President's Report, 2020

Pre sident ’s Rep ort 2 0 20

St u dent C entered, F o rwa rd Faci ng

Indiana University of Pennsylvania

We’re charting a course for a brighter future.

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n 2020, we introduced our strategic plan for the next five years. It was a big undertaking, mapping out where we were headed as we sailed toward our sesquicentennial in 2025.

We met with more than 600 people at our university to get their feedback, and the result is a plan with one overarching objective: We must devote the time, resources, and effort necessary to make IUP a truly student-centered university.

We know it will take the efforts of every single member of the administration, faculty, and staff. But working toward this in 2020 was challenging because of previous financial and enrollment challenges compounded by a pandemic that nobody could have seen coming.

Yet we did not lose sight of the horizon. We stayed the course, because our students deserve our best, so they can be their best.

In this report, you will read examples of why I am proud to lead IUP. You will see the essence of who and what we are. You will read about students who helped each other and accomplished a lot, faculty members who found innovative and creative ways to pass on their passion and knowledge, how we persisted in making diversity and inclusion a part of the fabric of who we are, how our alumni and friends continued to show their support in record numbers, and how we are planning our next generation.

In short, it is a report of how we kept students at the center while addressing and overcoming our obstacles. I hope our passion for everything we do will be evident as you read these stories.

We don’t know what 2021 will bring, but we do know that no matter the challenge, we will rise to meet it. That’s what we do at IUP, and I couldn’t be prouder.

Michael Driscoll President

2 A Master Plan for Student Centeredness 6 Changing Gears without Changing Focus 12 A Nimbler IUP for Our Students 18 Matching Student Opportunities with Our Passions 24

Creating a Home for Everyone

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The IUP Story in Words and Numbers

A Master Plan for Student Centeredness

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n 2025, we will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the day we opened our doors and began educating students who would go on to change the world.

As we get closer to that milestone, we will be revisiting some of our history and marking our journey from a humble school for teachers to a nationally known research university that offers outstanding programming and equips its students to skillfully navigate their futures.

STUDENT CENTERED

Naturally, taking a look back has allowed us to take a look ahead, using where we have been to decide where we will be going. That’s how we arrived at our Strategic Plan for 2020-25.

In simple terms, it’s a document to guide us, to state our goals and priorities for the next five years. But it’s a more complex living, breathing entity. It’s who we are and what we do, and it’s necessary for our journey ahead.

Classroom Champions Nearly 300 student-athletes, representing roughly two-thirds of all IUP competitors, earned Dean’s List honors in the fall 2020 semester, with grade-point averages of 3.25 and higher.

Of the 299 student-athletes who achieved those honors, 100 of them had perfect 4.0 GPAs, with the women’s tennis team leading the way with half of its roster achieving the mark. Fifteen of the 17 varsity teams achieved cumulative GPAs of 3.0 or better, with men’s golf on top with a team GPA of 3.76.

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Our main goal is one that also would have been appropriate in 1875: To order all of our resources and all of our work to ensure that each student is successful—both here and after graduation.

“We respect our history and our traditions, especially as we look forward to our 150th anniversary, but we must be willing to adapt in order to ensure that our students are successful here, and in their futures,” said IUP President Michael Driscoll. “That is our overarching goal: student success.”

The plan has three themes that are critical to its success:

Recognizing that putting students first is everyone’s job, without question.

To embrace our mission as a doctoral research university and engage in the work that will help us understand our world and our role in it.

To commit to being a diverse and inclusive community in which no person feels marginalized or unwelcome.

To measure our success, the plan has seven core principles and five impact areas that will guide us. All of them will help us act, work, and live as a studentcentered university.

The Strategic Plan for 2020-25 was the result of many people across the university working together, guided by the University Planning Council. Scott Moore, of the Department of History, and Paula Stossel, from Enrollment Management, led the work.

The UPC held listening sessions to see what IUP’s roadblocks were and what the priorities should be.

In the end, more than 600 people contributed to the research. At the end of the year, the IUP Council of Trustees endorsed the plan, believing in its merit and its necessity.

600+

Number of IUP community members who helped brainstorm ideas for the strategic plan.

Now, it’s time to get to work. We’re meeting with people to install the plan and lining up resources we’ll need to put our students first.

