UNIVERSITY PARK – Faculty Senate voted during its Oct. 15 meeting to extend test-optional admissions to fall 2026, while delaying a vote to revise the admissions policy to the November meeting in order to conduct more research on implementation. The senate also passed a positional statement on multiyear contracts and discussed potential changes to the senate’s representation model.  

Test-optional admissions 

After discussion, the senate voted to postpone a vote on a legislative report that would strike the words “standardized test scores” from the senate policy on undergraduate admissions (Senate Policy 05-80), while also voting to extend test-optional admissions to fall 2026. This means prospective students who apply to Penn State in baccalaureate or associate degree programs are not required to include standardized test scores in their applications when enrolling through academic year 2026.  

Consistent with peer institutions across the country, Penn State suspended the requirement for applicants to include standardized test scores in their application materials and implemented test-optional admissions programs in response to limited availability of SAT and ACT tests during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Originally intended as a one-year response, the pilot program was extended in January 2021 as the pandemic’s impact on high school learning and test availability increased.  

To implement the test-optional pilot program, the Undergraduate Admissions Office (UAO) created review processes for those with, and without, standardized test scores. For students who opt not to submit test scores, Penn State looks at the student’s academic record in high school, with special focus on the academic areas that relate to their intended major. For students who have not declared a major, the admissions team looks at the student’s overall academic performance in high school. 

Since 2020, Penn State has seen a significant increase in applications from students from all backgrounds, according to the UAO. The more flexible testing policy has allowed the University to maintain the academic profile of entering classes, while also ensuring a mission-based financial and demographic mix. Additional benefits the UAO identified of continuing the program include demonstrating commitment to providing access to high-achieving students from all backgrounds and access and fairness to a diverse range of applicants and keeping in alignment with many of Penn State’s peer institutions, which are electing to remain test optional. 

The Senate Committee on Admissions, Records, Scheduling, and Student Aid (ARSSA) voted in February 2023 to extend the pilot through Fall 2025 to allow more time to conduct research, refine the EI models and better understand the benefits of the program. Having refined the data analysis process and examined the program benefits, ARSSA made a recommendation during the Oct. 15 meeting to remove “standardized test scores” from the one senate policy on admissions where it is mentioned.  

During the discussion, several senators requested more time to research the reasons behind the observed differences in success rates, the implications of codifying the temporary program into policy and different methods of implementation. Suggestions were made that there could be some exceptions to the policy for certain majors or colleges. One senator also mentioned examining how whether or not a student submits standardized test scores impacts their employment prospects. 

The motion to extend the test-optional admissions program another year was made in order to allow Undergraduate Admissions to answer questions from the 2026 students, who will be eligible to apply in August. Should the senate vote to codify the policy in November, it would be implemented by the Administrative Council on Undergraduate Education (ACUE). 

Resolution on multiyear contracts 

The senate voted to pass a nonbinding resolution advocating for the restoration of multiyear contracts for nontenure-line faculty at the Commonwealth Campuses. 

According to the positional report, submitted by Julio Palma, assistant professor of chemistry at Penn State Fayette, faculty at the University College campuses were told earlier this year that reappointments would be limited to up-to one-year terms, regardless of rank. The report contends that this action is at odds with revisions Faulty Senate passed in 2018 to AC21 Definition of Academic Ranks.  

Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Kathy Bieschke said she does not believe AC21 is being violated under her interpretation of the policy, as the policy was designed to be flexible for administrators and did not guarantee multiyear contracts upon promotion.  

Senators who spoke during the discussion were largely in agreement that multiyear contracts add a layer of security for faculty members. Many took issue with there being a “blanket ban” on multiyear contracts rather than an approach that made it clear that consideration was given to each position. A line was added to the resolution, calling on the University administration to address how units should consider multiyear contracts. 

Senate representation model 

Faculty Senate voted to postpone debate and a vote on whether to continue using a fixed-size model or return to a proportional representation model to its November meeting. Keith Shapiro, associate professor of art and chair of the Senate Self Study Special Committee on the Faculty Senate Representation Model, gave an overview of both models. 

The senate previously operated under a proportional model until voting in January 2011 to fix its size at 200. This decision was driven by room constraints at 112 Kern Building, where the senate holds its plenary meetings. Since that time, the electorate has grown, and the senate now allows its members to attend meetings via Zoom and in person.  

