UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Five Penn State Board of Trustees committees held off-cycle, virtual meetings on Jan. 18, including the committees on Legal and Compliance; Academic Affairs, Research and Student Life; Equity and Human Resources; Governance and Long-Range Planning; and Outreach, Development and Community Relations.
The Committee on Academic Affairs, Research and Student Life heard updates on student enrollment and building a pipeline for student success by Matt Melvin, vice president for enrollment management, and Margo DelliCarpini, vice president for Commonwealth Campuses and executive chancellor:
- Melvin’s discussion was part of an ongoing effort to update the board on enrollment trends and strategies, building on his previous committee presentations in March 2023 and October 2023.
- He noted an increase in the size of the first-year class for 2023, and said he is cautiously optimistic for the 2024 class.
- Melvin emphasized cost and affordability are major factors for students. “We have to make sure we’re affordable,” he said.
- DelliCarpini continued the enrollment discussion on the Commonwealth Campus front and said seven campuses are projecting enrollment increases for the coming fall semester, while ten campuses are in a challenging position for enrollment trends and the remainder are “on the bubble.”
- DelliCarpini said discussion about Commonwealth Campus enrollment and related strategies continue to focus on ways to best serve students and the commonwealth. “We know we’re challenged by population and demographic changes,” DelliCarpini said. “We are at an inflection point in higher education. We have an opportunity to redefine the Commonwealth Campuses and position the campuses for the next era at Penn State.”
- DelliCarpini outlined potential avenues of expansion for the campuses, including utilizing them as regional research hubs and specialized location, developing community impact zones, offering cooperative education opportunities, creating workforce and economic development hubs, innovating program delivery, and establishing dual enrollment pathways, among other ideas.
The committee also heard a report from the new dean of the College of Medicine, Karen Kim, providing an assessment of the college’s research enterprise and opportunities for growth:
- Kim said her goal is for the college to achieve a top-45 National Institutes of Health ranking by 2029. “If you’re in the top 45, you’re considered a research intensive medical center,” Kim said.
- She cited the college’s strengths in cancer research, addiction research, artificial intelligence and bioinformatics, neurosciences and interdisciplinary research.
- Kim said the college’s priorities include investing in rural health, science and talent development, interdisciplinary research, innovation and discovery, clinical trials and infrastructure.
- She said the college will expand through its engagement across Penn State, and with peer institutions, industry, the region and the broader commonwealth.
The Committee on Outreach, Development and Community Relations:
- Heard updates from the Alumni Association, Development, Government Relations, World Campus, Outreach and the board office.
- The board office has engaged with a new vendor to streamline and improve the alumni voting experience for the upcoming 2024 alumni trustee election.
- The annual Advocate Penn State Capital Day will take place on March 18 at the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg.
- Received a report from the Office of Strategic Communications detailing its efforts to support Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi’s goals of growing interdisciplinary research excellence, enhancing student success and increasing the University’s land-grant impact. The committee heard about the many facets of Strategic Communications’ work, including its support of enrollment and promotion of the Penn State student experience and support of the research enterprise and industry partnerships.
The Committee on Equity and Human Resources:
- Heard an update on the diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging dashboards. As part of his presentation, Lance Kennedy-Phillips, vice provost for planning, assessment and institutional research, mentioned an uptick in underrepresented student enrollment this past fall as part of continuing growth trend for underrepresented students. He added that overall faculty numbers have remained steady, with slight increases in faculty who identify as Black or as two or more races.
- Discussed current supplier diversity practices and the progress Penn State has made for engaging qualified diverse business enterprises, including women- and minority-owned businesses, as suppliers of goods and services. The University’s supplier diversity spending has increased from $54.5 million in 2018-19 to $75.5 million in 2022-23, with supplier growth in furniture, IT services, construction and temporary/contingent staffing.
The Committee on Legal and Compliance received an update on the Compliance Centers of Excellence and advanced a plan to renew the University’s alcohol licenses and permits with the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.
The Committee on Governance and Long-Range Planning heard a series of informational reports, including the board skills and demographic report, governance working group status report and an expense report from the September and November 2023 board meetings.
The full board will meet next on Feb. 15-16 at the Hintz Family Alumni Center on the University Park campus.