It is hard to believe that we are almost done with 2019. Where has the time gone? Just yesterday we were giving high fives to new students filing out of the theater with their eyes wide with a little mix of fear and excitement. A lot has happened since then.
First, we all know the challenges continue to mount as the University faces new budget realities and numbers of graduating seniors in Pennsylvania continue to decline. The year 2026 is predicted to be the first year of a big drop in Pennsylvania high school seniors (https://whyy.org/articles/pennsylvania-colleges-face-steep-enrollment-declines-in-2026/) from which enrollments are not supposed to recover. A lot of schools, including our sister campuses, know this and are working to find ways to establish themselves¹. We've already been working on what our niche can be, and I personally believe this is now a new target date for realizing the benefits of the Nextovation™ initiative we have started to create.
Over the past several years, I have been telling you that our work in New Kensington is being undertaken to provide this campus and all of our programs with a distinctive niche that, if integrated and marketed correctly, will help bring students to our campus because of the educational experience it brings to all majors. It is also being undertaken to distinguish us in the Penn State system for the way in which we are helping Penn State fulfill its land grant mission. I am delighted to tell you that we have made tremendous progress on both fronts.
By the time we return from winter break, we expect to make an announcement regarding funding for the building of a unique, state-of-the-art Digital Innovation Lab (DI Lab) in New Kensington. The plan is that the Economic Growth Connection of Westmoreland will own the building, and we will receive funding to operate the lab. In less than 18 months, we will be able to offer our students learning experiences and career opportunities that few can match.
Revenue will be driven through corporate, business and industry memberships, as well as Industry 4.0-related training. The DI Lab will also have a focus on the building of digital twins of existing assets.
While helping local business and industry get attached to the digital age is important, it is the opportunities that these efforts will bring to you and our students that is most exciting. Current and future relationships with business and industry will create meaningful internship and employment opportunities, while also strengthening the unique skill sets employers say they are looking for from all majors. Also, programming, exposure to new technologies and professional networking will help all students, regardless of major, be competitive and ready for their futures. We have also begun expanding and creating relationships with businesses in health, communications and the public sector that can lead to unique experiential learning class projects, internships, research and networking for students of all majors.
While we are trying to explore new initiatives, the University is also looking to find efficiencies and streamline budgets. We need to be creative and innovative and use the same skill sets (creative thinking, adaptability, collaboration, etc.) we also teach to our students.
Receding budgets and declining enrollment pools are not new concepts to Penn State. What is different is the breadth and depth of the impact on Penn State overall and almost every college and university in this state.
In this environment, campuses must distinguish themselves within Penn State to continue to attract resources, as well new ones, to gain a competitive edge in recruitment.
I believe our students are entering a different working world in the digital age, and we have a responsibility to prepare them for it. I also believe that as a public institution, we have a responsibility and a vested interest in doing what we can to attach our local area to the digital age so they not left behind. If the new digital lab does attract the funding we are anticipating, we will be able to serve both goals at a level well we would never be able to afford otherwise. Also, in doing so, it is my hope we can do it in a way that benefits all of our faculty and staff in their efforts to conduct research and provide meaningful learning experiences for their students.
We will be asking interested faculty and staff to serve on the digital lab implementation committee once funding is secured so that the lab and related initiatives can match the vision and goals of our academic programs, preparing our students for the future and campus growth.
-- Kevin
P.S. - Our campus has new technologies and opportunities that can help you brainstorm for creating unique class projects and experiences with companies and industry, as well as enhance club or student activities. Some of these were highlighted at the recent Technology Showcase. Take a look at the end of this newsletter to see what is available to you and our students now!
New Kensington Campus Continues to be Featured
Penn State Office of Government and Community Relations Visits PSNK
New Kensington Featured at Board of Trustees Meeting
In addition to the Government and Community Relations visit, New Kensington was once again asked to be featured at another University-wide meeting. Members of the University Board of Trustees heard about how we have leveraged our innovation hub, The Corner, and extended our work in the community to revitalize an transform an area, as well as provide students with new and unique opportunities. We were the only campus featured at this meeting, and one of only three presentations given.
Nextovation™ and Updates from The Corner
Since the beginning of the semester, the campus has been hosting Nextovation™ Conversations and Spark Sessions on campus during Common Hour to bring awareness to topics related to the fourth industrial revolution and digital age. It has been great to see many faculty, staff and students at these sessions. These opportunities, and others, will continue in the Spring semester. Keep an eye out for emails from Rhonda, our innovation coordinator, and on social media through our campus Facebook page's events to see what topics, speakers and other interactive sessions will be planned for you and our students.
Applications for the next Corner Launchbox Opportunity Accelerator are being accepted. This free, 10-week program is available for anyone (including faculty, staff and students) to take a startup idea through testing and work toward becoming a successful business or opportunity. It can be completed as teams or individuals. Participating in the program also opens the potential for up to $3,000 in funding for qualified teams to complete customer discovery of their idea. This is a great way for students to strengthen their innovative mindset!
Innovative Resources for Penn Staters
If you didn't get a chance to attend last month's Technology Showcase, you can still learn more about the great new technology and resources available to Penn State faculty, staff and students.
- Virtual Reality (VR): Did you know our campus has VR headsets and a 360 camera available for borrowing through the campus library? Classes can use the headsets to view a variety of already created experiences through Media Common's Immersive Experiences Library. This is a great way to introduce concepts, travel the world, or try to implement new technology - all without leaving the classroom.