Given these developments, Shapiro asked senators on behalf of the special committee to speak with their constituents about both models and receive input ahead of the November meeting. Once the senate votes on a model, Shapiro said the next step would be to determine the appropriate size of the senate in that model and to modify the governing documents to align with the changes. 

Senators briefly discussed the benefits and constraints of each model.  

While several senators agreed that physical meeting space was no longer a relevant constraint, some raised concern about how smaller campuses and units would be represented in a proportional model. Some also expressed concerns that there are currently too few senators to fulfill the senate’s committee requirements.  

Health benefits discussion 

Senior Director of Benefits Jill Musser attended this month’s meeting to discuss and answer questions about Penn State’s 2025 benefits open enrollment, which begins Nov. 1.  

Penn State previously announced changes to the health care benefit for 2025, including adding a third medical plan option – the Lion Advantage Flex plan – and options for pet, legal and identity protection insurance. Employees also will see increases in their health care contributions in 2025 due to ongoing rising costs. 

“The big question is, why are our health care costs continuing to rise? We went through COVID, where we had less utilization, provider offices were closed and they were not seeing patients on a routine basis,” Musser said. “Since 2022, costs have rebounded and then some for every employer across the country. What contributes to some of that is provider rate increases due to factors such as worker shortage and burnout and rising supply and labor costs, hospital consolidations and more high-cost claimants.” 

All employees can estimate their monthly premiums for 2025 for each plan type and coverage tier by downloading Penn State Human Resources’ health care payroll contribution calculator. A chart of the plan design, including deductible, coinsurance and out-of-pocket costs, is available for review. 

Musser highlighted the new identity and protection benefits being offered this year, which can be extended to cover spouses, children of any age regardless of where they reside, any individuals living in the benefit recipient’s household, parents and parents-in-law and grandparents.  

Benefits open enrollment will run Nov. 1-15, and employees will receive an email on Nov. 1 with instructions on how to make their 2025 benefits elections. Musser encouraged employees to take advantage of the Benefits Mentor tool available in Workday to help compare plans and figure out which one might work best for them and their families.  

The Penn State Employee Benefits team will also conduct live educational webinars through November to review all benefits options and answer any open enrollment questions from employees. The webinar schedule is available on the 2025 benefits open enrollment website. 

Committee reports 

Committees tasked with working in tandem with University leaders on various initiatives also reported on their progress:     

• The Senate Committees on Curricular Affairs, Education and Intra-University Relations encouraged faculty to keep up to date on developments with the Academic Portfolio and Program Review (APPR) by signing up to receive the monthly newsletter and attending the next scheduled Insight Session from noon-1:30 p.m. Oct. 31 on Zoom. 

• Jim Strauss, teaching professor of biology and chair of the University Planning Committee, encouraged faculty members to visit Penn State’s strategic plan website at strategicplan.psu.edu to review and provide feedback on the initial draft. “We are all stakeholders, so I expect you to all do your due diligence and fill out a survey,” he said. He also said his committee received information about the potential for optimized finance teams at the Commonwealth Campuses and that more information should be available to share soon.  

• Admission, Records, Scheduling and Student Aid and Education reported on the progress of implementing blended learning programs across campuses. Victor Brunsden, associate professor of mathematics at Penn State Altoona and chair of the Education Committee, said the committees are working on developing a plan for potentially implementing the Energy Sustainability Policy (ESP) program across campuses.  

• A motion made on behalf of the Education, Educational Equity and Campus Environment, and Student Life committees to remove updates on the restructuring of the Faculty Affairs and Undergraduate Education offices from future reporting was passed, as the initiative is complete.  

• Educational Equity and Campus Environment reported no updates on the status of the Vice President for Inclusive Excellence. 

• Faculty Benefits reported continued meetings with Human Resources leadership regarding health insurance benefits and retirement plans.  

• Faculty Affairs had no updates on the status of non-tenure-line contracts at Commonwealth Campuses but said conversations are ongoing. 

Updates from University leadership 

Interim Vice President and Provost Tracy Langkilde spoke about how the strategic planning process, Academic Portfolio and Program Review (APPR), Future State initiatives, new budget allocation model and capital campaign are all interconnected in shaping the future vision of the University and the importance of senate’s engagement in those initiatives. 

