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UPC update
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Louise Sandmeyer, executive director of the Center for Quality
and Planning, top, explained progress made in the University's strategic
planning process, during a meeting at The Nittany Lion Inn on the University
Park campus. University employees, including Jim Kerlin, bottom right, and
Virginia Olexy, bottom left, were active participants in the discussion. | |
By Lisa M. Rosellini
Public Information
University academic and administrative units searching for ways to help close the projected funding gap Penn State faces are proposing sharing resources, increasing collaboration, increasing efficiency through training and eliminating duplication, according to members of the University Planning Council.
With a projected $12 million a year shortfall in funds over each of the next five years, the UPC has been aggressively pursuing cost-saving ideas identified by academic and administrative leaders. Guided by a vision to integrate the teaching, research and service missions of Penn State and to concentrate on quality, the UPC is completing an almost two-year process aimed at helping colleges, campuses and administrative units devise strategic plans that will lead them into the future.
As part of the process, the UPC is reviewing every aspect of Penn State and its budget through a variety of means, including holding dozens of hearings. During the hearings, individual units or campuses present their strategic plans outlining their core missions and the areas to be emphasized. In addition to flagging areas that could be enhanced, units must also identify areas where funding should be reallocated. The vision of each unit or campus should align with Penn State's overall mission and goals.
In a public meeting last week to explain the strategic planning process and the progress the UPC has made to date, a small group of University employees listened as four council members described what was being done and what could be expected in the months to come.
"The last hearing we have scheduled will be held April 14 for The Hershey Medical Center," said Louise Sandmeyer, executive director for the Center for Quality and Planning and a UPC member. "After that, there will be some back and forth between the UPC and the Budget Task Force, the group identified to pinpoint the University's key programs and to direct resources to strengthen these programs."
A draft of the University-wide plan that incorporates the individual strategic plans is expected to be ready by the end of May. Sandmeyer said the most successful strategic plans to date have been those that followed the initial guiding principles spelled out by the UPC. These principles are in line with Penn State's mission as a land-grant institution and its priorities in educating students. Plans stressing diversity, internationalization, interdisciplinary work and a focus on quality, selectivity and depth were well-received. Strategic blueprints that provide data (both internal and external) to support decisions and those that supplied concrete goals and ways to measure these goals were deemed especially well constructed by the UPC.
Most people in attendance expressed a desire to understand how the process was working and to find out what types of data were being used to make decisions. Some participants said they came because they were skeptical of the process and wanted to know if the decisions were being made from the top down, or the bottom up.
Council members said the 30 strategic plans they have seen to date vary in the manner in which they were compiled. The process for some academic departments -- as an example -- began within that unit and then gradually progressed to the college level. In other cases, the process may have started at the dean's level and worked its way down. In still other areas, the process was simultaneous, working from top to bottom and bottom to top until agreement was reached.
UPC members stressed that long-term strategic planning is not an easy task for any unit.
"It is our role to help provide balance by looking at things from a broader vantage point," said Betty Roberts, assistant vice president for Business Services and UPC member. "We are looking at these plans from a Univesity-wide perspective and addressing questions like whether providing certain services centrally rather than dispersed would be more beneficial to the entire University. You can't be all things to all people. You have to focus on your core mission."
As part of that process, UPC member Peter Jurs said the council has consistently looked at proposed changes in terms of their effects on students. Jurs stressed that not only financial data is being scrutinized. He said the data underlying the planning process includes enrollment numbers, information on shifting usage patterns, the number of faculty involved in particular areas, needs assessments and comparative data from peer institutions.
Attendee Bill Huston, who held a copy of the strategic plan from his unit -- the Office of Student Affairs, indicated that while the planning process has forced units to look at areas and programs they may have otherwise overlooked, it is also requiring them to make some tough choices.
"In addition to looking at areas that need improvement, we have also had to look at areas where the demand for certain services will not decrease," he said. "It is a challenge."
