State of the University Addresses

1995 Inaugural Address

Governor Ridge, Chairman Schreyer, members of the Board of Trustees, faculty colleagues, alumni, students, and friends gathered throughout the Commonwealth, thank you for joining me in person or electronically for my inaugural state-of-the-University address. It will be my custom to communicate with you openly and often, and I am pleased to be able to begin this tradition so early in my tenure as President, especially in the presence of our governor and members of our governing board. Their support will be critical to our success in the years ahead, and I am grateful for their involvement here today. It is a deeply moving experience to be welcomed back to Penn State so warmly, and I thank you all most sincerely for the honor you have bestowed on me in appointing me to this position

I consider the Penn State presidency to be the single most attractive leadership position in American higher education, even while some of you have gently suggested to me that it will surely be one of the most challenging. I am a person optimistic by nature, and what I see is the great opportunity to build upon the mission, the foundation, the traditions, and the success of 140 years of institutional accomplishment that have made Penn State one of the nation's leading universities.

A Personal Reflection

There is much that I wish to say to you today, some of which I have shared before. Before I turn to my thoughts about the future of The Pennsylvania State University, permit me, please, a moment of personal reflection.

In 1936, with a few deutsche marks sewn into his collar secretly by his mother, but with no other possessions, a 15-year-old German boy named Fritz managed to escape the oppression of Nazi Germany, and found his way to South Africa. Fritz was never to see most of his family again. Twenty of his close relatives died in the death camps. Fritz learned English, became a citizen of South Africa, fought for that country during the war, and in 1947 married a woman from Johannesburg. A year and a half later, a son was born in Capetown.

In that year, 1948, apartheid became the official policy of South Africa, and Fritz became disturbed by the parallels between what he left behind in Germany and what now surrounded him in South Africa. So in 1949, Fritz came to the United States by himself, settled in Chicago, saved a few dollars from his job loading and unloading trucks in a warehouse, and a few months later persuaded his wife to come to Chicago along with the infant child.

Fritz Otto Spanier, my father, known in America as Fred, died at 64, an unhappy man after years of ill health, never experiencing the prosperity that other immigrants found. For most of his adult life he was a working-class man with upper-middle-class aspirations. He valued learning, but never knew formal education. He allowed people to believe he had a college degree because he was too embarrassed to admit he did not.

Yet something almost inexplicable happened during this man's life that would have lasting impact on his family. Despite the fact that neither he nor anyone else in his family had ever set foot on a college campus, he and his wife managed to instill in their children a healthy respect for education. Their three children now have among them seven university degrees.

This story is not as unusual as it might seem, since I am certain many of you, like me, are the first in your families to attend college. Many of our students, too, carry with them the hopes of the future for their entire family constellations.

I tell you all of this to communicate something about my values. The university experience means far more to me than turning students into alumni or turning ideas into publications. For me, education is society's mechanism for turning despair into hope, for raising the social consciousness of the community, for altering the course of families, for turning poverty into wealth, and for improving the quality of life. Only education could allow a poor immigrant who grew up on the south side of Chicago to become the President of Penn State.

Other values are relevant as well. I hope that each and every decision made in my administration will be weighed against one criterion, namely, what is in the best interests of this University, the people of the Commonwealth, and the broader community of constituents we serve through higher education. Leaders whom I admire govern with a vision, set principle ahead of politics, put people first, and understand the value of compassion. They welcome the opportunity to explain their decisions, communicate with those they serve, and are willing to take a stand. They are risk-takers, but take only prudent risks. They are always prepared to cooperate but do not avoid intellectual or philosophical confrontations.

And finally, as I reflect on the person I am today, and the influence my parents had in the formation of that person, I see education as one of the two overriding concepts that provide the foundation for my value system. The other is the value of social equality, an abhorrence of discrimination, and a desire for understanding across cultures. I was born to circumstances where freedom, social equality, and pluralism were considered corrupt concepts. I see them as virtues. This is why, under my watch, I am hopeful that the University will work toward greater tolerance and understanding of all peoples.

Tradition and Change

Penn State in the modern era has been through a season of change, and I anticipate more of it. Frankly, I don't relish my epitaph reading "Graham B. Spanier: He Didn't Change a Thing." Yet at the same time, I confess that I am someone strongly attracted to tradition. Soon after my appointment, I began the enriching experience of reading Penn State's history, finding that during my first nine years here, I had only scratched the surface in understanding our heritage.