“Even through a pandemic, we have a strategic plan that reflects the best thinking of our university community, with key themes we will use to guide IUP’s future,” Driscoll said.

We have a plan for our future. It’s based on the success we had getting to this point, but will take us light-years ahead to being a university in which student centeredness is not just part of a plan, but it’s what we are.

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STUDENT CENTERED

Three-Time Winner Khala Vines, a sophomore with a double major in international studies and Asian studies, became a three-time international scholarship winner when she was named a recipient of the David L. Boren Scholarship. This came after she won the Benjamin A. Gilman and the Freeman Award for Study in Asia scholarships. Vines, a native of Duncansville, will use the scholarships to study abroad in South Korea, when it is safe to do so.

F O R W A R D FA C I N G

Students Helping Students Two graduate students paid it forward to their peers, which shows how we take care of each other. Donald Grimes, a PhD candidate in our Nursing program, and Brian Sateriale, a student in the English/Literature and Criticism PhD program, donated their winnings from the Graduate Student Outstanding Research Award (Grimes) and the Three-Minute Thesis competition (Sateriale) to the Student Assistance Fund. The gifts totaled $600.

Changing Gears without Changing Focus

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t’s understandable that our students had a lot of questions when the pandemic started. Would classes continue? How would they be held? Will I graduate on time? What about my internship?

We did our best to give timely and complete answers, but there was no manual for us to work from, so we had to make our own plan.

“I was worried that a lot of students were not going to be able to transition to online classes, especially those of us who don’t have reliable internet connections,” said Alex Fefolt, a history/pre-law and political science double major from Indiana.

STUDENT CENTERED

Not Staying STATIC Facing a shortage of funding and staff, IUP’s Student Activity Committee (STATIC) did not fold up shop when the pandemic took hold. Instead, a team of nine undergraduate students continued to schedule programming for students using virtual technology, allowing them opportunities for entertainment away from the classroom. With three fewer full-time staffers on the executive level and $61,000 less than it had the year before, STATIC offered 40 programs in the fall semester, twice as many as it had in the fall 2019 semester.

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Farzaneh Jahangiri, a student in the Administration and Leadership Studies doctoral program who came to IUP from Iran, was concerned about how she and other international students—who were already making cultural adjustments—would adapt to having to learn online for a while.

“I used to always study in the library,” she said. “After the shutdown, I was terrified about how I would continue my education online. I was worried for all other graduate students who got separated from all these resources, especially some international students who I knew who had the same issues I did.”

We set out with the goal of keeping every student safe and on track academically.

In just 10 days, our administration, faculty, and staff worked together to move nearly all our academic offerings—more than 1,500 courses taught by almost 650 faculty members—to either an online or a hybrid learning system. It was a herculean task that involved every part of the university, but it showed our dedication to doing what is best for our students and our community.

“Students were glad that they had the chance to participate in their classes in hybrid courses, or to study completely online if they preferred,” Jahangiri said. “Graduate students I encountered mentioned they felt happy and relaxed when they realized they could keep their graduate assistantships and their supervisors were flexible and eager to let them continue to do their work online.”

After getting through the spring semester, we began looking ahead. We assembled a team that in only two short weeks created a training program for faculty members called the Summer Academy, which helped them quickly become experts in the technology they would be using in the classroom. We offered four twoweek training sessions, plus a one-week “express” session, attended by approximately 170 faculty members.

The Summer Academy became so popular that it stretched into the fall, with two new programs— Engaging Students at a Distance and Creating Community for At-Risk Students in an Online Environment—that nearly 200 faculty members took part in.

Once we got things to a new normal, we plotted our course for the fall semester. We chose not to shut down our campus completely, knowing that would be a detriment to first-year students who had no college experience to speak of, not to mention our students in hands-on majors such as nursing and safety sciences.

We brought back roughly one-third of our students to campus and asked the others to learn remotely, knowing physical distance was the key to preventing the spread.

Our staff worked quickly and efficiently to make our campus safe for those who were here. They sanitized the buildings and their rooms, installed temperature checks, passed out safety kits, educated students on social distancing practices, and led by example by working remotely to keep business going.

