Editorial Columns

Penn State's Impact Felt Well Beyond Pennsylvania Borders

In the 1990s, the words "think globally" were part of an emerging business language being touted by everyone from the president of the United States to marketing experts -- all intent on teaching companies how to stay afloat in the "new global economy."

In higher education, international programs have been an important part of our fabric for decades. International education has always been considered one of the keys to promoting democracy and economic prosperity for our nation.

The importance of our work across international boarders and the need for international understanding and cooperation has never been more important than it is today. Companies that are multinational in scope are demanding graduates who are able to operate in cross-cultural environments. Penn State has taken a number of steps to move international studies and programs to the center of our teaching, research and service activities.

Overall, Penn State is home to nearly 3,700 international students and is ranked among the top 25 institutions in the United States for hosting international students and scholars and for sending students to study abroad. Last year, international students attending Pennsylvania institutions spent nearly $627 million in the Keystone State--a sizeable economic contribution. They bring cultural diversity and interest to our community as well.

Penn State's World Campus is also extending the university's international reach. Now in its sixth full year of operation, the World Campus has about 10,000 course enrollments from all 50 states and 44 countries on all seven continents.

Beyond Penn State's growing educational impact, Penn State's research enterprise continues to expand institutional cooperation both domestically and internationally. Penn State is a founding member of the Worldwide Universities Network, a consortium of 17 universities that cooperate on important research and graduate student exchanges, and benefit from the increasing use of technology that removes barriers of time and place.

Penn State's international impact can be seen across the gamut of fields of study. For example:

• The Hobby-Eberly Telescope located in Texas is an international cooperative venture among Penn State faculty in astronomy and astrophysics and colleagues in the U.S. and Germany. Discoveries by scientists are helping to explain how our universe was formed.
• Penn State has been recognized as the most dominant university in the field of materials science internationally. Materials research is linked to virtually every field of science and technology. Development of new materials enables advances in wireless and optical communications, fuel cells, molecular electronics and artificial organs. Our materials faculty consults and collaborates well beyond our borders.
• Faculty in the Smeal College of Business Center for Global Business Studies, who analyze the evolution of business management in various industries such as insurance and manufacturing, are also looking at the best way to finance growth in developing economies.
• Since 1990, Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences has been building Poland's extension service to help agribusiness succeed in that country. Faculty are also working in Serbia, Armenia, Hungary, and Lithuania on a variety of agriculture and food security initiatives.
• Population problems on five continents, family planning and contraceptive use, global climate change, infectious diseases, prevention of childhood obesity, and the impact of HIV/AIDS worldwide are just a few other areas where Penn State research is making a difference at home and abroad.

So while Penn State may be known for "making life better" for Pennsylvanians, we are also a tremendous resource nationally and internationally. The answers to some of our world's most pressing problems can come only from an approach that crosses international boundaries.