If you see me in the local movie theatre, you'll notice that I am as sentimental as they come. I have always felt that the presidency requires a delicate walk between respect for the university's traditions and the courage to change some of them. Perhaps you've heard the expression "You can't be charged with an error if you don't touch the ball." In higher education today, too many leaders have become fearful of touching the ball. I can assure you I will be in the infield.

I have spent the last several months reading thousands of pages of material and talking with dozens of you to begin sorting out an agenda for the next season of change. Such change is inevitable here. Robert Kennedy said, "Progress is a nice word. But change is its motivator and change has enemies." Henry Ford said, "Don't find fault. Find a remedy." And Coach John Wooden said, "Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can."

Yet, I am reminded of the retired lawyer who once said: "When I was young I lost some cases that I should have won, and when I was old I won some cases I should have lost. So, on the average, justice was done."

A university presidency is a bit like that. You get some credit that in all fairness belongs to others, and you catch a whale of grief that belongs elsewhere. I believe firmly that our plans for the future cannot be--and should not be--one person's vision. I will, therefore, be asking for your help. Although I believe strongly in a model of vigorous leadership provided by the President, I also believe strongly in shared governance.

I remember a story about a man who suffered a severe financial setback. He became destitute, and in utter despair he turned to God. "Please, God," he prayed, "you've got to help me. Please let me win the lottery." And there was no answer. No response. The next day was no better. And he prayed again, "Please God, the only way I'll get back on my feet is if I win the lottery." This went on for a few days. The man thought that God wasn't hearing him. With his final breath of hope, he turned to God one last time and said, "I beg of you, let me win the lottery." After a moment of silence a voice came back to him saying, "Give me a break. At least buy a ticket." There is no doubt whatsoever in my mind that there can be a mutually supportive approach to leading this University in the years ahead; I'm selling tickets to all of you.

Universities are built brick by brick, professor by professor, idea by idea, student by student, and graduate by graduate. Universities evolve slowly. Unlike many other institutions in our society where rapid expansion and compression are more common and more easily tolerated, in universities contraction, and even expansion, are often traumatic.

Working together, we can continue to set in place new initiatives that will increase the quality of an already great institution, initiatives that will prepare our students and other constituents for their future as citizens, workers, and family members. Working together, we can help our faculty address the great scholarly challenges ahead in the advancement of their disciplines and their service to society.

Penn State's Mission

Let us turn now to Penn State's mission. I can't tell you how many times I have already been asked to choose sides: Do I favor teaching or research? Would I put teaching first, or research and creative activity, or service and outreach? I don't intend to ever choose sides, and I'll explain why. This University was founded around all three missions, and our national stature is due largely to our ability to excel in all three domains.

Of course, undergraduate instruction is the foundation of this and most other great universities, and we will continue to focus the plurality of our energies in that direction.

President Atherton, in his inaugural address in 1882, spoke eloquently about the University's role in the education of what then was a class of men. As a result of a Penn State education, he said, a student:

"... should look upon himself not merely as a winner of bread, but as a moral force in the world, with noble powers which he must rightly employ, with high duties which he must fulfill, and with the possibilities of a grand destiny which he must labor to achieve. It is the business of a sound education to teach him the nature of these powers, these duties and that destiny; but having done that, it must leave the man to follow the voice of an enlightened conscience, within that inner sanctuary, no teacher, no external authority whatsoever may venture to intrude."

Still seeking these ends, but now for a more diverse student body, Penn State is indeed one of the nation's great undergraduate institutions. But it is so much more.

My goal for this University is to be the top institution in the United States in the integration of teaching, research, and service. We are currently one of the leading institutions in each of these three broad areas, viewed separately.

It is not so much my goal that we be number one in any one of these three domains individually--although that is surely a worthy pursuit--but I do believe we can and should be identified as the leading model of how a land-grant university simultaneously provides excellence in undergraduate education; graduate education; research, scholarship, and creative activity; technology transfer and promotion of economic development; continuing and distance education; cooperative extension; public and professional service; the promotion of health and human development; and the cultural advancement of our society.

