As president, I have had the opportunity to learn more about the stories, perspectives and passions of the leaders across Penn State who make what we do as a University possible. I am humbled to be able to call them my colleagues, and I am thankful for the vision that they bring to Penn State.
In a new video series titled “Perspective: Leaders at Penn State” — coming soon through Penn State News and Penn State Today — I invite you to learn more about some of the leaders who guide our University to achieve our collective educational, research and 21st century land-grant missions. What drives them? What passions brought them to where they are now? And how does their individual view of the world shape how they drive Penn State to the highest levels of excellence, innovation and impact across the world?
As we launch this series to showcase the unique perspectives and passions of some of Penn State’s academic deans, I encourage you to listen to and reflect on their stories — and to ask yourself, as I often have, ‘What can I learn from them? How can understanding their perspectives broaden my own, and help me look at the world through a new lens?’
No two of our leaders have the same story. No two look at the world in quite the same way. After all, no two Penn Staters share quite the same background or perspective. Every member of our community brings their whole self to Penn State: the roads they’ve walked, the obstacles they’ve overcome and the peaks they aspire to reach.
Every Penn Stater, including our deans and all of the University’s dedicated leaders, has a story and worldview that is their own. And each of them has a passion that fills their heart, buoys their spirit and drives their mind. In getting a glimpse into the insights they bring to these passions, we can better understand the insights and impact they bring to Penn State.
In my work, I have often found my horizons expanded by the perspectives of Penn State’s leaders. And to them, I am grateful for their help in widening and enriching my view on the world. Join me in reflecting on the perspectives of the Penn Staters who have helped us reach where we are now, and who are leading us into the future.
When Penn State’s first president Evan Pugh arrived in State College, he found a dire situation: an unfinished Old Main, a carpenters’ shanty for a dining hall, and living quarters without a bath or toilet accommodation. He immediately hit the road for Harrisburg. His mission was to seek a $50,000 appropriation to address some of the campus’s most immediate needs. In short order, President Pugh’s request was denied.
The following year, State Rep. William C. Duncan reintroduced the bill. Rep. Duncan’s endorsement, coupled with the support of local agricultural societies and the newly elected Gov. Andrew Curtin, resulted in smooth passage. The appropriation was approved, and our partnership with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was born.
Since then, the governor and our state legislators have played a vital role in helping Penn State advance our land-grant mission of teaching, research and service. Modest increases in the appropriation in three of the last six years combined with Penn State’s intensified efforts related to access and affordability have helped Penn State minimize tuition increases for Pennsylvania resident students. But this year, given the widespread economic damage of a global pandemic, the appropriation is uncertain.
What does this mean for you?
The state appropriation helps us defray the cost of in-state tuition for Pennsylvania resident undergraduates across all our campuses, which serve some of the most economically challenged regions of Pennsylvania. Typically, the appropriation contributes approximately $5,000 for each Pennsylvania student. Penn State more than doubles that investment, saving 48,000 Pennsylvania families over $12,000 each year on resident student tuition.
In addition, the state appropriation provides crucial funding that helps support Agricultural Research and Extension; Medical Assistance, CURE, the Cancer Institute, ASERT, and other health-related activities of Penn State Health and the College of Medicine and the Pennsylvania College of Technology. The appropriation helps us contribute immeasurably to quality of life, economic development, agricultural productivity, medical care, and leadership in every sector of society. In short, we rely on the commonwealth’s investment in Penn State to deliver the research, education and service on which generations of Pennsylvanians have relied.
What can you do?
Please join me in advocating for our University on this year’s virtual Advocate Penn State Capital Day on March 25. This is a prime opportunity to connect with your legislators in Harrisburg to express your support for our land-grant mission of teaching, research and service. Share your experience with our world-class academic programs, career services, research projects, Invent Penn State, and the countless activities that have ranked Penn State among the top 1% of universities in the world.
The pandemic has had a dramatic impact on Penn State’s resources. Enrollments have declined as students have decided for personal or financial reasons to postpone college, yet the University’s costs have increased to enable expanded remote delivery of instruction and enhanced cleaning and spacing protocols at our campuses across the commonwealth. We have also had limited ability to invest in the innovative initiatives that drive economic development and student career success. This has an impact on all our lives given that Penn State contributes more than $11.6 billion to the state’s economy and supports, directly and indirectly, more than 105,000 jobs across Pennsylvania according to a report released in 2019. Notably, for every $1 in state appropriations received by Penn State, the University returns $1.24 in tax payments to the commonwealth. An investment in Penn State benefits every Pennsylvanian.
How can you participate?
Visit advocate.psu.edu to contact your legislator. Tell your elected officials why Penn State is worth funding. Share your personal experience as a Penn Stater and a Pennsylvania citizen.
