Chancellor Ron Darbeau shares ‘Vision 2030’ for Penn State Altoona

July 19, 2024

ALTOONA, Pa. - Penn State Altoona Chancellor Ron Darbeau shared the college's "Vision 2030," a comprehensive plan for the campus by the decade's end, during the University's Board of Trustees meeting today (July 19) at Penn State Altoona.

"Our approach to promoting the viability and success of Penn State Altoona must focus on increasing campus vitality and enrollment while simultaneously - through measured frugality - strategically reinvesting savings toward areas where significant growth opportunities exist," Darbeau said. "In alignment with President Neeli Bendapudi's vision for Penn State and after consultation with the full range of stakeholders at Penn State Altoona, our leadership team has developed a comprehensive plan for the college with a target of 2030."

Penn State Altoona's "Vision 2030" includes three fundamental tenets: raising enrollment to between 3,250 and 3,500 students, enhancing campus diversity, and fundraising to support initiatives and create viable enrollment pipelines. Some highlighted tactics for achieving these tenets include:

Enhance Existing Academic Programs

Penn State Altoona has cultivated an array of engineering majors and is well-positioned to continue building on its success by increasing enrollments in existing programs, which include Mechanical Engineering, Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology, and Rail Transportation Engineering - the only degree of its kind in the nation. The college will explore opportunities for timely programs that meet student needs and market demand. Engineering remains one of the three most sought-after baccalaureate programs both domestically and internationally. It is, therefore, one of the program areas identified for significant growth.

Penn State Altoona's Nursing programs boast impressive outcomes, not the least of which is the recent 100% NCLEX-RN pass rate for the Second Degree (SCND) cohort. As the demand for nurses is projected to remain strong, the college will work to expand the current program by adding a spring cohort in 2025. Additionally, we will establish an accelerated general nursing option. These proposals require the addition of faculty and support staff as well as infrastructure build-out and expanded space for classrooms, labs, and offices.

Increase International Enrollment

During fall 2023, Penn State Altoona enrolled 121 international students, representing only 4.7% of the overall student population. Through ongoing efforts, including collaborations with Indian and Chinese universities, the campus intends to raise its international enrollment to between 350 to 400 students or roughly 10% of its projected enrollment.

Strategically Enhance Athletics

Student-athletes comprise approximately 10% of the enrollment at Penn State Altoona. Athletics will help increase enrollment, diversity and campus vitality. To these ends, the college will strategically introduce select sports over the next seven years. This begins with the addition of sports that require little or no infrastructure commitment, while fundraising to build out the requisite facilities for the other sports the campus intends to add.

In fall 2024, Penn State Altoona will reintroduce men's wrestling and launch programs in women's wrestling and women's golf, for which there is an anticipated enrollment bump of 45-60 students. Fall 2025 will see the advent of men's and women's cross country. Fall 2026 will be the launch of men's and women's track and field programs. Future potential additions to the athletics array include field hockey and lacrosse. The college's ultimate goal is to increase the number of student-athletes by 300 to 350 while still providing playing time and positive experiences for each student-athlete.

Enhance Technology-Assisted Education

Beginning fall 2024, all Penn State Altoona students will have access to technology devices appropriate for their chosen degree program through the college's Digital Equity Initiative. Through this program, students can borrow devices like laptops, iPads, tablets, and accessories for short- or long-term use.

The landmark program will not only give Penn State Altoona students access to the breadth of learning tools available on these devices but may also reduce the cost of textbooks potentially to zero as faculty work to transition largely or exclusively to e-Books and Open and Affordable Educational Resources.

Enhance Co-curricular Student Support Programs

An early success of the college's "Vision 2030" is the creation of the Student Success Center (SSC), which came online in fall 2023. Its role is to serve as a resource for students who need assistance with any issues that affect their persistence and success. The SSC serves as a one-stop shop to triage students' needs and to leverage Penn State Altoona's breadth of services in assisting them.

Enhance Campus Diversity

In summer 2023, Penn State Altoona hired an inaugural director of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB). Since then, the college has created a vital Belonging Center, with broad, robust programming for students and personnel of underrepresented minority (URM) groups. The DEIB office is also spearheading the Faculty Diversification Initiative (FDI) by cultivating partnerships with graduate programs that graduate large numbers of URM faculty by hosting their students as adjunct faculty on campus. These FDI scholars will be housed, without cost, in the college's Beech House on campus, which is currently under renovation for ADA compliance.

Fundraise to Support Initiatives and Create Viable Enrollment Pipelines

Fundraising is critical to realization of Penn State Altoona's "Vision 2030," Darbeau said. By the decade's end, the college will endeavor to raise funds to support the following initiatives:

• Expansion of engineering

• Expansion of nursing

• Support the creation of new undergraduate programs

• Support the creation of select graduate programs, particularly in social and mental health fields

• Create a robust and responsive workforce development program

• Create the Penn State Altoona Health Science Complex

• Strategic expansion of athletics

• Support for undergraduate students

• Support of faculty and staff professional development, as well as undergraduate and graduate student research and research-training