Faculty and Staff

Academic Program and Portfolio Review group seeks nominations for teams

Penn State faculty, staff and students are invited to submit nominations or volunteer for APPR participation

Nominations to participate on Academic Program and Portfolio working groups are due March 1. Credit: Michelle Bixby / Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Academic Program and Portfolio Review (APPR) steering committee seeks broad and robust engagement from the University community. Faculty, staff and students are invited to nominate members of the community, or themselves, to participate in one of the emerging working groups that are essential to the project’s success.  

“We need the Penn State community to come together and participate in this critical initiative,” said Executive Vice President and Provost Justin Schwartz. “Together we will leverage our strengths and expertise to innovate our academic portfolio and address the evolving needs of our students and society. We need the collective expertise of our faculty, staff and students to help conduct this review and shape our future.”  

The working groups will play a critical part in the review process. In conjunction with the steering committee, some of the areas of focus include: 

  • Developing rubrics to assess data, mapping out overall processes and identifying who else should be included, and defining metrics.  
  • Working with the consultant to gather data and engaging with constituent groups to solicit information and feedback.  
  • Reviewing recommendations made by the consultant for consistency as defined by the established rubric, metrics and decision-making process. 
  • Engaging the Penn State community in the APPR process and sharing updates.   

Nominations can be submitted at this form, which is also linked at the APPR website. Nominations for this current call for participation will be accepted until Friday, March 1. The steering committee will review submissions and notify candidates if they are selected to participate on a particular team. The APPR steering committee anticipates additional opportunities to participate in the future. 

As has been discussed with the Academic Leadership Forum and Faculty Senate, the APPR evaluation process will help position Penn State for the future by aligning offerings across locations with student interests, market demand, creating stable enrollments, fostering strategic growth and connecting academic offerings with the University’s mission.  

More information and project updates are available on the APPR website. Questions can be emailed to appr@psu.edu.

Last Updated February 26, 2024