Echoing the words of University Planning Committee Chair Strauss from earlier in the meeting, Langkilde encouraged everyone to participate in the strategic planning process. In particular, the working group is looking for feedback on strategies for achieving and measuring student success, growing interdisciplinary research excellence, fostering Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) and increasing the Land-Grant impact. 

“We intentionally put out a very imperfect skeleton draft and we need all of you to give input,” Langkilde said. “Please don't feel limited by what is currently drafted. It is up there to give you something to react to. Your input is valued, welcomed and critical in shaping this into Penn State’s strategic plan.” 

Langkilde also talked about the results of the recent audit by U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), which identified 65 out of 13,811 women working at University Park as faculty or staff during the 2020-2021 time period as being underpaid relative to similarly situated men. The government found no pay equity issues were found in respect to race or ethnicity. Penn State is in the process of taking corrective action, having entered into a $703,742 conciliation agreement with the OFCCP to be allocated among the 65 women.  

Langkilde clarified that the scope of the audit, process and remediation were all determined and run by the U.S. Department of Labor. She did not know whether a similar audit was planned for the Commonwealth Campuses.  

A couple senators asked for clarification on a situation last month where newsstands containing copies of the Daily Collegian, Penn State’s independent, student-run news outlet, were temporarily removed from their locations on campus. Langkilde said that advertisements attached to the newsstands, not within the newspapers, violated University policies AD27 Commercial Sales Activities at University Locations and AD02 Non-University Groups Using University Facilities, prompting the removal. 

Other Senate Business 

Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Bieschke presented a report prepared by the Standing Advisory Committee for Assessment of Teaching Effectiveness on updates on the implementation of the new Faculty Teaching Assessment Framework. The new framework was developed through a series of University Faculty Senate reports in 2021 and 2023, with the intent of creating a more holistic framework for evaluating faculty teaching performance while minimizing bias. 

The Student Educational Experience Questionnaire (SEEQ), which replaced the end-of-course Student Rating of Teaching Effectiveness (SRTE), was implemented in fall 2023. In response to faculty requests, the offering period for the SEEQs was shortened to two weeks (weeks 13-14 in the semester rather than the originally proposed weeks 12-14). The Midsemester Student Educational Experience Questionnaire (MSEEQ) was just administered to students across the University after a pilot administration during the summer.   

“In the past year, I would say the committee focused quite a bit on implementation of what was recommended,” Bieschke said. “The whole goal of the committee, and this is very evident in that participation is a more holistic, consistent approach to assessing teaching effectiveness, that also minimizes bias. We are working on issues that are emerging and will be able to make changes as we go.” 

The senate also heard informational reports on: 

• Identifying the reasons why faculty leave Penn State, which focused on the faculty exit survey program administered by the Office of Faculty Affairs and OPAIR. Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Abby Diehl said the survey responses have been valuable in identifying patterns and issues to address.  

•  Tenure rates for faculty who began their careers in 2016. Bieschke called out the important role stays of tenure and the extension of the probationary period due to COVID played in fostering faculty success. As the report didn’t capture what happened in the past year, Bieschke added that the University Promotion and Tenure Committee reviewed 211 cases, recommending 209 for promotion to associate, full or tenure.  

• The new PSUbuy Purchasing Platform, which is set to replace Shop OnLion as the University’s internal purchasing system, is set to launch Nov. 12. Web-based training sessions are now available through the Learning Resources Network. Shoppers will be required to complete a live or web-based training session before receiving access to the new platform. 

• The Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) report on Sustainability, which was presented by Associate Director for Sustainability Krista Bailey. The report details how Penn State compares with other colleges and universities with metrics such as academics, engagement, air and climate, buildings, energy, food and dining, waste, water, investments, and administration. 

The next meeting of the Faculty Senate will be held at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 19 in 112 Kern Building on the University Park campus and on Zoom.  

About Faculty Senate   

Faculty Senate is a legislative body comprised of 200 faculty, elected by their peers from each college and campus. The senate also includes representatives from the undergraduate and graduate student body and University administration. The senate holds legislative authority on educational matters including curriculum, student policies, admissions, and retention/graduation requirements. The senate also serves as an advisory and consultative body to the University administration, a process referred to as shared governance.