Spanier outlines ambitious goals,
new initiatives for the coming year

In his second such address since being named president, Spanier not only discussed the academic and fiscal concerns of the University, but also addressed the "human side" of the University. He touched on issues of citizenship, tolerance, excessive alcohol consumption, child care and employee morale.

"Humanizing the University continues to be among my top priorities," he said. "I want to re-emphasize that everyone at Penn State has a role to play in creating an open, sensitive, understanding and responsive campus environment. To me, people come first."

During his talk, Spanier acknowledged that although change in universities is often slow, the past year has been a time of "crucial action" for Penn State. Spanier's address was peppered with new initiatives intended to strengthen academic offerings and keep the University moving forward. One such initiative is his plan to seek ongoing funding from the state for 50 new faculty positions. He also said he was initiating a program of internal reallocation that will earmark funds to bring even more new faculty on board.

Spanier said he also plans to review Penn State's commitment to intercollege research programs and invest more heavily in programs that hold the most promise. He believes new intercollege relationships that will keep the University on the cutting edge in the 21st century should also be forged.

"We have not stood still, but have tackled the most pressing of problems and pursued our most promising opportunities, moving quickly, collaboratively and with strong commitment to the best interests of higher education in Pennsylvania," he said.

One move announced earlier this year is the plan to reorganize Penn State's 23-campus system to allow various locations to offer four-year degrees. Spanier also recently revealed his vision to retool Penn State Cooperative Extension. These two initiatives are the most profound changes either of these areas has seen in their decades-long existence. The restructuring of these areas is being done to better meet the changing educational needs of Pennsylvania residents.

"Penn State is a large and complex institution whose organizational structure needs to evolve with growth, opportunity and the times," he said. Spanier emphasized that the changes he has proposed will strengthen the University and help fulfill its commitment to the residents of the Commonwealth.

"Without minimizing any of our challenges and problems, I can say I am genuinely enthusiastic about what is possible here," he said. "For the record, I do not buy the concept that because our challenges are unprecedented we must scale back our ambitions. The opposite is true."

One of the challenges Spanier alluded to involves the continual decline in state funding. In 1976, the state contributed 54 percent to the University's general funds budget. Just two decades later, that amount has shrunk to less than 37 percent. During the same time period, the percentage supported by tuition and fees has grown from 37 percent in 1976 to 55 percent in 1996. The lack of state support is affecting all aspects of the University, Spanier said.

"Let me give you a statistic that may shock you. Among 75 public colleges of medicine in the United States, Penn State ranks dead last in terms of how much support we receive from the state -- dead last."

Spanier pledged to make a special appeal to the Commonwealth this year for support of programs at The Hershey Medical Center, which in 1995 served nearly 20,000 in-patients and more than 356,000 out-patients at the University Hospitals. He also promised to make the "strongest case possible" to legislators that Penn State deserves increased funding from the state.

But in addition to seeking more public funds, Spanier said the University will also rely more heavily on fund-raising as a source of dollars. In fact, Penn State this fall enters the first phase of a new comprehensive University-wide campaign that will emphasize increasing its endowment support.

Throughout his talk, Spanier touched on the themes that have become hallmarks of his presidency: his goal of becoming the top institution in the integration of research, teaching and service; his pride in the developments that are taking place at Penn State; his desire to make the Univesity a "world campus" through the use of global technologies; and his wish to humanize the university by eliminating intolerance.

The president asked those listening to remain passionate about their commitment to higher education and to the University.

"We need to anticipate and take on the challenges of Pennsylvania and beyond at every turn," he said. "This means an institution-wide commitment to our mission ... it means that we here must believe in Penn State."