From the Trustee Docket
Penn State Intercom......January 24, 2002

Research expenditures
reach record high

The University moved up from 14th to 11th place in the rankings for research expenditures among all institutions in the United States, according to a report given by President Graham B. Spanier to the Board of Trustees on Jan. 18.

"Such a large jump is quite impressive, because it is very difficult to move up even one spot in these rankings," he said. "In 2001, total research expenditures climbed to $472 million, up from a previous record high of $440 million last year. We have seen a remarkable 33.7 percent increase in research expenditures in the past five years."

Spanier said the University's success in research has helped establish its academic reputation nationally.

For Spanier's complete remarks to the board, visit http://www.psu.edu/ur/2002/bot18jan02presremarks.html.

Service leadership/learning
a University priority

Student life at Penn State consists of more than going to class, studying and taking tests. Student groups, together with individual student volunteers, make the most of their University experience by contributing nearly 180,000 hours of local service each academic year.

"Leadership development and community service are essential in the development of socially conscious leaders and responsible citizens, and a necessary part of a student's education at Penn State," Carol German, director of the AT&T Center for Service Leadership, told the Board of Trustees Jan. 18. The AT&T Center for Service Leadership provides out-of-class opportunities in leadership development and volunteer activities for students, and offers educational programs and guided experiences.

For the full story by Amy Neil, visit http://www.psu.edu/ur/2002/bot18jan02service.html.

University adapts to trends
in teaching and learning

Teaching and learning -- driven by information technology, a strong trend toward active and collaborative learning, and other factors -- are rapidly changing at Penn State and some other universities. Students today learn faster, have many different learning styles and expect more from the institutions they attend.

"Today, and even more tomorrow, students will have an information-seeking mindset and the technology skills to apply it. Thus, active learning, research and experiential learning will become even

more important," said John Cahir, vice provost and dean for undergraduate education in an informational report to the Board of Trustees Jan. 18 on trends in teaching and learning. Cahir presented data collected in a random survey of 49 research universities that show Penn State students are writing more and using electronic media in relation to class work at significantly higher levels at most universities. More than 5,000 Penn State students participated in research or capstone projects last year.

For the full story by Allison Kessler, visit http://www.psu.edu/ur/2002/bot18jan02cahir.html.

New undergraduate housing,
other projects gain approval

Preliminary plans for the first new undergraduate student housing to be constructed at University Park campus since 1986 were unveiled for approval by the Board of Trustees Jan. 18.

In other Office of Physical Plant matters, the trustees also approved final plans for an addition to a building at Penn State Berks, preliminary plans for a new library/auditorium at Penn State York and a property purchase at Penn State Mont Alto.

For the full story by Gary Cramer, visit http://www.psu.edu/ur/2002/bot18jan02roundup.html.

Trustees pass resolution
honoring Eberly family

The Board of Trustees on Jan. 18 approved a resolution honoring the Eberly family of Uniontown for its generosity to the University and to higher education generally. A recent $6.9 million gift from the Eberly Foundation to help build a community center at the Penn State Fayette campus distinguishes the Eberly family as Penn State's most generous living benefactors.

In the resolution, the trustees express their "deepest appreciation and most sincere gratitude to Robert E. Eberly, members of his family, his wife, Elouise, and his dedicated foundation staff members, for their unsurpassed voluntary and philanthropic commitment to Penn State that spans over five decades and creates an enormous legacy which will serve future generations forever."

For the full story by Mike Bezilla, visit http://www.psu.edu/ur/2002/bot18jan02eberly.html.

Trustees re-elect Hintz,
Baldwin to serve board

Edward R. Hintz Jr., president of the New York-based private money management firm Hintz, Holman and Hecksher Inc., and Cynthia Baldwin, judge in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, were re-elected chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of Penn State's Board of Trustees Jan. 18.

For the full story by Tysen Kendig, visit http://www.psu.edu/ur/2002/bot18jan02officers.html.

