President Bendapudi talks DEIB commitment, enrollment, research with trustees

Board of Trustees also conducts elections, undertakes additional business

President Bendapudi discussed diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging; enrollment; and the research enterprise in a Friday (Nov. 11) presentation to the Board of Trustees.  Credit: Curtis Chan / Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In her remarks to the Penn State Board of Trustees today (Nov. 11), Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi discussed Penn State’s commitment to continuing to advance greater diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) and her four DEIB-focused key metrics; the University’s relatively strong and stable enrollment numbers; and the ongoing success of Penn State’s world-class research enterprise. In recognition of Veterans Day, Bendapudi also thanked all current and former members of the U.S. armed forces and all members of the University community with military ties for their service to the nation.

Diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging 

Bendapudi affirmed that her commitment to DEIB is a guiding principle that informs her leadership approach to helping Penn State fulfill its academic, research and land-grant missions. She stated that she intends to “move the needle forward” through strategic, deliberate actions focused on specific metrics she will share with the board each year. 

“Trust is something you build over time and through concrete actions,” Bendapudi said. “I look forward to building that trust because this work is important to me, and is what truly guides me and  my passion for being part of a land-grant university.” 

Under Bendapudi’s leadership, Penn State aims to not only enhance recruitment of underrepresented students but to also strategically focus on closing four- and six-year graduation rates for students across all backgrounds and identities. Enhancing support for underrepresented students throughout their academic careers will not only increase graduation rates, but also set up these students for lifelong success. This will be complemented by deliberate efforts to further diversify Penn State’s faculty across all ranks and tracks, by creating communities of support for faculty of all backgrounds, as well as creating equitable professional development opportunities and pathways for advancement for staff. Also on the staff side, Penn State will continue to measure their experiences through avenues like the confidential Living Our Values Survey, in order to monitor progress and areas of opportunity for enhancing a sense of belonging for all community members across the University. 

Bendapudi also thanked Jennifer Hamer — Penn State’s interim associate vice provost for Educational Equity and professor of African American studies and women's, gender and sexuality studies — whom she recently appointed as special adviser to the president on institutional equity. In this role, Hamer will lead a University-wide evaluation and inventory of all DEIB-related initiatives and programs currently underway across Penn State, so the University can more effectively and strategically invest in the important work happening across all campuses. Hamer also will support Bendapudi and the University’s leadership in advancing Bendapudi’s key DEIB-focused priorities for the institution. 

Enrollment and record-breaking research 

The University recently released its latest enrollment snapshot, showing Penn State’s enrollment to be relatively stable despite enrollment challenges for institutions of higher education across the nation. Bendapudi said that Penn State has seen a slight decrease to its total fall 2022 enrollment of 88,116 students, but noted that this 0.4% decrease over the previous year is outperforming the national average of a 1.1% decrease. International student enrollment has increased by 6.7%, with a 5.3% increase to the number of underrepresented students, creating a foundation for the University to continue to build on moving forward. 

Bendpudi also celebrated Penn State’s record-breaking $1.034 billion in research expenditures for the 2021-22 fiscal year, which represents an increase of more than 4% over the previous year. This figure includes major, multi-million dollar grants to improve access to clinical trials and new medical treatments for Pennsylvania residents. Other research includes a study of climate change resilience in urban areas, as well as research through the Applied Research Lab that directly supports the national security of the United States. 

Deb Kelly, director of the Center for Structural Oncology, discuss her latest cancer research with members of the Penn State Board of Trustees. As part of their November meeting, members of the Board of Trustees toured research facilities at the Millennium Science Complex and Applied Research Laboratory on Nov. 10 Credit: Kim Brue / Penn StateAll Rights Reserved.

She also highlighted several high-profile faculty awards — including award recipient Squire Booker, Evan Pugh Professor of Chemistry and of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, recognized with two major awards from the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Shirley Moody-Turner, one of the co-investigators of a $3.1 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to expand DEIB-focused programming and research within the College of the Liberal Arts; and P. Gabrielle Foreman, the Paterno Family Professor of American Literature and co-director of the Center for Digital Black Research at Penn State, being named a 2022 MacArthur Fellow

Bendapudi concluded her remarks by congratulating the Penn State women’s soccer team for its recent Big Ten championship win, as well as congratulating recent wins by the men’s hockey and women’s basketball teams, and wished luck to the student athletes of Penn State wrestling and Penn State football in their upcoming matches. 

Other Board of Trustees business  

The Board of Trustees also undertook other business, including:  

  • Officer elections: The board re-elected Matt Schuyler and David Kleppinger as chair and vice chair, respectively. Shannon Harvey, director of the Board of Trustees office, was elected secretary. All individuals ran unopposed.  

  • Election dates: The board set the date of elections of trustees by delegates from agricultural societies, alumni, business and industry, and at-large. Elections will be held on May 4, 2023, for the delegate election of agricultural trustees and for counting of the ballots in the alumni trustee election. Election of business and industry, and at-large trustees will be held on May 5, 2023.  

  • Distinguished Alumni Awards: The board approved the selection of recipients for the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Awards. Recipients will be publicized at a later date.  

  • Committee reports: Committees that met during off-cycle meetings in October provided brief reports to the full board on their activities. 

Last Updated November 13, 2022