Since our founding, the state appropriation has been critical to helping our institution attract and retain students from Pennsylvania’s working families. With the support of the commonwealth, we can continue our efforts related to access and affordability, student career success and economic development, agricultural research, and more. Pennsylvania is better because of Penn State, and Penn State is better because of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Each year, I look forward to Capital Day so we can publicly share our Penn State pride, thank the legislature for its support, and most of all, demonstrate the value of the commonwealth’s investment in Penn State. I always welcome the opportunity to advocate for our students, faculty and staff, and I urge you to join me in this effort. Thank you for your support and all you do for Penn State.
We begin our semester and a new year on a day devoted to honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He is one of my personal heroes. He is a powerful inspiration to all who challenge social injustice. Sadly, our nation and University face significant challenges, and King’s words and deeds are more important than ever.
Over the past eight months, we have witnessed an intense national focus on freedom, liberation and justice. Many Penn Staters took part in the peaceful marches, demonstrations and activism. Thank you. Thousands of you wrote to my office, urging us to join the movement and take immediate and substantive action at an institutional level. Again, thank you.
As a result of your efforts, we took a critical look at our own progress in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion. We responded by developing a plan for action that addressed eight areas and involved students, faculty, staff and the surrounding community. Work began immediately, and I’m very grateful to everyone who has served on the Select Presidential Commission on Racism, Bias and Community, the Task Force to review the Student Code of Conduct, the Task Force on Policing and Communities of Color, as well as those across the University who participated in the process.
The first phase of the work is complete, and the draft reports are publicly available. Penn State is moving forward with actions that will impact every area of our University — from academic programs to auxiliary services to human resources to the Board of Trustees.
The overarching strategy is to take an enterprise approach, in other words, take the steps to maximize diversity, equity and inclusion networks, resources and impact through greater partnership and coherence among the University-level units. Notably, we are also adding a direct reporting line to the president.
Many students complained that the Student Code of Conduct was ineffective as a mechanism to promote social justice. Our students challenged the University to better address issues of off-campus conduct as well as for acts of bias. After a thorough review of community input and benchmarks from our Big Ten peers, the task force to review the Student Code of Conduct developed eight major recommendations. These are designed to ensure that Penn State values are part of and reflected by the Code of Conduct. We will adopt the revised code for the spring semester and test its effectiveness through its implementation.
As the chief governing body of the University, the Board of Trustees is also demonstrating leadership of this effort. They created an oversight task force on racism, bias and community safety led by Trustee Brandon Short. They have set a goal for their membership to come from at least 50% underrepresented groups on the board by 2025. And they repurposed the standing Compensation Committee as the Equity and Human Resources Committee with a focus on advancing equity, inclusion and diversity at Penn State.
Finally, I wish to note the importance of the Educational Equity Matching Program and to express my gratitude to everyone who has contributed to its success. Our community has given generously to the four matching opportunities, and combined with University matching funds, the total impact of the committed gifts will be over $22 million. This includes 167 new scholarships that will directly support our efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion.
There is no doubt that the past year has been challenging. But I’m proud of the strength and resilience of our community. I hope you’ll take some time today and this week to celebrate the life and livelihood of Dr. King. I hope you’ll also carry a spirit of unity forward as we continue our efforts to build a more diverse, equitable and inclusive University. Thank you for being part of Penn State.
In a year that has been fraught with unprecedented challenges, it’s more important than ever to acknowledge the service of those who preserve the liberties and freedom we hold dear. On behalf of everyone at Penn State, thank you to the individuals and families who have made sacrifices in service of the United States of America. You bring honor to our great nation.
Penn State has a proud tradition of serving the men and women of our military and giving back through education, benefits, resources and more. In addition to year-round efforts, our annual Military Appreciation Week celebration is an opportunity for the Penn State community to join together to honor and publicly commend those who have bravely served our country. This year’s ninth Military Appreciation theme celebrates veterans — including many Penn State students, staff and faculty — who have served.
Like so many other things this year, our Military Appreciation Week will feature virtual events to support health and safety guidelines due to the pandemic. I will miss seeing everyone on campus, but our Military Appreciation Committee, chaired by Colonel Eugene McFeely, Penn State’s senior director for Veterans Affairs and Services, along with many volunteers, worked incredibly hard to make it a memorable, safe and special week.
Our vision is that Penn State’s many efforts will be widely emulated as an example of what higher education can do to address the needs of our nation’s armed forces, veterans and their families. Today, more than 5,600 Penn State students have direct military ties as either service members, veterans or military dependents, across all of Penn State’s campuses, including World Campus. We are dedicated to helping them achieve their educational goals with a variety of services and support resources. Consider just a few Penn State military focused initiatives.
