As Penn State looks ahead to the future, its administrators are wrestling with what it means to be a public university at a time when public support for higher education is waning. Over the past 10 years, higher education in Pennsylvania has received a 4.8 percent increase in overall funding, while the state budget itself has increased more than 36 percent and basic education has seen a rise of almost 49 percent in that same time period. At the same time, higher education is losing ground in the court of public opinion, as many Americans are skeptical about whether colleges and universities are doing all they can to control costs and keep tuition affordable. Given this scenario, Penn State Provost Rod Erickson said the University cannot continue with "business as usual."
The annual Road Scholars spring tour for Penn State faculty, hosted by President Graham Spanier, is accepting reservations for its May 10-12 trip across southeastern Pennsylvania. The tour offers new and newly tenured faculty several dynamic opportunities to learn about Penn State and Pennsylvania as they travel to several University campuses and tour businesses and popular historic sites. In addition, the tour provides an excellent opportunity for faculty to establish relationships with colleagues across the University, while the itinerary connects them with Penn Staters and residents of the Commonwealth.
The annual Road Scholars spring tour for Penn State faculty, hosted by President Graham Spanier, is accepting reservations for its May 10-12 trip across southeastern Pennsylvania. The tour offers new and newly tenured faculty several dynamic opportunities to learn about Penn State and Pennsylvania as they travel to several University campuses and tour businesses and popular historic sites. In addition, the tour provides an excellent opportunity for faculty to establish relationships with colleagues across the University, while the itinerary connects them with Penn Staters and residents of the Commonwealth.
It has been 28 years since the first case reports of individuals with a newly recognized immunodeficiency disorder called AIDS were described. Soon thereafter the viral cause of AIDS, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), was discovered. This discovery led to the development of tests that could quickly and accurately diagnose HIV infection. We then began to watch as the epidemic spread not only in the United States and other developed nations, but to a much greater extent in the developing world, particularly on the African continent where the combination of a deadly infection coupled with an often non-existent health care infrastructure resulted in untold misery and hardship, says the newest edition of The Medical Minute, a service of the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
It has been 28 years since the first case reports of individuals with a newly recognized immunodeficiency disorder called AIDS were described. Soon thereafter the viral cause of AIDS, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), was discovered. This discovery led to the development of tests that could quickly and accurately diagnose HIV infection. We then began to watch as the epidemic spread not only in the United States and other developed nations, but to a much greater extent in the developing world, particularly on the African continent where the combination of a deadly infection coupled with an often non-existent health care infrastructure resulted in untold misery and hardship, says the newest edition of The Medical Minute, a service of the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental disorders marked by impaired social interactions, restricted interests, repetitive behaviors, and communication impairment, which persist throughout a person's lifetime. The ASD prevalence rate--the number of individuals diagnosed with autism--has been steadily increasing over time. A new report from the U.S. Department of Health's Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), based on a phone survey of over 78,000 families, set the prevalence rate at nearly one in 91 children. This is an increase from the prior statistic of one in 150 children reported in 2007 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says The Medical Minute, a service of the Penn State Hershey Medical Center.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental disorders marked by impaired social interactions, restricted interests, repetitive behaviors, and communication impairment, which persist throughout a person's lifetime. The ASD prevalence rate--the number of individuals diagnosed with autism--has been steadily increasing over time. A new report from the U.S. Department of Health's Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), based on a phone survey of over 78,000 families, set the prevalence rate at nearly one in 91 children. This is an increase from the prior statistic of one in 150 children reported in 2007 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says The Medical Minute, a service of the Penn State Hershey Medical Center.
Penn State has just introduced its third annual series of faculty trading cards, and already they're on their way to becoming collectors' items, having been requested for the archives of the Trading Card Museum, a popular Web site built by and for trading card enthusiasts, artists, dealers and producers. This year's set follows the pattern of the 2007 and 2008 sets by profiling 10 contemporary and historical Penn State faculty who have earned distinction through their research and scholarly activities.
Penn State has just introduced its third annual series of faculty trading cards, and already they're on their way to becoming collectors' items, having been requested for the archives of the Trading Card Museum, a popular Web site built by and for trading card enthusiasts, artists, dealers and producers. This year's set follows the pattern of the 2007 and 2008 sets by profiling 10 contemporary and historical Penn State faculty who have earned distinction through their research and scholarly activities.
In a letter to the University community, Penn State President Graham Spanier explains the current budget situation at Penn State, the difficult decisions being made related to costs and the reasons behind recent actions taken by the administration and Board of Trustees.