To achieve this end, of course, we must have exceptionally strong programs in each domain individually. But one of our greatest assets should be our faculty's ability to achieve the appropriate balance, individually and collectively, at the confluence of our missions. I am proud to say that we currently have such strength. My goal is to foster this balance in what some would describe as the world's most comprehensive institution of higher education. This, to me, is a most worthy goal. So let us not choose to energize only one part of Penn State's anatomy; the entire body must be nourished.

Integrated with our teaching mission, Penn State research offers compelling opportunities not only for faculty and students, but for the public we serve. And the Penn State Research Park is an excellent example of the University's tradition of outreach through research.

Penn State's national and international leadership in research is solidly established, with total research expenditures projected to exceed $340 million for 1994-95, a record high. These standings reflect substantial growth in the last decade, ranking us among the leaders in the United States.

This momentum should serve us well in the much-altered federal funding environment that we anticipate. I am confident that Penn State faculty will continue to attract strong external support. I will enthusiastically promote this activity. I will also support continuation of graduate education initiatives; these efforts not only contribute to our research capacity, they fulfill an important component of our teaching responsibility as well.

Our outreach mission is exceedingly well expressed at Penn State. From the historic contributions of the Cooperative Extension Service, Continuing and Distance Education, and public broadcasting to the forward-looking possibilities that technology affords, Penn State has never been shy about bringing programs and services to the public.

We must be bolder still in making our resources broadly available to promote and support higher learning throughout society. Penn State's reach must include increasing numbers of Pennsylvania's nontraditional students who mix education and work. We must reach the marketplace through technology transfer. And we must embrace communities, their aspirations, and their problems.

The Commonwealth Educational System is a great asset to Pennsylvania for meeting such needs, and the importance of this statewide presence cannot be overestimated. Penn State Erie, Penn State Harrisburg, and the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport are also important components of our broad educational program.

And The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center has become one of the leading models nationally of an exceptional academic health science center bringing together teaching, research, patient care, and community service. We are experiencing dramatic changes in the landscape of American health delivery, and we will see continued adaptation in our College of Medicine and University Hospitals.

Fortunately, through outstanding leadership and vision in Hershey, we have stayed ahead of the curve in medical education, facilities planning, adaptation to an environment of increased managed care, community collaboration, and hospital management. I am tremendously proud of what has happened at the Medical Center.

Our University-wide educational outreach activities are an integral part of our mission. The more closely they are integrated with our resident instruction and research, the more effective they will be. The establishment of America's land-grant universities, with their tripartite mission of teaching, research, and service, is surely the single most important development in the history of higher education. The Morrill Land Grant Act, the Hatch Act, which established the Agricultural Experiment Stations, and the Smith-Lever Act, which established the Cooperative Extension Services, created a class of universities that is the envy of higher learning worldwide. Among these land-grant institutions, Penn State is by nearly every measure one of the best. It is my goal for us to be the best.

Communication

A university of this size, scope, and complexity requires excellent communication. It will be a high priority of mine to communicate as frequently as possible with you through public appearances, Faculty Senate meetings, the Intercom, and other means. Mine will be an open administration.

This University will progress more rapidly if we transcend the "we" and "they" thinking that sometimes occurs. If I ever must disagree with someone, I will have a good reason why and will tell you what that reason is. I will meet often with the leadership of the University Faculty Senate. I will offer a report at each senate meeting I am able to attend, and will always stand for questions.

I have established an electronic mail address that will allow any member of the University community to contact me directly. I believe very strongly in delegation of authority and responsibility, and have always done everything within my means to empower employees and administrators to handle matters at the departmental and college levels. So I hope you will deal with the appropriate departmental, college, or University official on administrative, personnel, or other business matters. But if you want to talk to me directly, by all means send me a message. I promise to respond so long as you don't collectively overwhelm me:gspanier@psu.edu is my address.

Building Public Confidence and Support

What, then, do I see as my most immediate challenges?

Near the top of the list would be the need to enhance the confidence of the people of the state and our elected officials in Penn State. I intend to travel to communities across the state throughout this first year, not only to meet our extensive University family, but to greet community leaders, alumni, agricultural and industrial leaders, members of the media, prospective students and their parents, elected officials, and taxpayers.

