It is starting to feel quiet on campus and you can sense that an ending is near. When I step outside, I am greeted by clusters of students in commencement gowns and caps all waiting their turn to be photographed on the steps of Old Main, or I find myself on the very pleasant side of a selfie with a graduating senior. There seems to be a perfect mix of “sad to go” and “happy for the future.”

I’m always thrilled to pose for some quick photos with our soon-to-be graduates, but I also take the moment to ask our students “what’s next?”  The optimism about their futures is contagious. The breadth of jobs, travel or graduate school plans is impressive.

Commencement is one of the most exciting times on a university campus. It is the culmination of years of hard work and maturation. It’s a time to recognize and celebrate all that has been accomplished.

For me, it is a time of considerable pride.

Congratulations Class of 2016 and thanks for sharing your time with us at Penn State.

Do great things.

We live in interesting and challenging times. I learn a great deal about “our times” when presidents and chancellors gather to discuss what is happening on their campuses. I just returned from such a meeting of the AAU (American Association of Universities). The AAU membership is comprised of the 62 most accomplished universities in the U.S. and Canada. A major topic of discussion was the protests and office occupations at many, many universities. The discussions prompted by these protests have considerable breadth. Students across the country are describing situations of implicit bias in and out of the classroom that are based on stereotypes. There is a strong reaction against hate speech and explicit bias that has created a considerable level of discomfort and a real sense of vulnerability felt by different student populations. We also are seeing, on campus after campus, a collision between free speech and our values of inclusion, and our desire to provide a welcoming and successful environment for all students regardless of heritage, beliefs or appearance.  In many ways, college campuses are becoming “ground zero” for this debate, even as we also watch all of these issues unfold on the national stage.

The comments by leaders of AAU institutions have a close parallel with what students and faculty are telling me at Penn State. Interestingly, the comments also are the same regardless of student group.

Implicit bias

We might begin with the particularly challenging issue of implicit bias. To what extent do stereotypes drive our expectations at this university? There is a science to this – consider Claude Steele’s book Whistling Vivaldi, in which the author describes a graduate student at the University of Chicago who whistled Four Seasons to counter a negative stereotype associated with his race — that, as a black man, he was a potential danger walking down the street.  Steele’s book is full of carefully crafted studies that involve gender, race, sexual orientation and even age.

Many of us recognize “how stereotypes affect us and what we can do” (the subtitle of his book).  But the fact that so many of our students, here and at other universities, are talking about this topic should give us pause — and the examples are sometimes surprising. Consider the comment from a Penn State Asian student seeking help in math, and hearing a faculty member say the equivalent of “I thought Asian students were good at math.” This stereotype was reinforced last night when Molly and I attended Asian Spotlight and a W.O.R.D.S performer intoned “Asian privilege, calculator in my head, no one knows how hard I worked.” I remember clearly a faculty member in the Department of Geography, Lorraine Dowler, who studied gender roles in society, revealing that when she saw a firefighter in New York remove their gear, she caught herself being surprised because the individual was female — she had made an assumption about identity even though she is an accomplished scholar in that very field of study.  Lorraine provided one of many powerful examples that has forced me to examine my own actions and thoughts.  We all have biases, but I believe we must ask ourselves at what point do they have a negative impact on student success.

Explicit hate

Our Penn State experience with explicit hateful and racist social media posts is no doubt still fresh in our minds. So, let me give you a different example, one where hate and fear combine with a growing stereotype. A few years back, I was doing a review of a university in Saudi Arabia. One of the Saudi faculty members arranged a traditional dinner on the coast near the city of Dammam. We were early and he took a detour around the town, and then said, “Look, there is a radical.” I turned, curious to see what an extremist would look like, but I was unable to distinguish the individual from any other Saudi citizen. The faculty member then described a list of “visual cues” that he thought distinguished the individual. He then said something that I thought was profound. He said, “You Americans think that man hates you, but in fact he just hates, and he is as likely to hate me for my beliefs (even though we are both Muslim) as he is to hate you.”  And, in response to his and others’ hate, we have a world with greater fear and a heightened sense of vulnerability. Then we begin to frame our views by taking the hate that comes from some and attaching it to a people or to a religion or a country or perhaps even a university.

