Administration

Board of Trustees meets; President Spanier's remarks

Graham B. Spanier
July 15, 2011

Good morning. I want to begin by thanking Chancellor Ann Williams and her staff for hosting us this week. It’s always a pleasure to visit Penn State Lehigh Valley, and this is a very significant moment in the history of this campus.

In addition to the dedication of this new campus last year, Penn State Lehigh Valley will be kicking off their centennial celebration next year. I’m delighted that the board has an opportunity to be here to experience the beauty of this campus first hand. I know Ann has some campus highlights to share, so I’ll keep my report brief to give her ample time for her presentation.

Later this morning I will provide a detailed report on the budget, but right now I want to say a few words on the subject. First, I want to thank everyone for their patience, guidance and support throughout the process. I know that many of our trustees advocated for us in Harrisburg and with our legislators throughout the state, and I personally appreciated the emails, calls and comments I received. Everything considered, I hope most of you feel some relief that the Legislature moderated the cut to our appropriation to 19.6 percent from the originally proposed 52.4 percent. We are appreciative of the efforts of the legislators for their work on behalf of Penn State. Without their support, Penn State and higher education would be facing a much greater challenge this year.

That said, this cut still represents a reduction of $68 million, and that is not without consequence. We are doing everything possible to find ways to trim costs further
and to demonstrate the value Penn State contributes to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The good news is that among prospective students and families, Penn State is the institution of choice and this is another record setting year for admissions applications. Total applications for all campuses are approaching 120,000; ahead of last year by 6 percent. We have received more undergraduate applications than in any prior year; the total is up 8.4 percent, with increases in first-choice freshman baccalaureate applications at University Park and the Commonwealth Campuses. Out-of-state minority applications are ahead by 12.4 percent and Pennsylvania minority applications are ahead 6 percent. International undergraduate applications have again seen the largest percentage increase ever --they’re up a remarkable 54 percent.

Graduate applications also are ahead of last year by 8 percent, again with international applications showing a double-digit increase. Applications to the Dickinson School of Law and the Penn State College of Medicine are down slightly this year.

The predictions for the final enrollments of new first-year baccalaureate students for summer and fall indicate that we should come very close to the target of 7,600 for University Park, and the incoming class will be comparable to last year for the Commonwealth Campuses.

Penn State faculty are known for their commitment to balancing teaching, research and service, and this is very evident in the productivity of the faculty in the Smeal College of Business. Despite the fact that Smeal serves one of the largest business student populations in the nation, the faculty rank among the best in the world when it comes to publishing in top business journals.

According to a recent study, Smeal ranked 15th among all business schools in the world, and fourth among publicly supported schools, for scholarly research output. When the rankings are adjusted to take into account size of faculty, Smeal comes in at No. 5 globally and second among public institutions.

The Penn State College of Medicine also received some well-deserved attention when it was named a 2011 Program of Excellence by the American Academy of Family Physicians. This award celebrates outstanding activities in generating interest in family medicine.

The American Academy of Family Physicians notes the critical role the winners play in helping students put their education to work in the community and health care system, while preparing the students for leadership roles.

In addition, the Hershey Medical Center, in collaboration with Penn State faculty at University Park, received $27.3 million from the National Institutes of Health for translational research. The focus will be on shortening the time period to convert scientific research into medical treatments, as well as the development of new drugs and devices. It’s estimated that this grant will generate nearly $200 million in economic impact in Pennsylvania, and the implications for lifesaving advancements are incalculable.

Doctors at the Hershey Medical Center are also communicating directly with the public on health matters of importance. For example, Stuart Kaplan, a professor of child psychiatry, wrote a provocative article for Newsweek titled “Mommy, Am I Really Bipolar?” The article warns about the dangers of misdiagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder in children. In addition to bringing this issue to light in the mainstream press, Kaplan has been working with the American Psychiatric Association to build awareness within the medical community.

Leann Birch, director of Penn State’s Center for Childhood Obesity Research, also was in the news for her work developing new dietary recommendations for children in collaboration with the Institute of Medicine.

Birch’s findings appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Washington Post, USA Today, Health Day, the PBS Newshour blog and many other prominent media outlets.

Although athletics is typically quiet over the summer, we had some excitement at University Park when ESPN taped the show “Difference Makers” with Coaches Joe Paterno and Mike Krzyzewski from Duke. The show focused on their behind the scenes abilities to inspire student-athletes to strive for greatness in academics and athletics. I hope you had a chance to see the show, which aired in early July. If anyone would like a DVD of the show, please let Paula know after the meeting.

You’re probably used to seeing Penn State athletic director Tim Curley standing next to Penn State athletes as they receive their awards, but last month Tim was in the spotlight. The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame named him the recipient of the 2011 John L. Toner Award. This prestigious award recognizes outstanding dedication to college athletics, leadership and integrity. In his role as athletic director for the last 17 years, Tim has presided over 21 NCAA and 64 Big Ten championships and numerous individual national and conference crowns, while overseeing record graduation rates. He also has managed to attract and retain some of the top coaching talent in the nation and an excellent staff as well.

This summer Tim was especially busy with coaching hires. ACHA Hall of Fame inductee Josh Brandwene joined Penn State as the first varsity women’s ice hockey coach; our men’s ice hockey coach, Guy Gadowsky, has been onboard since April.

Patrick Chambers, who last season led Boston University to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002, was named the 12th head coach in Nittany Lion Basketball history. We’ve also brought on new assistant coaches in men’s soccer, men’s basketball and women’s ice hockey.

In addition, Charmelle Green joined us as associate athletic director and senior woman administrator. Charmelle comes from the University of Notre Dame, where she worked to give student athletes a balanced experience in academics, athletics, service, career preparation and personal development. She is a wonderful fit for Penn State’s program. In upcoming months we’ll invite the new coaches to our meetings so you can meet them in person.

With that I conclude my report. I’ll be happy to take your questions.

Graham Spanier Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated August 23, 2011

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