1,500+

Number of classes transitioned to either an online or a hybrid format in a two-week period

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We also offered students access to COVID-19 testing, pairing locally with Indiana Regional Medical Center to make sure they knew what to do if they were infected.

“Regular cleaning of classrooms and campus spaces have helped me and other students feel safe going to class and staying engaged on campus,” said Fefolt, who is the president of the Student Government Association. “The availability of masks and testing for students also provided us with an extra level of comfort.”

Narayanaswamy Bharathan

STUDENT CENTERED

Online Scholars Research doesn’t stop just because we had to be socially distant for most of the year. In fact, we showed off some of the out-of-classroom work our students, both graduate and undergraduate, had done at the annual Scholars Forum. In this unique event, students can show off their work with a presentation to the university and local community and answer questions about it. The only difference this year was that it was held online, where anyone around the world could take part.

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“There are signs around campus that remind us to wear a face covering, and to practice social distancing and regular handwashing,” said Jahangiri, the president of the Graduate Student Assembly. “Masks and hand sanitizer are available on campus. And, there is free testing available for students, which is such a huge relief.”

We also kept the community up to date with biweekly reports on the number of coronavirus cases we had.

While we did our best not to spread the virus, we also worked to help the local community with our expertise and abilities. We had faculty members use 3-D printers to make personal protective equipment for front-line healthcare workers, conduct COVID-19 testing using IUP equipment at IRMC, and help with patient screenings there to make sure symptomatic people received the help they needed.

The COVID testing was particularly impactful. The work of Narayanaswamy Bharathan (Department of Biology) at IRMC led to a new way to test that produced quicker results. A paper about this will soon be published, sharing Bharathan’s knowledge and expertise with the world.

IUP’s response to a worldwide pandemic was to be proactive. We did not let it stop us from doing what we do. We didn’t have all the answers right away, but we put in the work to find them.

We know another pandemic like this one will likely happen again. If it does, we have a blueprint that will help us stay safe while still fulfilling our mission.

AWARD-WINNING REACTION The remarkable task of transitioning our academic offerings to online or hybrid formats in just 10 days was rewarded in November when the Pittsburgh Technology Council chose IUP for the Top COVID Pivot Award at its annual ceremony.

The award was created to recognize Pittsburgh-area companies’ response to the coronavirus pandemic. IUP was the only finalist from the higher education sector.

It is proof that those outside our university approved of the work we did not just for ourselves, but for our community also.

“I want to recognize all the members of the university community who continue to go above and beyond to keep our students on course and engaged with the university,” said IUP President Michael Driscoll. “Thank you for your outstanding work.”

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STUDENT CENTERED

Soaring in the Summer Using technology to stay connected, the annual summer research program was held for the seventh consecutive summer across the university. U-SOAR (Undergraduate Summer Opportunities for Applying Research) allows students from all disciplines to work directly with faculty on research projects of their choosing. The program gives students a leg up on graduate school opportunities and career networking and offers the opportunity to present results at the end of the summer.

F O R W A R D FA C I N G

Speaking for Success The IUP Athletics Department initiated a five-part speaker series during the fall semester that helped its more than 400 student-athletes learn useful tips while staying engaged during the pandemic.

The series provided virtual programming for student-athletes to promote positive life skills, mental health and wellness, inclusion, and other current and relevant topics.

A Nimbler IUP for Our Students

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ver the past few decades, while trying to appeal to as many students as possible, we spread ourselves thin in the academic programs that set us apart from other similar universities. We tried to be everything to everyone, and it’s a model that might have worked another time, but not now.

We’ve taken a long, hard look at the possibilities of an IUP education, and we saw a picture that didn’t show what we can truly be. Our strengths weren’t easily noticed. We looked a lot like our competitors.

STUDENT CENTERED

So, we took on a huge project of inventorying all our academic offerings. We analyzed them, studying their demand by our students, their financial impact on the university, and their placement in the six colleges. We saw the potential to make an IUP of the future that could be a leader in several fields, but it would take some work on our part first.

We drafted a plan called IUP NextGen. It’s our blueprint for the years to come, when we plan to take what we do best and provide resources to ensure we stay at the forefront of those fields.

