a degree in speech pathology and audiology, Andrews dedicated more than 50 years to education, spending the majority of his career serving marginalized students in prisons, juvenile facilities, and child care and mental health institutions across West Virginia.

“This honor is really the capstone of my career,” Andrews said.

A second chance, and a beginning

Andrews, who lives with his wife Joyce in Cross Lanes, W. Va., was referred to as the university’s residential stuttering clinic by a teacher at Albert Gallatin High School. Midway through it, Andrews asked for permission to take a calculus course. He earned an “A.”

That grade changed his life.

“The Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation offered to pay my full tuition at Penn State for four years,” he said. “I was thrilled — I had no way to go to college otherwise.”

After earning his bachelor’s degree, Andrews completed a master’s program at the University of Wisconsin and began his career working in Detroit’s inner-city schools. That experience deepened his commitment to serving disadvantaged communities. Eventually, was hired by the West Virginia Department of Education.

In 1989, after years spent working in special education, Andrews was appointed superintendent of the newly formed Office of Institutional Education Programs. He was tasked with building a statewide school system serving students in correctional and institutional settings.

What began as six schools grew to 41 institutions under Andrews’ leadership. At its peak, the program served more than 6,000 students per year.

“We promised each other that we would develop an organization that transformed people’s lives through education,” Andrews said of the team he led. “It became a mission.”

Data-driven, student-focused

His office implemented data-driven strategies, curriculum reform and staff development practices that are still in place today. He pushed for accreditation for institutional schools and advocated for the integrity of education in environments where it was often undervalued.

“In a traditional school district, people are behind education,” he said. “But in a correctional system, they often weren’t. We had to convince tough people that we could be a positive influence.”

Among his proudest moments were the graduation ceremonies — inmates dressed in caps and gowns, earning GEDs and certificates in front of tearful loved ones.

“The hugs I got from those family members — that told me I did a good job,” Andrews said.

Lifting up forgotten populations

A year before stepping down in 2006, Andrews was asked to conduct a study on educational outcomes for children in foster care in West Virginia.

“These children scored lower than any other subgroup under No Child Left Behind,” he said. “The more schools they attended in a year, the worse their performance.”

As a result of his study, West Virginia implemented a statewide system to support foster youth academically, including the employment of educational recovery specialists and transition support teams.

“It’s one of the things I’m most proud of,” Andrews said.

A hometown legacy

Andrews’ values were shaped early on in Masontown in the 1950-60s.

“That town produced lawyers and judges, engineers, nurses, educators, successful business people, and many other types of professionals. We even won the Pennsylvania State Little League championship in 1954 and a number of regional football championships,” he said.

What drove it all, he said, was competition and the values that parents and the community instilled in us.

“Competition brings out the best in people,” he said. “And it drove me, too. I wanted our programs to be the best in the country.”