Virginia Olexy from Pattee Library sought reassurances from the UPC members that short-term gains made now through the UPC process would not have long-term costs or repercussions associated with them.
"We promise to keep your voices in the back of our heads," Sandmeyer said.
The strategic plans from all colleges, units and campuses will be open to the public in Pattee Library on the University Park campus by the end of the spring semester. The UPC invites continued comments from the University community via e-mail at response@psu.edu.
Through the UPC process, academic and administrative units will reallocate funds, with the administrative units being asked to give back more than academic units. The planning process is being used to identify academic priorities and to provide a boost to those areas. Some of these priorities will be University-wide initiatives, while other funds will be returned directly to the academic colleges.
Dan Fabin enjoyed warm spring weather recently during class
time. The senior agricultural and biological engineering major wasn't shirking
his responsibilities, however -- he is taking Denise St. Pierre's golf class
at University Park this semester. Although cold weather returned milder
weather made its appearance across much of the state recently.
Photo: Greg Grieco
The Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities, whose membership includes President Graham B. Spanier, on April 2 released a report calling on public institutions of higher education to become more student-centered, to better support and inspire learners of all kinds, and to more comprehensively sustain a healthy learning environment.
"State and land-grant universities like Penn State have been tremendous agents for social change in this century," Spanier said. "With this report, we are urging ourselves and others to reorganize and refocus our missions to move students even closer to the center of all that we do."
The report, called "Returning to Our Roots: The Student Experience," was released by the commission in Washington, D.C.
"The report is a bold framework for reform," Spanier said. "It recognizes that all public colleges and universities are now at a critical juncture in history, facing tough challenges that require us to look more carefully than ever before at our most important goals and the bottom line. At Penn State, we educate more than 77,000 students, and we are committed to ensuring that they receive the highest-quality education possible. But all of us need to examine our attitudes, orientation, and responsibilities, and move students even closer to the center of the university experience."
The 25-member commission was created by a $1.2 million grant given by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges. "The Student Experience" is the first of a series of commission reports that will frame a vision for reforming public higher education and outline action steps for change.
E. Gordon Gee, president of The Ohio State University, chairs the commission, and Dolores R. Spikes, president of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, is the commission's vice chair. John V. Byrne, former president of Oregon State University, is the executive director.
Also a member of the commission is Samuel H. Smith, president of Washington State University and former dean of Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. The foundation's president, William Richardson, is former president of Johns Hopkins University and former provost of Penn State.
Action commitments in the report include:
* revitalizing partnerships with elementary and secondary schools;
* reinforcing the commitment to undergraduate instruction;
* strengthening the link between education and career;
* improving teaching and educational quality while keeping college affordable and accessible;
* defining educational objectives more clearly and improving assessment; and
* creating many more opportunities for hands-on learning, including undergraduate research.
The commission also plans to follow up this first letter by launching a "national conversation" through encouraging dialogs around the country to evaluate and discuss the statement of principles and action steps.
"The Kellogg Commission was created because our universities face a crisis," said NASULGC President C. Peter Magrath. "Public universities must enjoy the public's confidence to perform their vital and unique missions, and to do that higher education must not simply allow but actively encourage and embrace change."
Commission Chair Gee said the commission's report "resembles an architect's rendering of what the public university of the future might look like. It describes ways to create a genuine learning community that has an unflinching commitment to better meeting students' needs."
The entire text of "Returning to Our Roots: The Student Experience" is available online at the new NASULGC Web site, http://www.nasulgc.nche.edu.
The annual Faculty and Staff Campaign kicks off today, offering Penn State employees the opportunity to help build the firmest possible financial foundation for the University's teaching, research and outreach goals.
Faculty and staff have combined their efforts to help make the University what it is today -- and what it will be tomorrow -- through their vital work and their tradition of giving to Penn State. Last year, more than 3,600 employees contributed $1.5 million to support a variety of programs including college and campus initiatives, the University Libraries, arts organizations, intercollegiate athletics and public broadcasting.
