Penn State University - La Vie Yearbook (University Park, PA)

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Dr. John W. Oswald has been president of the Penn State University for five years. Some feel the adminis- trative duties and responsibilities involved in running a university the size of Penn State, with its 50,000 stu- dents and 18 branch campuses, sometimes seem to overshadow Oswald's involvement with individual stu- dents' concerns. This past September President Oswald announced a six-point program to improve communications be- tween himself and the University students. The plan cited the creation of two more student advisory boards, appearances by Oswald at student organiza- tions' meetings, messages in the Daily Collegian, and press conferences with the local media as its goals. Concerning his six-point program, Oswald said, “Some feel that relations between Old Main and stu- dents will always be somewhat adversary, inherent in all similar collegiate settings. This may be true, but I am determined to minimize this as much as possible .. Strenuous as the responsibilities are, I like being at Penn State and I like the opportunity of serving as your president to work toward the goals of excellence to which we are all committed. During the La Vie interview, Oswald demonstrated his willingness to communicate with the students of Penn State by commenting on some of the more controversial campus issues of the past year. One of those issues was the 1975-76 tuition increase and START-UP, the students' letter writing campaign. Each state has, in contrast to the federal govern- ment, to come up with a balanced budget. They do not have the luxury of having a deficit. As the costs of a state's programs increase, the choice must be made between cutting back at a certain level or raising taxes. When I talked to the state legislators, I detected no antagonism towards the students, as there was five to eight years ago during the student revolts. Instead, I detected a realism. Faced with the decision of having to allow tuition to go up some in state institutions as contrasted to raising taxes, particularly in a year when the federal government is lowering taxes, it's a very difficult decision to make. The inclination on the part of many legislators is to avoid a tax increase. I think for the students to exercise their rights as citizens to communicate more constructively is an appropriate thing, Oswald was eager to clear up the misconception about his decision to enforce a six-day exam period. Many students were upset that the administration did not consult the student body about the implementa- tion of the extended exam period. Oswald said, The six-day exam period is really the prerogative of the Senate. The Senate has the authority over the approval of courses, curricula, rules relating to drop-adds, pass fail, and, in a similar way, rules relating to a final examination period. What the Senate did was to ask me to devise a calendar which would accom- modate the provision of finals tor every student. I've been criticized, I know, by some students for not seeking student advice before implementing the plan. I put this decision in the same category as if, let's say, the math department decides on a new course and the Senate approves it. I'm not going to seek anyone's advice before offering the course. Oswald had the following to say about grade inflation, First of all, it exists, there's no question about that. I am not at all convinced that it is a reflection of poor instruction or poor attention to grading. I think students are better prepared in high school now, much better prepared. There has also been some tendency in the last several years, although I think this is changing, to pay less attention to grades; to talk more about pass-fail and these kinds of ap- proaches than direct grades. I think what's recently caused a heavy pressure on grades is the great emphasis on professional schools, law schools and medical schools. I've said to the faculty that I think it's very important for them to study this situation, try to understand what factors are operating, and if there are factors that are leading in the direction of a lower quality of education, they ought to take steps to correct them. Another issue, although less controversial, which was Penn State's plans for celebrating our nation's Bicentennial. He said, We have a very strong Bicen- tennial commission set up for the University. They are in the process of trying to devise programs which would at the same time signify or celebrate the Bicen- tennial, but would also have a lasting benefit to the University. We are supporting some major academic confer- ences where some very distinguished people will be presenting papers in given areas. We are also promot- ing a pictoral history of Penn State and I am also trying to identify someone who will write the second volume of Penn State's history. We have two kinds of approaches towards our Bi- centennial celebration. There are some events that relate to our heritage, learning about the past and honoring it, and others that relate to horizons, the future, and the impacts of a University like this that might be different from past years. On a more general note, Oswald commented on the future direction of Penn State. Penn State has been an institution that is very responsive to providing educational opportunities over the years. Through the fifties and sixties we have developed some 18 two-year campuses around the state providing opportunities for literally thousands of students who never would have been able to go to college otherwise. I think as a land grant institution we will continue to provide this kind of an opportunity. But, with the falling birth rate, ten years from now, in Pennsylvania, there will be 25% fewer high school graduates, and that is a very, very large reduction. Therefore, there will be less pressure in our institutions for educational opportunities for what we call the traditional college student, the 18-22 year old. There's going to be more opportunity for Penn State to become even more responsive to adults coming back to school to take programs of less that traditional length, night school programs, for example. I see the University becoming much more respon- sive because we're going to have more time and facilities for what we might call adult or continuing education. LA VIE interview by: Cindy Mikula and Deb Masten 21

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PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY JOHN W. OSWALD President Recognizes Student Concerns 20 EDITORS' NOTE: We wish to thank President Oswald for so graciously consenting to an extemporaneous interview.

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COLLEGE DEANS Within its ten colleges, Penn State offers a wide variety of majors and programs, which lead to a Bach- elor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Architecture, Bachelor of Architectural En- gineering, or Bachelor of Philosophy degree. The college of Agriculture, headed by Dean lames M. Beattie, deals with educating its students and re- searching programs dealing with the proper utilization of land and water resources for the production of crops, livestock, and forest products. The College meets the demand for animal and plant specialists, conservationists, food technologists, and other agricul- tural professionals through a wide range of majors within the College. The students enrolled in the College of Arts and Archi- tecture, under the supervision of Dean Walter H. Wal- ters, may prepare for a professional career in architec- ture, art history, art, music or theatre arts. The various programs and majors within the College are supported by off-campus trips, campus visits by distinguished leaders in the arts, and the rich resources of the University. Dean Eugene Kelley is the top man in the College of Business Administration. The College provides instruc- tion in the fields of business, economics, commerce, and industry. Scholastic standards are set high in the College and training is designed to produce competent business leaders who are fully aware of their social responsibilities in the nation's economic system The programs in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, under Dean Charles L. Hosier, are aimed at increasing the fundamental understanding of the earth and its environments, by embracing such subject areas as earth science, geography, geological sciences, and meteorology. Dean Henry Hermanowicz heads the College of Education, which is a professional school established to conduct and coordinate programs for the prepara- tion of teachers and educational specialists. The Col- lege is accredited by the National Council for Accred- itation of Teacher Education for the preparation of elementary and secondary teachers and school service