The reality is, wherever you go, in any race, or religion, or country, or university, you can find people who just hate.

Finding civility and speaking out

What can we do?  Do we institute mandatory training on implicit bias? Do we seek to silence individuals with ugly social media posts? Interestingly, national student surveys suggest that more students than ever are willing to give up aspects of free speech in order to create a more civil environment.

I have strong views on this topic. We have to stand up for discussing difficult issues, and we must always stand up for free speech — it is a fundamental right of our constitution and ensures that our ideas find their way into the marketplace of society.

As Supreme Court Justice Douglas recognized, speech may provoke emotions and cause discomfort, but this may serve a useful purpose if it then causes us to strike out at injustices, prejudices and preconceptions. And while standing up for free speech, we must speak out. It is for that very reason Justice Douglas described that I have been explicit in stating that there is no place for hate at Penn State.  It is unacceptable to have students, each of whom have earned their place here by their intelligence and hard work, to feel vulnerable.

My ‘struggle’

Today, I have made another rather explicit comment. I have joined a group of our students seeking to educate us about bias and stereotypes, and the degree to which words can become truly loaded.  Consider the word “jihad” — I am willing to bet that nearly everyone sees this word only as defining a radical hatred associated with a religion. Yet, a key meaning of the word is “struggle.” Yesterday, our students held up signs as a way to alter a growing stereotype — signs like “my jihad is to prevent sexual violence.” I have my own jihad. My jihad is to provide a high-quality education that is affordable, where cost does not limit access to any hard-working bright student.

In stating my jihad, my struggle, I believe I am standing up for Penn State values.

Our community of faculty, staff and students have defined these Penn State values.   “We respect and honor the dignity of each person, embrace civil discourse, and foster a diverse and inclusive community.” Each of us has the opportunity to live the value of Respect.  It is my preference to argue for civility while simultaneously preserving the fundamental right of free speech.  It is my preference that we seek the “useful purpose” that sometimes stems from emotional reaction and discomfort so that we ensure that color, or religion, or heritage, or sexual orientation do not limit access to an education at Penn State.

Sadly, we will never stamp out hate and I am equally sure that we will not stamp out bias, but I believe we must seek the moments to strike out at injustice, prejudice and preconception.

Universities across the country are facing a major challenge – the mental health of our students.

The most common concerns are familiar to all of us – anxiety, depression, stress, family, academic performance and relationship problems. The data is compelling in terms of the magnitude of the problem. According to a study by the 2013 National College Health Assessment, nearly half of college students said they felt overwhelming anxiety in the last year. According to Penn State psychologist Ben Locke, who directs the Center for Collegiate Mental Health, more than 30 percent of students who seek services for mental health issues report that they have seriously considered attempting suicide at some point in their lives.

In addition, the numbers of students seeking counseling has grown substantially over the last decade. The reasons for the growth in the numbers of students seeking counseling is debated, and may even be related to the de-stigmatization associated with mental health – which would be a very good sign. Unfortunately, universities have struggled to keep up. Over the last 10 years, our Division of Student Affairs has added 20 positions related to student health and CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services). The growth in positions has had a positive impact, but the challenge remains as the number of students seeking assistance continues to grow.

It is gratifying to see the response of our students and our staff. Penn State’s class of 2016 has chosen to start its legacy through the Class Gift by establishing an endowment to support CAPS.  Undergraduate student government sponsored a Mental Health and Wellness week, and have called on the University to find the funds to increase even further the number of counselors.   Longtime Penn State administrators Rod and Mitch Kirsch recently committed $50,000 to help launch the Embedded Counselor Program, which will position a therapist in one of the residence halls. During finals week, the University Libraries hold a DeStress Fest; students can pet puppies brought to campus for cuddly stress relief; or take free yoga classes. I even had a student write to me urging us to encourage (even require) students to take a course to help relieve stress, such as Kinesiology 82: Action Methods for Stress Management (3 credits) or KINES 83: Exercise for Stress Management (1.5 credits.). Through the Center for Collegiate Mental Health our faculty and staff are working to connect practice, research and technology to benefit students, mental health providers, administrators, researchers and the public.

The good news is that we continue to introduce new strategies and new ways to educate our students, faculty and staff. Given that we’re about to enter peak stress season with the onset of finals, I want to share a few other ideas, as well as a few of the resources available to you electronically and on the University Park Campus (our Commonwealth Campuses have events/services customized for their student populations).

