UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — On Oct. 30, Penn State leaders hosted a livestreamed “State of State” update for the Penn State community on the current higher education landscape, challenges facing higher education, key strategic initiatives happening across the University, and the vision for Penn State’s future and continued success. More than 1,900 people joined the livestream, alongside nearly 200 in-person attendees from the Academic Leadership Forum.
Community members who viewed the meeting are invited to take a post-event survey to help inform future events (Penn State log-in credentials required). For those unable to watch live, a recording of the event is now available to view online.
“Penn State is facing the challenges before us and leading from a position of strength,” said Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi, highlighting the University’s robust enrollments and applications, student retention and student success, record-breaking research expenditures and fundraising, and the institution’s success in creating a sustainable financial model and balanced budget.
Despite challenges including the “demographic cliff” of declining numbers of traditionally college-aged students, technological disruption and the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI), a complex national research environment, and shifting beliefs on the value of higher education among the general public, Bendapudi affirmed Penn State’s strength to innovate, thrive, and continue to lead, with a focus on continued community engagement.
“Penn State does not shrink from hard truths; we face them. And we will face them with courage and creativity,” Bendapudi said. “We will continue to embrace agility, adapting quickly to change while holding fast to our values. And above all, in every single decision, our focus is and always will be our students.”
Together, Bendapudi, Executive Vice President and Provost Fotis Sotiropoulos, Senior Vice President for Research Andrew Read, and Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Sara Thorndike discussed updates happening across Penn State spanning the federal landscape, research, Commonwealth Campuses, budget and finances, enrollment, operations, academics and student success, with additional input on compensation and continued support for faculty and staff from Vice President for Human Resources Jennifer Wilkes.
Broad themes that emerged over the course of the conversation included:
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Maintaining Penn State’s commitment to excellence in education, student outcomes, and research;
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Fostering innovation across the Penn State enterprise to respond to the ongoing AI transformation, enhance teaching and research, and “future-proof” the institution;
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Navigating a complex and shifting research landscape with a focus on interdisciplinary impact and continuing to protect and enhance Penn State’s ability to solve the world’s greatest challenges;
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Continuing Penn State’s ability to invest in its faculty, staff, campuses, programs, and facilities for maximum impact across the University;
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And envisioning and implementing a bold vision for Penn State’s Commonwealth Campuses that continues to serve and strengthen communities across Pennsylvania while responding to the economic and workforce needs of the commonwealth.
Upcoming conversations:
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Research town hall: At 1 p.m. on Nov. 3, Read and other senior leaders will host a livestreamed town hall meeting on the research landscape. The event will provide an opportunity for faculty, staff and students to engage in dialogue with Read and learn more about the current federal research environment and Penn State’s ongoing planning and advocacy efforts. Additional event details are available in Penn State News.
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Commonwealth Campuses town hall: Additional information forthcoming.
Note: Due to technical difficulties during the Oct. 30 event, parts of the event recording may have disrupted audio/video.