UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Four Penn State Board of Trustees committee held virtual off-cycle meetings on March 21.
The Committee on Academic Affairs, Research and Student Life heard from Andrew Read, interim senior vice president for research. Read provided an update on the continued growth of Penn State’s research enterprise, focusing on areas where the institution is or can be a leader in higher education.
The update to the committee builds on a September announcement of unprecedented growth in Penn State’s research enterprise over the last five years, including exceeding $1 billion in research expenditures. Last year, Read was selected to serve as chair of a workgroup to lead progress toward President Neeli Bendapudi’s key goal to grow interdisciplinary research excellence.
In his update to the committee, Read addressed key strategic questions previously raised by the committee. Highlights of Read’s discussion included:
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Partnerships with other leading universities “when it makes sense,” noting that partnerships can be complicated but lead to significant gains.
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Leveraging ongoing success with research in specific areas, such as government and agriculture, by making investments in retaining top faculty and selective recruiting; plant growth facilities; facilities around semiconductors and the CHIPS and Science Act; and additional well-trained staff to support awards and operations.
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Key approaches currently underway to build a pipeline of historically marginalized and underrepresented researchers and scholars, including relationships with minority-serving institutions; leveraging the Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program; and beginning discussions on cluster hiring faculty in broad thematic areas that are likely to attract strong scholars from underrepresented groups.
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The great synergy that exists between Penn State’s 67 extension offices and the research enterprise. He highlighted several examples of researchers and extension officers collaborating to tackle community problems, including researching blight control on mushroom farms and investigating tick-borne diseases.
Read also highlighted an extensive project led by the College of Engineering, the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research and the Office of Planning, Assessment, and Institutional Research (OPAIR) to quantify undergraduate research at Penn State. Key takeaways from that effort include:
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An average of 2,028 students have paid or for-credit research experience annually, or 2.8% of enrolled undergraduate students.
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In FY23, student salaries for research totaled $4.13 million, $2.2 million which came from grants and $1.93 million from internal budgets such as start-up funds or faculty endowments;
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There is considerable variation in the proportion of students getting research experience across campuses and colleges;
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Most undergraduate research experiences take place in a student’s third or fourth year.
“We now have some benchmark numbers on this and clearly there’s a lot of opportunity for growth,” Read said. “And that is going to be an interesting challenge for us because we strongly believe in the power and the importance of research experience for undergraduates. But scaling it is logistically challenging.”
The Committee on Academic Affairs, Research and Student Life also heard strategies for student success at Penn State’s Commonwealth Campuses, presented by Matt Melvin, vice president for enrollment management, and Margo DelliCarpini, vice president for Commonwealth Campuses and executive chancellor. Read a full recap of their presentation here.
Legal and Compliance
The Committee on Legal and Compliance heard from Amber Grove, chief ethics and compliance officer, who provided updates on the University’s compliance risk assessment related to the Clery Act, Title IX and hazing reporting requirements. She shared recent progress to mitigate risk in these areas, including the establishment of an anti-hazing committee to oversee compliance with anti-hazing laws and policies and to centralize and improve collection and reporting of information.
Grove also presented an overview of investigations and reports made to the Penn State Ethics Hotline, Office of Sexual Misconduct Reporting and Response, Labor and Employment Relations, Office of Equal Opportunity and Access, Office of the Vice President for Educational Equity, and the Office of Ethics and Compliance, from Jan. 1 through Feb. 29, 2024. These reports will be available on the Office of Ethics and Compliance website quarterly.
Equity and Human Resources
The Committee on Equity and Human Resources heard an update from Jennifer Wilkes, vice president for Human Resources and chief human resources officer, and Christy Helms, senior director of talent management, on the recent efforts of the 11-person talent management team that supports more than 11,000 staff, 6,000 faculty and 20,000 part-time employees across the institution. Their updates included:
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A discussion of HR tools, resources and initiatives that support employee success and manager oversight of individuals and teams, including new employee onboarding, performance management and reviews, career conversations and professional development;
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An overview of succession planning, which focuses on filling critical positions in the event of a retirement or unexpected departure, and aims to achieve a transition plan;
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An overview of employee participation in Broadening Understanding and Inclusion through Learning & Dialogue (BUILD) programs and a breakdown of employees’ participation in Individual Development Programs by year and subject.
Outreach, Development and Community Relations
The Committee on Outreach, Development and Community Relations:
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Received an update from Shannon Harvey, assistant vice president of the Office of the Board of Trustees, on the alumni trustees election;
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Heard a fundraising and campaign presentation from Dave Lieb, interim vice president of Development and Alumni Relations, including an overview of the tentative timetable and priorities for the University’s next fundraising campaign. He also outlined the office’s pipeline engagement project, through which a machine-learning model is used to better identify interests of potential prospects and then personalize communication and engagement opportunities with those prospects;
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Heard an update from Paul Clifford, chief executive of the Penn State Alumni Association, who outlined the association’s efforts to celebrate academic achievement, harness the power of the Penn State Network, and support and enhance the student experience.
Next meetings
The committees on Academic Affairs, Research and Student Life; Equity and Human Resources; Legal and Compliance; and Outreach, Development and Community Relations will meet again virtually on Thursday, April 18.
The full board will meet next on May 2-3 at the University Park campus.