Penn State Intercom......September 27, 2001
Spanier highlights
progress, presents vision
By Tysen Kendig
Public Information 
Calling for an embrace of information technologies as a powerful tool that can enhance education, President Graham B. Spanier presented his seventh State of the University address with a bold vision for how Penn State is planting the seeds for the cultivation of teaching, research and service in the digital age.
"Our willingness to change will be critical to Penn State's future success," said Spanier. "Technology allows us to overcome the obstacles of time, place and distance that only a generation ago were viewed by many as insurmountable barriers. And education is being touted as a key to the growth of democracy and economic prosperity."
Citing overwhelming statistics of Internet usage worldwide, Spanier reviewed current Penn State programs designed to effectively tap into this rapidly expanding medium of information exchange. Among these is the Penn State World Campus, which has attracted $4.5 million in outside funding since its inception and last year generated 5,000 enrollments from all 50 states and from 45 countries.
"We have worked hard to build the World Campus within the mainstream of the University, making it part of an institution-wide environment of innovation, and the results have been remarkable," said Spanier, noting that the World Campus recently was selected as part of a team of education providers that will provide distance learning opportunities to an estimated 15,000 soldiers stationed around the world.
He also pointed to the success of the new School of Information Sciences and Technology (IST), citing Penn State as "the first university in the nation to emphasize leadership and management in the field." The school now serves 2,231 degree-seeking students through more than 80 faculty at 19 Penn State locations across the Commonwealth. This semester, the school admitted its first doctoral students, and ground is being broken next month for a new IST building at University Park.
Spanier also announced that the University is launching three new Web initiatives: the Penn State Web portal, a personalized communication service that brings together Penn State academic information, ser-vices and business applications into one easy-to-use site; Penn State Web mail, which allows a user to access e-mail from any computer at any location in the world with an Internet connection and a browser; and a new University home page, along with a new Web identity program and more user-friendly system of links. The new home page is up and running at http://www.psu.edu/.
"Our students have gotten a taste of a world without walls," said Spanier. "The Internet has provided them with that, and we must find a way to expand our traditional methods to reach new audiences and educate students who have never known a world without the compact disc.
"We cannot and should not deny these students the vast learning opportunities offered through new technologies. We cannot and should not deny ourselves the possibilities of more interactive learning, a more productive work environment and the ability to extend our reach to millions of new learners."
Before unveiling his roadmap to meet these innovative possibilities, Spanier reviewed impressive accomplishments from the past year, including record-setting levels of alumni giving and research expenditures and funding.
"This past year we witnessed progress as great as any year in our history. At the same time, it was a year of tremendous cha llenge," said Spanier, renewing the University's commitment to diversity and inclusiveness throughout the University community.
He attributed much of the progress in philanthropy to the generosity of alumni. For the fourth consecutive year, Penn State was the nation's top university in the number of alumni donors, with 71,423 graduates making gifts.
In all, 117,000 donors contributed a record-breaking $177 million to Penn State, helping push the University past its initial $1 billion Grand Destiny Campaign goal two years ahead of schedule. This support has led to an increased goal of $1.3 billion.
"This campaign has allowed us to create more than 1,200 endowments to support students, faculty and programs," said Spanier. "More than one-third of all the University's endowments have been created in just the past six years. During this same period, our loyal donors have contributed more funds than in the prior 140 years combined."
Research at Penn State also has reached unprecedented levels. Spanier reported total grant and contract expenditures for research in excess of $470 million last year, a new record high and a 7 percent increase over the prior year. In fact, research funding has increased by 37 percent over the past six years.
Another "forward-looking indicator of our progress," according to Spanier, is a $100 million increase in new research and scholarship funding in the last fiscal year, a boost of 24 percent that brings total external awards for research, instruction and continuing education to $481 million.
"This not only sets a new mark for us but also reinforces our status as one of the premier centers in the world for scholarship and the creation of knowledge," added Spanier.
Other accomplishments cited throughout Spanier's speech -- which began with a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the tragic attacks on Sept. 11 -- include:
* A controlled growth pattern that has resulted in an increase in the number of freshmen and sophomores who begin their work at a campus other than University Park and complete their degrees at that location;
* Completion of the design, construction and renovation of more than 200 facilities projects at all 24 University locations, part of a recently updated five-year, $769 million capital improvement plan;
* The implant of the first heart-assist device powered via wireless electric transmission at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center; and
* Receipt of $7.4 million as the first installment of an annual allocation to support research in the medical and life sciences fields and development of a biotechnology greenhouse in central Pennsylvania. The funds are part of the state's $11.6 billion tobacco settlement proceeds.
But information technology pervaded Spanier's remarks, as he reviewed the University's innovative use of technology in fields such as medicine, engineering, chemistry, business, architecture and law. He also touched upon the University's involvement in the Worldwide Universities Network, a collaboration for the development of courseware and graduate programs that focus on interdisciplinary areas of global significance.
"As a university, we are an integral part of the success of our nation in this new knowledge economy," said Spanier. "We are experiencing our own evolution -- some might call it a revolution -- as we work to deal with changing demographics, globalization and the rapid advances in information technologies.
"The greatest barrier to more effectively integrating technology into our curriculum, business practices and support services will not be the technology itself, but our attitudes toward it."
Check the Web
For the full text of the president's State of the University address, go to http://www.psu.edu/ur/GSpanier/sou/sou2001.html.