A draft proposal of Penn State’s institutional strategic plan has been unveiled and shared with the community for feedback and discussion. All faculty, staff and students at all campuses are encouraged to visit the Strategic Plan website to review and provide feedback on the draft plans for four goal areas.
The Jan. 23 Penn State Town Hall — which featured a discussion with University leaders focusing on Penn State's 2016-2020 Strategic Plan, “Our Commitment to Impact" — is now archived and available for viewing online at LiveEvents.psu.edu.
Why is it important for a university to have a strategic plan? What does it mean for the University community? What have been the outcomes of Penn State’s current approach to strategic planning? These questions and more were the subject of conversation at a town hall discussion with Penn State leaders held Jan. 23. The event took place in the University Libraries’ Foster Auditorium and also was streamed online. The session will be archived in the next few days and available to watch at LiveEvents.psu.edu.
As Penn State looks ahead to the future, its administrators are wrestling with what it means to be a public university at a time when public support for higher education is waning. Over the past 10 years, higher education in Pennsylvania has received a 4.8 percent increase in overall funding, while the state budget itself has increased more than 36 percent and basic education has seen a rise of almost 49 percent in that same time period. At the same time, higher education is losing ground in the court of public opinion, as many Americans are skeptical about whether colleges and universities are doing all they can to control costs and keep tuition affordable. Given this scenario, Penn State Provost Rod Erickson said the University cannot continue with "business as usual."
As Penn State looks ahead to the future, its administrators are wrestling with what it means to be a public university at a time when public support for higher education is waning. Over the past 10 years, higher education in Pennsylvania has received a 4.8 percent increase in overall funding, while the state budget itself has increased more than 36 percent and basic education has seen a rise of almost 49 percent in that same time period. At the same time, higher education is losing ground in the court of public opinion, as many Americans are skeptical about whether colleges and universities are doing all they can to control costs and keep tuition affordable. Given this scenario, Penn State Provost Rod Erickson said the University cannot continue with "business as usual."