Online Resources:

Online modules help students cope with test anxiety and stress: iStudy Tutorials http://istudy.psu.edu/

Under Online Resources for Relaxation, there are a number of links, including one to Free Guided Meditations. http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/counseling/

CAPS also has a wide range of self-help resources: https://studentaffairs.psu.edu/counseling/self-help.shtml

Under Quick info, you’ll find 9 to 30 minute Educational Videos created by the CAPS counselors on coping skills, test anxiety, coping with anxiety and depression, among others. http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/counseling/services/videos.shtml

In Person/Phone

For more information or to make an appointment at CAPS, call the main number at 814-863-0395

Centre County CAN HELP line 1-800-643-5432

Emergencies: 911

Also watch for campus-wide events designed to lessen the pressure that comes with deadlines, tests and term papers. My own advice (which I need to follow more often) is to take a walk, especially at this time of the year. The Arboretum is beautiful and the ducks are back at the Alumni Center (and just about everywhere else too!)

Thank you to the student who sent me the letter that helped to prompt this post. And keep your ideas coming.

Today deserves a major sigh of relief.  The appropriation for Penn State University finally becomes law, providing the University with $306.2 million of support for its educational programs, agriculture and medicine.  It has been a long wait – we are nearly nine months into the fiscal year.  Up until last week, the state-related universities in Pennsylvania (Penn State, Pittsburgh, Temple and Lincoln) were collateral in a Harrisburg budget battle.   As we approached the end of the fiscal year the risk began to grow that Penn State would not get an appropriation.  The notion of no support was unthinkable but, in fact, this possibility was being openly discussed in Harrisburg.

The budget discussions within Penn State were becoming increasingly tense – how would we manage such a large loss?  Everything was on the table – from having to send notice to 1,100 agricultural employees on May 1 (60 days prior to the end of the fiscal year), to cutbacks in hiring, loss of programs, deferral of many construction projects, cutting travel and other expenditures.  Sadly, we would also not have been able to move forward without a significant tuition increase.  After all, tuition would become our sole source of support outside of philanthropy for academic programs. It may not surprise you that the discussions went deeper than how to manage a loss of many millions of dollars.  There is no such animal as a public or state-related university without state support.  There are no private universities of our size and there are no private universities as accessible as Penn State.  Our very mission was at risk – although we are a global university, we are Pennsylvania’s land-grant university – “we provide unparalleled access and public service to support the citizens of the Commonwealth.”  The list under those quotation marks is long.

The very purpose of our Commonwealth Campuses is to provide access to a world-class education for our citizens.  Our agricultural programs are instrumental in serving one of Pennsylvania’s most important industries.  We educate more Pennsylvania students than any other university.  We do it at a cost per student to the Commonwealth that is lower than any other university.  Our research expenditures have an enormous impact on the economy of Pennsylvania and our investments in programs such as Invent Penn State are designed to promote greater economic growth across the Commonwealth.  Even the visiting accreditation team from Middle States noted that we truly live our land-grant mission.  We are Pennsylvania’s flagship.

The loss of state support would cut far deeper than simple dollars. It would profoundly change the mission of a great public. I, for one, deeply love Penn State’s mission and its sense of service to the Commonwealth and our nation. I am so relieved that we have reached an end to the impasse for this year and I hope for a quicker end to next year’s budget decisions. But, let me end with an apology and some heartfelt thanks. Even though it was outside of our hands, I would like to personally apologize to the many employees who felt a sense of vulnerability during the budget impasse. And, I would like to personally thank all those who came to our aid. The agricultural community was particularly impressive in its outreach. Our students independently lent their voices to the call for passing the budget, and our many friends across the state stepped up to the challenge. Thank you.

Penn State is a top 20 research university, but only top 70 in terms of getting our intellectual property (IP) to the marketplace. Yet, the value of Penn State innovations to society is nothing short of astounding — our research, both fundamental and applied — holds great promise for everything from promoting economic vitality, protecting life and property, improving the quality of life, to sustaining our planet. And so, Invent Penn State — the Ingenious Power of Partnership — was officially launched this year. We had four goals: (1) to help interested faculty, staff and students move their ideas into the marketplace and demonstrate that we value their efforts; (2) to create more visibility of our IP; (3) to build entrepreneurial ecosystems around our campuses to enable the success of faculty, staff and students; and (4) to pay special attention to student entrepreneurial success (many universities focus less on students because, as non-employees, they do not have a stake in student IP).