We’re Here to Help When students said they needed help, IUP listened. The Hawks Q&A Center, where a student can get help in any area of college life: academic, social, emotional, physical, etc., opened at the start of the school year. It is more than just a help desk; it is a one-stop shop where students come with questions and leave with answers.

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To streamline our offerings, we have better aligned our programs, resulting in five colleges instead of six. The new layout will present students better cross-disciplinary opportunities, allowing them to do more mixing and matching to create the education they want and to give them a wider range of career options.

There are five areas we have identified as our strengths that we want to focus on: science, math, computer science, pre-engineering, and engineering; allied health disciplines; behavioral health; business; and cross-disciplinary and multi-thematic areas to build on a strong general education core.

One example would be how we changed our Bachelor of Science in Education degree program to either a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science complemented with an education certificate.

Students who have earned a BS in geology plus a certificate in secondary science education could seek jobs with energy and/or environmental companies in addition to jobs teaching middle or high school science. Later in life, they could change careers back to education if they wanted to.

By better aligning our programs in their colleges, students will be able to take advantage of cross-disciplinary programs to get an education that will really stand out. For example, with all the field-based sciences gathered into a single college, first-year or graduate-level courses could help students see the connections between biology, anthropology, geoscience, and geography, plus many other areas in science and mathematics. We want to afford our students as many opportunities like that as possible, so they can seek the careers they dream of.

Our plan also gives us the blueprint for keeping liberal arts as a key part of our offerings. We are committed to providing a well-rounded education to our students that will not just open their minds to greater understanding, but position them for a diverse workplace in which soft skills and broad knowledge are résumé enhancers.

We also will continue to be a leader in fields such as education, as we have been for almost 150 years.

Our vision for our future goes beyond undergraduate studies. We are proud to be the only PhD-granting university in Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education, and we also want to maximize the

F O R W A R D FA C I N G

A Guiding Hand Many first-year students come to college not knowing what to expect. The IUP Guides program was created to help.

All new students are assigned a Guide—either a faculty or staff volunteer—to whom they can turn for answers and advice, keeping them on track both in and out of the classroom. More than 70 volunteers joined the program and are helping students every day.

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opportunities for our students, using our technology, faculty expertise, and resources, to do the kind of research that leads not only to a graduate degree, but discoveries that can impact the world.

Another factor that has led us to IUP NextGen is a financial one. Due mostly to a decade-long enrollment decline tied to a significant drop in the number of high school seniors in Pennsylvania, our financial situation is concerning.

We have begun implementing the plan, but there is much work left to do. Sadly, we have had to reduce our work force to be more in-line with our academic offerings and our enrollment, and we have had to close or put a moratorium on some academic programs.

Those decisions did not come easily or with haste. We spent time doing research, analyzing projections, and discussing our challenges openly, trying to find the best possible solutions. Although these conclusions were difficult to come to, we know these steps must be made.

Our plan comes with lofty aspirations that we know we can achieve. We want to be a destination for more students who seek a life-changing higher education experience, and we want to be known as a university on the forefront of exploration, understanding, social change, and personal growth.

IUP NextGen, when fully functioning, will give our students opportunities to make their IUP experience the best it can be. It will also address our enrollment issues and hopefully put us on solid financial ground.

A stronger IUP means a more valuable degree for our alumni and a more stable partner in our community.

IUP NextGen is an opportunity to shape IUP into a great university with a bright future.

Stay up-to-date with IUP NextGen at IUP.edu/restructuring

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GARNERING SUPPORT Soon after the IUP NextGen announcement, the Pittsburgh PostGazette—the largest newspaper in western Pennsylvania—ran an op-ed about the plan and took the stance that it, “while difficult, is necessary.”

Taking a long view of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education and the financial and demographic challenges it faces, the Post-Gazette’s opinion was that NextGen will help IUP stand out—in a good way—from the crowd, enabling it to be better positioned for the future.

“By differentiating itself from other state schools and focusing its finances on the departments that attract larger numbers of students,” the paper said, “IUP is strengthening its competitive edge in attracting the students whom it can serve best.”

Source: “Necessary Cuts at IUP,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 12, 2020

F O R W A R D FA C I N G

Distinguished for Serving Students Beginning in 1988, IUP has honored a member of its faculty with the Distinguished University Professor Award. In 2020, it was presented to Alida Merlo, from the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. A member of the IUP faculty for 25 years, Merlo “brings her passion for (her) work to her students at all levels,” IUP President Michael Driscoll said.