- 360-degree video: The campus has 360-degree cameras that Penn Staters can borrow from the library to create their own 360-degree videos or panoramic photos. Media Commons provides tutorials on how to use the cameras, as well as workshops and other resources about digital storytelling. Classes can work on creating videos for projects using resources found right here on campus.
- Maker Commons (3D Printing): Did you know that you can find or submit files to be 3D printed and returned to you right here on campus? Check out the options available through Maker Commons at Penn State.
- 3D Scanning: The University now has an Artec Eva scanner and turntable, which will scan small objects and create a digital replication and model of it. You can send objects via University mail to have scanned and returned to you, while receiving your digital files online. They are still testing the technology, and they are also looking for faculty who are interested in scanning materials for teaching and research.
Use Cases of New Technology
“Christina Galbiati, a graphic design lecturer at Penn State Lehigh Valley, teaches an introductory, general education course instead of a senior design project. Yet she shares goals of preparing her students with critical-thinking and 21st-century technology skills. She and her students also get to utilize Maker Commons’ state-of-the-art 3D printers. Galbiati added that 'prospective employers are requesting both organic, 'out-of-the-box' thinking that drives innovation along with 21st-century technology skills, and 3D printing projects are a practical way to develop these skills in tandem.” Read the full article below!
Are you using technology in your classes, clubs or other activities on campus? We want to hear about and feature it! Email Corinne at crc26@psu.edu.
New Initiatives & Upcoming Projects
Student Professional Development Series
As you may have heard, our own Jim Shields is leading an effort with our staff and campus Advisory Board to develop a more robust professional development program for our student workers. Just as we're hearing from industry throughout our Nextovation initiative, we are experiencing first-hand the need the need to strengthen soft skills and professionalism in our students while they work on campus. It is our hope that we can develop something that raises expectations and provides students with learning experiences on campus before they represent themselves and us in internships and in the future workforce.
We’re starting this pilot programming with student workers, but any student can attend the professional development sessions we intend on holding throughout the year. Once the program has been developed and piloted, our academic programs can encourage their students to attend programming before they enter internships or employment in the field. Jim held a lunch program in October and is planning out follow-up sessions for the spring semester.
In the meantime, you can keep an eye out for these sessions, as well as tell your students to save the date for our annual Leader Launch professional development half-day conference on February 7. Any PSNK student or recent graduate can attend, and it's a great way to learn about workplace and professional topics, network with alumni and attend a professional networking dinner.
Faculty and staff interested in this program and how it can benefit your students should contact Jim at xjs8@psu.edu.
Strategic Planning Update
Our campus isn’t the only one moving at a rapid pace and looking to the future. The University is embarking on its One Penn State 2025 initiative, implementing new systems that increase accountability, exploring new budget models, reviewing consultant reports, and delving into initiatives related to technology, enrollment declines, and mission. However, they all share the common foundation of looking to a future that we can’t predict, which is stimulating a lot of conversations and change at a pace we have never really been accustomed to in higher education.
This spring, the University is directing us to be actively engaged in a new strategic planning process for the campus. This call couldn’t come at a better time. What we do in the next two to three years as a campus will likely affect all of us in one way or another, so we need to come together to gain a common understanding of what that entails and create shared vision and goals. We are currently looking for a time where many of us can come together to begin learning about the process, start thinking creatively and looking at our campus now, while collaboratively getting excited about what the future can hold.
Stay tuned for information about the start of the process, and we hope you'll join us each step of the way as partners learning from each other.
PSNK Students named national USCAA Division II Student-Athletes of the Year
Penn State New Kensington has added two more national student-athletes of the year to its athletics honors. The campus now boasts three United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Division II student-athletes of the year in as many years with the inclusion of Kaylea Flick and Benjamin Midlik as honorees this fall in volleyball and soccer respectively. They join Daniele Smith, who received the title for golf in 2017.
Upcoming Events
- Friday, Dec. 6 - 6 p.m. - THON Basket Bingo Bash in the Athletic Center
- Tuesday, Dec. 10 - noon to 2 p.m. - Faculty Publications, Awards, and Promotions Celebration in the Library
- Wednesday, Dec. 11 - 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. - Cram the Cruiser Toy and Supply Drive at the campus main entrance
- Saturday, Dec. 21 - 10 a.m. - Fall Commencement in the Forum Theatre
Footnotes:
1: Examples include:
- The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education(PASSHE) has implemented a plan that allows each campus to set their own tuition, streamline programming, develop new programs to meet emerging needs, and expand more aggressively into the online and non-traditional markets.
- Butler County Community College (BC3) is opening a campus in Ford City, which is located in and near our recruitment service area, and we believe it will impact our efforts in that area.
- Our sister campuses are trying different things. Beaver is recruiting athletes nationally (athletics doesn't have service areas) online. This appears to be successful. (I watched our basketball teams play the Beaver teams recently and noticed many players on their men's team were not from Pennsylvania). Greater Allegheny is offering free iPads to students. Fayette is now offering the EMET degree program, which duplicates one of our largest and popular programs. Behrend is seeking to expand graduate programming into the Pittsburgh area. Some of our sister campuses are also partnering with World Campus to increase student enrollments and access).