"When employees support the University financially, they are enriching the Penn State experience and setting an example for the alumni, corporations and foundations which are also asked to help keep this a world-class institution," said Richard E. Tressler, the 1997 campaign chair and professor and head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
"Whether we teach in the classroom, maintain the physical plant, work in a clerical or administrative position, or conduct research in a laboratory, each of us fills a vital role in making ours a university in which we can take pride," he added.
Two options are available for employees wishing to participate in the Faculty and Staff Campaign -- they can make an immediate gift, or sign up for the convenience of payroll deduction by simply filling out the form they will soon receive at their campus address and returning it to the Office of Annual Giving by May 30. They may direct their gift to any area within the University -- including specific campuses, colleges, departments, scholarships, endowments, equipment funds, building campaigns and elsewhere, or leave the gift undesignated for use by the University wherever the need is greatest.
For more information, call Barbara Sarra in the Office of Annual Giving at (814) 863-2052. At locations other than University Park, contact the director of development.
The University Faculty Senate applauded remarks from President Graham
B. Spanier concerning a 
controversial art exhibit on the
University Park campus and the results of a recent Penn State survey on
student alcohol consumption at its March 25 meeting.
"There must be some fundamental principles by which we stand," Spanier said in relation to the artwork that has come under fire. "I can't envision any circumstances under which this University would want to encourage censorship." Spanier's comments were in response to criticism he has received surrounding the display of artwork by student Christine Enedy titled "25 Years of Virginity: A Self-Portrait." Enedy exhibited a quilt covered with 25 pairs of underwear, each with a cross stitched on the crotch.
Spanier noted that the School of Visual Arts has a good policy in place that calls for the student and faculty member to discuss public sensitivities and decide together whether or not to display a particular work of art. Enedy's work was recently on display in Zoller Gallery.
Spanier also commented on Penn State's February 1997 survey on student drinking, which noted that 52 percent of the students surveyed were aware of his stance on alcohol. The president has been outspoken about his desire to curb student drinking.
"I am very pleased to say there is some discernible change this year, for the very first time," he said.
The survey, "Penn State Pulse, Student Drinking," was a telephone poll of 697 undergraduates. Results showed that 43 percent of men and 46 percent of women abused alcohol this past February, compared to 51 percent of men and 54 percent of women in February 1996.
In summarizing the outcome of the March 21 Board of Trustees meeting, Spanier said that Gov. Tom Ridge approved a multi-year $200 million capital construction funding plan. "Now, we can dust off some of our plans and predict with a little more accuracy which projects will be completed when." Spanier said the approved funding was good news, marking an increase, where funding had been declining or nonexistent in the past.
The Senate held discussion on several agenda items related to faculty development and evaluation, degree audit requirements, course substitution forms and a report on the NCAA's January meeting.
The Senate passed a degree audit amendment that would provide undergraduates access to their degree audit report each semester they are enrolled and a second amendment requiring the entry of all exceptions to individual student degree requirements in the Integrated Student Information System (ISIS). Both are important reference points in planning a student's course of study and graduation.
John Coyle summarized recent changes in NCAA regulations that affect undergraduate education. Division I schools will shift to a representative form of governance instead of one school, one vote. For the first time, Division I athletes will be permitted to earn on- and off-campus income in combination with other financial aid.
In other business, the Senate:
* Accepted a committee report that recommends a renewed focus on faculty development, encourages mentoring, the use of teaching portfolios and peer evaluation.
* Approved a proposed amendment to its bylaws allowing the academic voting unit of a multi-campus system to determine the allocation of its Senate seats, provided that each geographic location is represented by at least one senator.
* Approved a proposed amendment to its bylaws requiring a voting unit to select as its alternate the candidate receiving the second-highest number of votes. If the elected senator leaves the position before the term ends, the alternate would assume those responsibilities.