Last fall, Penn State launched a new Student Veteran Center to serve as a central hub for about 1,000 military-connected students, including student veterans, service members and dependents at University Park, to access a variety of important services. This season we also have launched a new website, veterans.psu.edu, to help current and prospective Penn State student veterans access the variety of support and resources available to them at the University.
Penn State has consistently been recognized as a military-friendly school for the many academic programs and support resources available to active duty, veteran and ROTC students.
U.S. News & World Report ranked Penn State World Campus among its best online programs for veterans for the University’s faculty credentials and training, student services, student engagement, peer reputation and ability to make college more affordable for military students.
For student veterans at every Penn State campus and online through the World Campus, the University offers peer counseling services and assists with VA benefits, the college application process, financial aid and living arrangements through our Office of Veterans Programs.
The Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness is a valuable, interactive and comprehensive resource for professionals working with military families. Its staff engage in applied research and evaluation, implementation science, education and outreach to advance the well-being and health of military families.
I ask that everyone take a moment to reflect on and remember our own family and friends who have served in the United States Armed Forces. Please express your appreciation for their commitment to serving and protecting our nation.
We are proud of your courage and sacrifice, and we are honored that you are part of the Penn State community. Happy Veterans Day! I hope you enjoy the rest of this week’s activities and I look forward to seeing all of you on campus in the future.
On Aug. 11, I joined the majority of Big Ten presidents and chancellors in postponing all fall sports. The decision required a great deal of discussion and consultation with experts. The key factor in the decision was whether we could ensure the health and safety of the student-athletes during the pandemic. Although our University can exert considerable control within the classroom in terms of masking and social distancing, contact sports present a very different challenge. In response to that challenge, the Big Ten created testing and contact tracing protocols to control exposure and added flexibility in scheduling to address expected disruptions during the season. In short, we were cautiously proceeding to have our student-athletes physically ready for the field of play.
Unfortunately, over the two weeks preceding Aug. 11, it became clear that we could not guarantee a COVID-free play environment. Not all schools were able to submit testing results at the level required by the Big Ten. Straightforward responses to contact tracing interviews with those who tested positive were proving to be more difficult. And tests with positive results among athletes were growing. In addition, new information was becoming available on post-COVID health effects such as myocarditis. Although associated with great uncertainty, these health effects caused alarm. I decided that our inability to maintain a COVID-free arena of play outweighed all other factors in deciding to continue fall sports. Post-COVID health concerns also weighed heavily on my decision. The majority of the Big Ten leaders voted to postpone the season.
Yesterday, I voted to move forward with fall sports. I did so based on an extraordinary amount of effort by a Big Ten task force over the last month to create the necessary conditions for a COVID-free arena of play. Much has changed. Our new approach is data-driven and guided by a chief infection officer to be designated by each institution. Consistent and uniform testing will be ready for the entire Big Ten, managed by the conference, with point-of-care rapid antigen testing six to seven times a week with results ready at least four hours before every practice and game. There is an option for additional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for those who test positive. Out of an abundance of caution, all COVID-positive athletes will have comprehensive cardiac testing. The earliest an athlete can return to game competition is 21 days following a positive COVID diagnosis. Testing will be procured by the Big Ten and administered by a third party, so that the testing demand does not impact the testing being completed by the universities. Importantly, many of the medical experts from Big Ten universities who did not think we could play safely on Aug. 11 supported these new strategies as sufficient to create a COVID-free arena of play and lowered risk for student-athletes who have tested positive.
For these reasons, I voted to resume fall sports, beginning on Oct. 23 for football. This date ensures that we have as full a season as possible based on the implementation of the testing strategy. The Big Ten will also follow the medical team recommendation that stadium attendance be limited to families of student-athletes and athletic staff. Health and safety will determine if a team can enter an individual competition. As was true for the decision on Aug. 11, the health and safety of our athletes was and will continue to be the deciding factor for Penn State.
Eric J. Barron was Penn State’s 18th president, retiring on May 8, 2022. A geologist at heart, he has studied the earth and its processes. He was a rock-solid leader from May 2014-2022, for our ever-evolving great public University. From day one, he rolled up his sleeves to dig in deeper to the issues impacting Penn State. The content of this website reflects Barron’s leadership communications during his tenure.
Fragments
A few bits of information you may not have known about President Barron:
Favorite Berkey Creamery flavor: Alumni Swirl
Best birthday present at age 9: A kit to test the hardness of rocks
Following the retirement of Eric J. Barron as Penn State’s 18th president in May 2022, this blog will no longer be updated, but will remain available to read and reference as a historical text.