Board sets May 9
for delegate elections

The Penn State Board of Trustees approved Thursday, May 9, as the date for the delegate election of trustees and for counting the ballots in the alumni election. Six trustees are elected by delegates from organized agricultural societies within the Commonwealth. Six additional trustees are elected by delegates from organized engineering, mining, manufacturing and mechanical societies -- referred to as the industrial societies -- in Pennsylvania.

For information, visit http://www.psu.edu/ur/2002/bot18jan02election.html.

Agenda items

The trustees also made these changes to undergraduate programs:

n In the College of Arts and Architecture, the arts minor has been dropped. Based on limited facilities in the School of Visual Arts, the College of Arts and Architecture has requested the elimination of the University-wide arts minor in order to accommodate students in the college in completing their required courses for graduation.

n In the College of Agricultural Sciences, equine science is a new minor. There has long been a strong student interest in the horse program in the Department of Dairy and Animal Science. Moreover, there is a high interest in equine courses among non-animal science majors. By completing a minor in equine science, students will be better qualified to accomplish a number of educational and career goals. Particularly for non-animal science majors, a student may pursue a major in line with their professional career goals, one that may be more economically viable for that individual than a career in the horse industry. The minor will then serve to make the students better-educated horse producers, leading to greater vocational success or more satisfactory recreational endeavors with horses.

n In the College of Health and Human Development, the communication sciences and disorders major has changed its name from communication disorders major. With changes on the national scene, it is imperative that the program’s name accurately reflects the broad range of teaching/learning activities and curriculum offerings to potential undergraduate students. The name change will also address possible problems that students may have in “discovering” the department as they compare with other programs across the country in the discipline. The change of name of the major is also in line with the change of name of the department that the board is to consider.

n In the Eberly College of Science, the biostatistics option for the statistics is a new option. The new biostatistics option will give students interested in biological applications of statistics the appropriate training for pursuing their interests. Such training would be useful for students planning careers with pharmaceutical companies, research hospitals and many other fields in which biological data is analyzed.

In the graduations programs, these changes have been made:

n The proposal to change the requirements for the master of education degree program in training and development at Penn State Harrisburg was approved by the Graduate Council at its Dec. 12 meeting. The Training and Development Program has undergone a program evaluation to determine the effectiveness of the course structure. As a result of this evaluation, the program is adding a required course in systematic instructional design, which is critical to student skills and understanding in training. The change also provides a recommended course sequence.

n The proposal to change the program name of the master of fine arts degree program in theatre arts to theatre in the College of Arts and Architecture was approved by the Graduate Council at its Dec. 12 meeting. The name of the School of Theatre Arts was changed to the School of Theatre effective fall semester 1999. Thus, the faculty have recommended that the graduate program name be changed to reflect the change in the name of the school. The name change also “reflects the holistic approach to theatre education and training as opposed to the collection of skills that the term ‘arts’ indicates.”

n The proposal to change the requirements for the master of public administration degree program in public administration at Penn State Harrisburg was approved by the Graduate Council at its Dec. 12. The public administration program recently underwent a self-study in preparation for accreditation. As a result, the program determined that administration of human resources was a critical area for public administrators and was not currently covered in the core courses. Therefore, Public Administration 505 (Human Resources in the Public and Nonprofit Sectors) has been added as a required course.

n The proposal to offer the executive master of business administration degree program from The Smeal College of Business Administration to the Philadelphia area was approved by the Graduate Council at its Dec. 12 meeting. The University does not currently offer the MBA in this format and it would fill an unmet need. The executive MBA program will be a cohort-based program with students taking classes primarily on the weekends in the Philadelphia area and will target managers who typically have 10 or more years of work experience. The first year of the program will be similar to the first year of the resident MBA program at University Park. The second year of the program will include a global immersion experience, which involves a visit to another economic region and includes examining management practices in international companies and discussion of economic policies.

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