The Senate's next meeting will be at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22, in 112 Kern Building.
Sue Challis, master's student in kinesiology, works out
on the trampoline in Recreation Building on the University Park campus.
The trampolining champion is from Great Britain and will be representing
her country in Australia at the upcoming World Cup Games.
Photo: Greg Grieco
Nittany Lion basketball Coach Jerry Dunn will be host for the first "Tee Off on Cancer" golf outing, with proceeds being donated to the Coaches vs. Cancer program. The event is Friday, May 23, at the Penn State Blue Course and is sponsored by the Penn State Men's Basketball Club.
Joining Dunn will be past and present Penn State basketball and football players. The scramble tournament is a qualifying event for the American Cancer Society's Golf Championship. Qualifiers will be eligible to play in the state playoffs at the Hershey Country Club in September, with the winner of that tournament advancing to the national championship.
For more information, please contact Tere Rill of the American Cancer Society at (814) 238-8908.
Four Penn State student-athletes have been selected to the 1996-97 GTE Fall/Winter Academic All-District At-Large Teams. The quartet includes: Sebastian Gouverneur, soccer, 3.66 GPA in chemical engineering; Joe Roemer, gymnastics, 3.77 in finance; Kim McGreevy, women's track and cross country, 3.75 in accounting; and Karen Van Tassel, swimming, 3.88 in pre-medicine.
Doug Wert, a 1989 graduate of Mississippi State, has been named head golf professional at Penn State. A Class "A" member of the Professional Golf Association of America, Wert has served as the head professional at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tenn., for the past three years. His resumé also includes experience as assistant pro at TPC Sawgrass in Point Verde, Fla.; TPC Eagle Tree in Coral Springs, Fla., and at Kingwood, Texas, Country Club. During Wert's tenure at Southwind, the club was recognized in 1995 as the "Most Improved TPC Facility."
For the latest information on Penn State sports, be sure to visit the official Intercollegiate Athletics site on the Web: http://www.psu.edu (click on Sports).
President Graham B. Spanier is scheduled to testify before the U.S. House Science Committee April 9 on the federal government's information technology initiative.
Spanier is chairman of the Commission on Information Technology of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges.
Penn State leads a group of about 100 universities developing "Internet II" -- a new, faster Internet. Spanier said Friday he wasn't sure what questions legislators would ask.
Russell C. Brignano, associate professor of English at Penn State Beaver campus, from Sept. 1, 1975, to Jan. 1.
Harold E. Cheatham, department head for counselor education, counseling psychology and rehabilitation services, and professor emeritus of education, College of Education, from Sept. 1, 1982, to Feb. 1.
Can V. Dang, environmental health worker at The Hershey Medical Center, from Nov. 21, 1977, to Jan. 17.
David L. Dunbar, extension agent, College of Agricultural Sciences, from Dec. 17, 1973, to Dec. 31, 1996.
Teresa Hubler, food preparer B, Housing and Food Services, from April 17, 1983, to Jan. 2.
Jon David Johnson, receiving clerk at The Hershey Medical Center, from April 23, 1979, to Feb. 1.
Sarah E. Lighty, animal caretaker C at The Hershey Medical Center, from June 2, 1980, to Dec. 21, 1996.
Shu-Yen Liu, senior research assistant, agronomy, College of Agricultural Sciences, from Aug. 16, 1976, to Jan. 1.
Eva I. Orndorf, janitorial worker, Office of Physical Plant, from Oct. 25, 1981, to Jan. 3.
William S. Pierce, Evan Pugh professor emeritus of surgery at The Hershey Medical Center, from June 1, 1970, to Feb. 8.
The topic of tonight's Bracken Lecture by Carol R. Johnson is "Variety in Landscape Architecture." A headline on page 11 of the March 27 Intercom listed an incorrect topic.