I want our constituents to know Penn State's considerable contributions to Pennsylvania. I also want to hear what they think about us, what we can do to help them, and how we can serve them better. I want to look carefully at the messages the University communicates to the public and how those messages are being received. We want to be sure that we are communicating as effectively as we can.

The need for increased public support for Penn State has been a thorn in the side of this University for many years. Pennsylvania ranks near the bottom among the fifty states in appropriations to public institutions of higher education per full-time-equivalent student. The last time the Commonwealth ranked better than the bottom ten states was in 1982. I do not need to tell you the impact this situation has had on Penn State.

I will work hard to improve state appropriations, carrying a message of necessity and opportunity for the people of Pennsylvania to invest in their future by investing in Penn State. The return on these dollars in terms of economic development, the next generation of leadership, and the cultural life of the Commonwealth cannot be surpassed. Penn State has not yet approached the limits of its contributions on any of these fronts, but to do so will require a greater investment of public funds.

At the same time, we will want to take a top-to-bottom look at how well we are managing the funds we currently receive. I expect members of this administration to be good stewards of the precious funds that are entrusted to us. In seeking increased public and private support for Penn State, I will want to say with conviction that we are operating as efficiently and responsibly as possible. I expect to continue our strategic planning programs and efforts at Continuous Quality Improvement, and we will look for opportunities to further trim administrative overhead. I solicit your suggestions.

Commonwealth Campuses

One of my highest priorities this year will be to examine the mission and structure of the Commonwealth Educational System. Dozens of you have written to me already with your thoughts. This marvelous system has contributed substantially to the unique success of Penn State during the past thirty years.

Yet, the concepts on which the system is based need to be reviewed, and perhaps redefined, in light of several considerations: the state's current demographics; emerging educational needs; Penn State's relationships with community colleges, the state universities, and other colleges and universities in the region; financial support available from the legislature and through tuition; the role of information technology in distance education; and the growing need for continuing education and extended graduate and professional education.

It is possible that our assessment will be that only modest change is appropriate. On the other hand, we might discover that the mission of selected campuses should be altered; that some campuses should offer a different cadre of educational programs; that some structural changes are warranted in how certain Commonwealth Campuses relate to each other or to University Park Campus; that Penn State should forge new partnerships with other institutions; or that certain faculty roles and responsibilities should be redefined.

This is a time for orderly discussion and reflection. No dramatic changes are imminent. The only thing that is imminent is an open discussion, which Provost Brighton, Senior Vice President Dunham, and I will seek to structure so that informed judgments can be made about what is in the best interests of Pennsylvania. I know many of you await such conversation and review, and I pledge to bring Penn State's best analytical abilities to bear on this important discussion.

Fund-Raising

Penn State, as with other public universities, has only two principal sources of revenue to support its instructional mission--legislative appropriations and tuition. Currently, only 17 percent of our total budget is derived from state appropriations.

We are, of course, grateful for the state's contribution to our educational programs; without them we couldn't exist. But at the same time we have found increasingly that the margin of excellence necessary to operate competitively with our colleague institutions in the Big Ten, the prestigious Association of American Universities, and other top universities requires us to draw on the generosity of alumni and friends.

I am therefore committed to an ambitious program of fund-raising during the course of my tenure at Penn State. We will continue our planning this year for a sustained capital campaign. In the meantime, we have launched a search for our next vice president for development and alumni relations. I will soon meet with our National Development Council, and I will be working closely with the deans and other senior administrators on an ambitious plan for private support for Penn State.

Information Technology

Information technology has become absolutely vital to today's most distinguished learning institutions. It is especially important to Penn State because of our complex needs for communication, the advanced nature of our research, the aspirations we have for the preparation of our graduates, and the outreach mission and statewide network of our campuses. The report of the Study Group on Information Infrastructure provides a sound framework for addressing our needs. I plan to continue the implementation of the strategy recommended by the study group. Penn State must continue to be on the leading edge of this curve; this will be a high priority for me.

Internationalization

Internationalization is another critical area we must emphasize. Institutions such as Penn State find that faculty leadership in instruction, research, and outreach extends well beyond national boundaries. Moreover, the future graduate of Penn State is increasingly likely to find employment in the international economic market. Whether our graduates are interested in agribusiness, architecture, environmental studies, journalism, or art, they will find themselves drawn over time into an international milieu. I will promote advancement in the arenas of study abroad, faculty exchanges and student exchanges, and the many areas of international cooperation that can open wider the doors of the international marketplace to Pennsylvania industry.

