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Resources to Support the Information Sciences and Technology Initiative

Guiding Principles

Major investment is required to expand IST academic, research, and outreach programs University-wide; this investment will support the development of a new School as a focal point for offering and coordinating IST activities and will simultaneously strengthen existing programs and collaborative activities
Resources to support IST initiatives (in terms of people, facilities, program development, faculty development, and operations) will exceed those available through the simple reallocation of existing University resources; they will need to be drawn from a combination of University, industry, and government sources
Since the IST initiative will directly impact economic development throughout the Commonwealth and the nation, and will help to address IST workforce shortages, opportunities to acquire state and federal funding to help support the School should be pursued
Industry participation is a key to the success of IST initiatives in the form of funding, equipment and software, advice from executives, and an exchange of highly qualified practitioners and opportunities for cooperative work programs; furthermore, providing opportunities for industry-based internships for students and for shared industry-University teaching and research for faculty is essential to both instruction and research
Continuing University resource reallocations, implementation of tuition differentials for IST majors and minors, and attraction of new students are required to provide funds to support IST initiatives
The University should expect to commit to continuous faculty development programs to develop pedagogical skills that incorporate interactive, team-based, and service learning as an important part of the classroom experience

Recommendations

A New Information Sciences and Technology Building

Industry Partnerships' Support

We recommend that the University build the IST faculty over a five-year period as follows:

30 core faculty appointed in the new School
15 additional School of Information Sciences and Technology faculty (preferably tenured) shared through co-funded positions with existing University Park academic colleges to support cross-college collaborations
25 new IST faculty at other Penn State locations

The School should open in Fall Semester 1999 with a complement of at least ten faculty, adding about five additional faculty per year over the following four years. Some faculty from existing Penn State colleges may wish to move their tenure track and budgetary lines to the new School; these shifts should be welcomed provided their teaching and research interests are appropriate to the mission of the new School.

To better infuse information sciences and technology throughout the University, and to strengthen existing programs and collaborative efforts, joint appointments of faculty at University Park should be encouraged and supported with the necessary funding. In addition to formal joint appointments, a number of affiliate appointments are also desirable to provide further support for the educational and outreach mission of the School.

A faculty of the size recommended for the School of Information Sciences and Technology (including additional fixed-term and part-time faculty) could serve approximately 800 undergraduate majors at University Park and 200 graduate students. In addition, the number of students choosing to take the IST minor is likely to reach several hundred within five years after the School is established. The addition of 15 co-funded faculty jointly appointed in other University Park academic colleges should permit existing IST-related programs to significantly boost the number of students they serve in information-related minors (e.g., management information systems, computer science and engineering, and geographic information systems). At its other locations, Penn State should be able to serve 1000 additional associate and baccalaureate degree students in existing or prospective IST programs and, where qualified graduate faculty resources are available, an increased number of master's degree students. General education courses will infuse IST-related competencies throughout the Penn State undergraduate curriculum. IST certificates (and, at some future date, degree programs) made available through Outreach and Cooperative Extension and the new World Campus will add to this IST outreach impact. Thus, the program has the potential to reach several thousand students in five years from the establishment of the School.

Curriculum and program development funds will be required for the School's curriculum, for the new programs at other Penn State locations, and to strengthen existing programs. These funds are estimated to grow from $250,000 to more than $750,000 over three years, and then decrease to about $250,000 per year, representing the need for continuous renewal of the IST curriculum. Because some courses will be delivered on-line, there will be additional development costs similar to those of the World Campus; these costs should be quickly recovered as the courses are offered to a large number of students.

For the School of Information Sciences and Technology at University Park:

Permanent general funds required annually are anticipated to grow to approximately $7 million in five years, assuming a complement of faculty, staff, and graduate assistants appropriate for a school of 30 core faculty and an additional 15 half-time joint appointments. Implementation of the new School will require a commitment of permanent funds of approximately $2 million during the first year (1999-2000), assuming the program is launched with ten faculty; additional permanent budgetary increases of $1-1.25 million per year over the remainder of the five-year ramp-up period will be required
Additional permanent funds of approximately $750,000 will be required by University Park colleges to hire replacements for those faculty who will be shared with the new School of Information Sciences and Technology
Laboratory facilities and equipment will require continuous investment to keep up with the constantly changing technology inherent in this dynamic field

At other Penn State locations:

Enhancement funds should be allocated initially for curricular development in information sciences and technology
Consistent with the college budget models, the tuition and fees from increased student enrollments should fund the permanent operating costs after the second year
Both space and funding to support equipment and facilities will vary by campus or college; therefore, these requirements will need to be identified for each location engaged in an IST initiative

We believe the overall magnitude of the proposed resources requirements are realistic. These estimates are based upon Penn State academic units of similar size and professional orientation. Start-up costs will include a large number of one-time expenses, and we expect that a significant tuition differential will help to meet a portion of the budget needs at University Park. At other Penn State campuses, the IST programs will grow as rapidly as student demand and additional tuition warrant resources. Without knowing more about possible space for the School, we have not provided any estimates for this important element.

A New Information Sciences and Technology Building
In the short run, space on campus will need to be allocated to the School to meet its immediate needs. In the long run, it is recommended that a centrally located, state-of-the-art building be constructed to house the School's faculty and administration. This building should be a showcase for the range of interests and expertise of the faculty and students, including information technology, information resources, and laboratory facilities. It should provide a place where IST academics and professionals from across Penn State's campuses and the University's industry partners could gather to share ideas and collaborate on projects of mutual interest.

This building should provide a number of state-of-the-art classrooms as well as experimental labs and classrooms. As faculty and students experiment with immersive environments and high-end simulation, they will need a building that enables such work. Thus, the new building would be both functional and symbolic of the School's vision. We recommend that consideration be given to housing some closely related academic departments (e.g., the Department of Computer Science and Engineering) in this new building. The construction of this building should be a high priority for the University, and put on a fast track.

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Industry Partnerships' Support
To adequately fund a School of Information Sciences and Technology at Penn State, we will need revenues from a number of sources, including the government, student tuition and fees, and philanthropy from corporations, foundations and individual alumni and friends. To explore this issue, we sought the input and recommendations of various industry and government representatives. Two half-day meetings were held on campus with representatives of Fortune 500 companies, Pennsylvania companies, and state government officials see the Background section,"Industry Perspective on a School of Information Sciences and Technology" for a more detailed report of the industry conferences).

Industry participation and partnerships are a key to the success of a School of Information Sciences and Technology. We need not only advice from executives, exchange of qualified practitioners, and teaching and research collaborations, but also gifts of hardware, software and, perhaps most importantly, current and pledged monetary contributions. As stated elsewhere, funding in the range of $6-8 million annually will be required to make this School a reality. Critical to meeting permanent funding needs is the development of various endowment funds, which will provide annual revenues in perpetuity. We recommend that Penn State seek to build endowments for various needs, including chaired professorships, career development professorships, undergraduate scholarships and graduate fellowships (see Appendix D).

To attract such contributions from industry, support must be viewed as an "investment" by our industry partners. There must be a "value return" to the corporation in exchange for the funds and equipment resources that we desire and need.

Special programs and opportunities should be created for our closest philanthropic partners. These include invitations to serve on advisory committees, the early identification of potential permanent hires from among our graduates, preferential opportunities for student cooperative work and internship programs, access to research activity and findings, faculty consulting, personnel exchanges, customized training programs, continuing and distance educational opportunities, and so on. Furthermore, the University must be creative in finding new opportunities to return significant value to individual corporations, helping to offset other incurred costs and thus freeing resources that could then be made available to Penn State.
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