The aim of Invent Penn State is to drive job creation, economic development and student career success by connecting researchers with the people who can help bring their discoveries to the marketplace. We want a culture that encourages, nurtures and rewards entrepreneurship — not just in STEM, but in the arts, health and human development, education and more.

Invent Penn State is growing fast, particularly in the area of creating entrepreneurial ecosystems around our campuses. Six sites opening across Pennsylvania are associated with our Commonwealth Campuses. Recently, I had the pleasure of opening our first five sites — I wielded a sledge hammer to open the Alle-Kiski Valley Economic Generator (AKEG) at New Kensington, and cut the ribbon for Innovation Squared in Wilkes-Barre, the Innovation Commons lab at Penn State Behrend in Erie, the Lehigh Valley LaunchBox, and the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Harrisburg. This was total fun. In every case the spaces were packed with local government leaders, legislative representatives, business leaders and entrepreneurs, and Penn State administrators, faculty, staff and students. And the partnerships are clear. Some communities are giving space, some financial support, others time and in-kind contributions and everyone noted that we were creating the spaces and partnerships in their communities. Everyone was thrilled with Penn State’s commitment to economic resurgence.

Next up — ribbon cutting at Penn State Abington. And, we are proposing to fund six additional sites at campuses across the Commonwealth this year. In addition, Happy Valley LaunchBox will soon open its doors in State College. But even before the opening, the entrepreneurial class of six business startups was chosen to join Invent Penn State’s no-cost business pre-accelerator program.

This is Penn State living our land-grant mission by working directly with communities to benefit the innovators among us and the communities we serve.

I have barely scratched the surface of our efforts to promote economic development, job creation and student career success. You can read a great deal more at the Invent Penn State web page at http://invent.psu.edu.

I recently accepted an invitation to a brown-bag lunch.  I need to do it again.  And again.  What did I learn?  Infectious disease is a growth area.  New infections, return of old ones – uncomfortable words like Ebola, malaria, herpes, measles, avian flu, white nose bat fungal virus are front and center – human viruses, animal viruses, and plant viruses.  The world is begging for real world solutions to resistance evolution in insects, weeds, pathogens and cancer.  We can’t manage these diseases or deploy our resources and solutions if we can’t understand their evolution and their transmission.  We gain a tremendous advantage over outbreaks and epidemics if we can move from a world that reacts to one that is able to predict the occurrence of a disease outbreak.  Imagine how powerful it would be to actually predict an outbreak before it happened, and then to marshal our forces to limit its impact.  No single department or college can manage these problems alone.  We must put science, agricultural science and medicine together.  And that is exactly what Penn State is doing.

My invitation for lunch came from the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics (CIDD), which is housed in the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.  CIDD brings faculty together from 5 colleges and 15 departments.  Their collaborative grants top $20 million a year.  The room was packed with faculty, post-docs, graduate students and undergraduates.  Tackling infectious diseases is a growth area at Penn State – state-of-the-science fundamental research leads the way, but it is followed by amazing activities in vaccine development, virus detection, and epidemic modeling.  The research advances are nothing short of stunning.  And CIDD is living our land-grant mission of teaching and service, as well as research. Imagine, the online course “Epidemics-The Dynamics of Infectious Diseases” draws 30,000 active participants from 190 countries.  “Plant Village” is the world’s largest library and social network on plant health with 1.5 million views in two years!   And, the list goes on.

In a single lunch, I was reminded about the promise that is Penn State.  We have the ability to bring together the power of multiple colleges and programs to create a comprehensive approach to health and well-being.  It is now one of the most important strategic goals for Penn State.

Where is my next lunch?

And, speaking of health and food, a group of our students stopped by to ask me to become a part of the Nutrition Habit Challenge for 2016 – I registered and gave up dessert for the month of February!  The Challenge has lots of choices, which promote good food health. Our students are involved in so many worthwhile endeavors — and I am happy to participate.