Recruitment of Outstanding Students

Last year Penn State processed more than 45,000 applications for admission. We are consistently one of the top three American universities receiving applications from prospective students. We are doing something right, and the public appreciates what we are doing. But we can do more.

For example, we have been especially successful in the past few years attracting applications from the most academically gifted students. Yet financial considerations have permitted us to admit only a portion of the brightest students into our University Scholars Program. It will be a priority of mine to increase substantially our ability to accommodate the needs and talents of these gifted students. We have already begun discussions about an expansion of the University Scholars Program, and will consider possibilities such as an honors college.

The Multidisciplinary Nature of Society

The world is inherently multidisciplinary, yet academic institutions continue to be organized principally around individual disciplines. One of the greatest challenges facing higher education in the decade ahead will be how we organize ourselves around the growing interdisciplinarity of knowledge.

Many of the greatest advances in science, engineering, and medicine are occurring not within the mainstream of our disciplines, but at the boundaries of our disciplines. This is true not only where medicine meets mechanical engineering, where chemistry meets physics, or where genetics meets horticulture, but also where theatre arts meets music, where psychology meets sociology, or where history meets philosophy. It will be important for Penn State to consider how we can preserve the great strength and foundation provided by our disciplines while at the same time encouraging our faculty to cross disciplinary boundaries when needed. One timely example of such a challenge is the recent discussion of the life sciences at Penn State and a Division of Biological Sciences. Such opportunities for multidisciplinary cooperation must be pursued.

The University Climate

I wish to say a word about the University climate. Among my top priorities is "humanizing the University." Everyone at Penn State has a role to play in creating an open, sensitive, understanding, and responsive campus environment. To me, people come first.

The single most important key to opening the doors wider to all people is to create an environment in which everyone feels welcome. We must eliminate intolerance and harassment within what should be an enlightened community of faculty, staff, and students. I urge all members of the University community to intensify efforts to promote greater understanding and to work toward the goal of civility and acceptance of increased cultural diversity and sensitivity.

A Framework for the Future

As we prepare for the next era at The Pennsylvania State University, I ask you to join me in positioning this University to approach these many challenges with renewed determination.

This must be an institution that cares about the cultural, intellectual, and personal well-being of its students, faculty, staff, and external constituencies; the relevance and quality of its programs; and its responsibilities as a leader in higher education. Attaining this level of quality and achievement will help to attract and retain excellent faculty, recruit the brightest students, and bring prospering industries to the state. Never has the task been greater for institutions of higher learning to prepare future generations for technological, economic, and social change. We, the faculty and staff of Penn State, carry that responsibility squarely on our shoulders.

I got a sense of this tremendous challenge last month, welcoming thousands of new students to the University Park Campus. It is a rather humbling experience to encounter the collective potential represented by just one incoming class. Their enthusiasm is infectious and it becomes suddenly clear why we all have chosen to make our careers in academe. We are actively engaged in preparing these students for tomorrow's world. How successful we are in that task is directly related to the success they will have.

The outcome of our work is a great deal more than teaching job skills, although that is certainly part of it. It entails something deeper. If we are doing our jobs, then it entails opening our students' minds and hearts, ostering in them a greater understanding of our cultures and enticing them to examine, to evaluate, and to adopt a world view that is more tolerant, more caring, and more compassionate.

It is quite simply mandatory that in this complex society we educate our students so that they are capable not only of holding a job, but also capable of holding a rational conversation, of writing coherent letters, and of debating simultaneously with insight, vigor, and respect.

In helping to chart Penn State's course, I am ever mindful of the tremendous legacy left by my predecessors. All that I will be able to accomplish here will, without question, build on the past. We will continue to build on our magnificent heritage, changing and adapting the educational mission as needed to fit the times.

You have all been so gracious in welcoming my family and me back to Pennsylvania. I developed a deep affection for Penn State during my earlier tenure and I know that it will only grow. Most important then, as now, are the people here. I hope before long to meet each and every one of you. Help me out by introducing yourself to my family and me at the reception that follows. And if we don't connect then, grab me at a sports event, on the sidewalk, or in the grocery store. Thank you again for your warm welcome.