UNIVERSITY PARK – At its Feb. 28 meeting, the Penn State Faculty Senate passed legislation to extend its active term and to change its General Education recertification procedures. The group also heard updates from President Neeli Bendapudi on her goals and wider vision for the University and passed recommendations stemming from the student sustainability survey results.

Updates from University leadership

Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi shared with the senate her five goals and broader vision for the University, along with the launch of a dashboard to track metrics related to diversity, equity and inclusion and belonging (DEIB).

Bendapudi’s vision for Penn State, formally announced Monday, is defined by continuing to focus on Penn State’s legacy and purpose, institutional agility, and creating and seizing opportunities, she said. Her five goals include enhancing student success; growing interdisciplinary research excellence; increasing land-grant impact; fostering diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging; and transforming Penn State’s internal operations. They are intended to help guide University leaders in carrying out that vision.

Bendapudi said that key to achieving these goals is having metrics and mechanisms to track progress and hold units accountable, such as the DEIB dashboard, which aligns with recommendations previously made by both the Penn State Faculty Senate and the former Select Presidential Commission on Racism, Bias and Community Safety.

“If we’re not going to be a place where everyone can bring their full selves to work and really feel that sense of belonging and achieve all that they’re capable of doing, we will not be able to accomplish any of these goals,” Bendapudi said.

Recognizing the faculty’s role in achieving academic excellence, Bendapudi highlighted Penn State’s No. 1 ranking as the country’s top producer of Fulbright Scholars in 2022, tied with the University of Arizona, with 17 scholars. “That speaks so highly of our faculty, staff, and certainly of the global impact that we have,” she said.

Bendapudi also provided updates on searches underway for key administrators, including the provost, dean of the College of Medicine, general counsel and vice president for Student Affairs.

Penn State Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Justin Schwartz also addressed the senate and shared an update about the task force charged with establishing a visitor code of conduct for the University. Schwartz introduced this idea at the Dec. 6 Faculty Senate meeting to set behavioral expectations for those who visit Penn State campuses.

The task force has been organized into three working groups, Schwartz said, to tackle developing recommendations for a code of conduct and related processes for responding to instances of misconduct on University campuses by individuals who are not members of the Penn State community. Chaired by Patrick Mather, dean of the Schreyer Honors College, the task force is focusing on benchmarking, template design and policy coordination, with consideration related to communicating and using the code, enforcement, and freedom of speech and expression. A policy draft is expected by May 1, according to Schwartz.

In addition, as part of the new budget model process, Schwartz said his office has received and is processing requests from deans for additional resources for their departments.

Senate calendar change

The senate passed a revision to its standing rules to begin the elective year on July 1 and end on June 30 the following year. This change, recommended by the Senate Self-Study Committee and Senate Committee on Committees and Rules, extends the governing body’s active term an additional two months through the summer.

Under these updated rules of procedure, new members of the senate will be convened and assigned to committees at the June 30 meeting and may begin their new committee work as soon as July 1. This revision better aligns the senate calendar with the University’s fiscal year and the timing of faculty appointments. It is intended to help the senate to do its work better and more efficiently throughout the year.

Student sustainability survey results

The senate reviewed the results of the student sustainability survey from the Committee on Student Life and passed related recommendations. The 38-question survey was launched in August 2022 and remained open through November, receiving 1,315 responses.

The results show that the majority of the respondents identified climate change as a top University priority and support recycling programs and sustainability-related courses.

The majority of students also agree with Penn State’s initiative to reduce carbon emissions by 100% by 2035, which has been identified as a priority by Penn State’s president and is underway through the work of the Penn State Carbon Emissions Taskforce.

Based on the findings of the survey, the senate passed a recommendation for Penn State to develop a University-wide Sustainability Literacy Assessment, engage students in sustainability in the classroom and to support an integrated approach to sustainability education in the curriculum. The recommendations will be shared with University administration for its consideration.

Other business

The senate held conversation around faculty concerns related to Penn State’s switch to Highmark for medical and prescription benefits. Jennifer Wilkes, vice president for Human Resources, and Jill Musser, senior director for employee benefits, answered questions and addressed concerns. Musser and Wilkes encouraged any employee experiencing challenges to email benefits@psu.edu or contact HR Services at 814-865-1473.

The senate also:

• Heard an annual update on the general education curriculum and passed changes to the way it reevaluates and recertifies those courses. Instead of going through the process every five years, the senate voted to only undergo a university-wide recertification process when there are substantial changes in the criteria and learning objectives for general education. Faculty were encouraged to regularly review and update their course content.
   
• Passed a revision to its standing rules to include that the Academic Trustee, if not already an elected senator, be included in the University Faculty Senate membership as an ex officio member.
   
• Held discussion on including teaching and clinical faculty in its sabbatical leave policy. Comments from faculty leaned mostly in favor of extending the benefit of paid sabbatical leave to nontenure-line faculty, with some concern about how that change could be perceived as devaluing the benefits of tenure and the cost of covering courses for more faculty members on sabbatical.
   
• Passed recommendations on how to strengthen University resources for students whose primary language is not English. These include additional writing oversight and instructions for graduate students, developing systematic and constructive support constructive for graduate-level writing and speaking and providing resources for faculty who teach and advise students who use English as an additional language.
   
• Heard updates from the Committee on Faculty Benefits about the University’s childcare services and related research, including how the care centers have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and employment market challenges.
   
• Heard reports on the process for initiating and implementing new curriculum proposals and on Penn State Outreach programs and initiatives.

The senate’s next meeting will be held at 1:30 p.m. on March 28 in a hybrid format in 102 Kern Building and via Zoom.