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STUDENT CENTERED

Partners in Education IUP signed an agreement that enables students from Westmoreland County Community College to enroll in a program in which they can earn automatic admission to IUP after earning their associate degree at Westmoreland. The unique agreement allows Westmoreland students opportunities to use facilities and resources at IUP, including housing, dining, the libraries, and the student co-op, as well as academic advising.

The plan provides a seamless transition for the students who plan to earn a bachelor’s degree at IUP.

Matching Student Opportunities with Our Passions

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first-generation college student from a small town near Pittsburgh, Isaac Dewar came to IUP with hopes of studying physics. But having to work a full-time job while also taking classes put his studies in jeopardy.

F O R W A R D FA C I N G

Jesalyn Fada was determined to attend IUP. But her family couldn’t offer much financial support, so she knew she would need a lot of financial aid to make her dream come true.

After serving his country in the US Marines, Vernon Leadbeater put his military benefits to work by enrolling at IUP. But he found that he still would need help to cover his costs, and he wasn’t sure he would be able to stay in school very long.

A Building for the Future In September, IUP broke ground on the $90-million, 142,000-squarefoot Kopchick Hall, which will be the home of science and mathematics research, teaching, and learning when it opens in 2023. Featuring more than 51,000 square feet of laboratory space, a planetarium, a greenhouse, and many other sites for hands-on learning, Kopchick Hall will be where scientists work side-by-side to make discoveries every day.

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The common thread through these stories is easy to see. Many IUP students come with financial obstacles.

Even though IUP is competitively priced, the associated costs of going to college have skyrocketed over the years, and any help we can give our students makes a huge impact.

“If I wasn’t able to receive some help, I didn’t know if I would be able to continue,” Leadbeater said.

Stories like these are part of the reason we created the Imagine Unlimited campaign in 2014. We saw that our students had financial needs, and we wanted to help make that burden lighter.

The campaign was created to help students in other ways, too. We wanted to give our students access to innovative experiences that will enhance their academic journey, with facility upgrades and new construction helping them get more than a standard education. We also know that our diversity, equity, and inclusion work is vital to who we are, and our students will benefit from enhanced programming in areas that help them locally and globally.

We set out hoping to raise $40 million for our students, but it didn’t take long for us to realize that members of the IUP family were passionate about IUP and its mission, so we raised the bar to $75 million.

By the time 2020 was ending, we could see the finish line, and we were ready to breeze past the goal. More than 22,000 members of the IUP family made donations to the campaign, and more than 7,700 students received some form of support from their generosity.

Having such passionate members of the IUP family showing their support benefits our students in so many ways. The thrust of the Imagine Unlimited campaign was to raise scholarship money, enhance students’ in-class experiences, and increase our work in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

“IUP is poised for greatness,” said Bill Madia ’69, M’71, who cochaired the campaign with his wife, Audrey DeLaquil Madia ’70. “Our potential has no limits. This university can be whatever we envision it to be. We will enable our students to pursue their passions, enabling them to reach their full potential. This campaign is, indeed, about preparing our students to be great thinkers, great decision makers, and great people.”

STUDENT CENTERED

Taking Care of Each Other When the pandemic took over, IUP redesigned its April 9 Day of Giving, a call for alumni and friends to support the university, into the IUP Day of Caring. Using the IUP Cares web page as a hub for information, more than two dozen alumni who are experts in their field offered tips on coping with the pandemic. The web page also offered information about the Emergency Response Fund (now called the Student Assistance Fund), which helped students in many areas of educational need.

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Our alumni and friends showed their belief in our campaign in ways we could not have predicted. The overwhelming amount of support shows that IUP’s legacy and tradition transcend generations and that our future success owes a great deal to our past success.

There were several major gifts to the campaign in the past few years, headlined by a $23 million gift in 2018 from John Kopchick ’72, M’75 and Char Labay Kopchick ’73 to help fund the new science building— which will open in 2023. It is believed to be the largest single gift to any of the 14 schools in Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education.

STUDENT CENTERED

Tim Cejka ’73 and Debra Phillips Cejka ’73 made a gift of $7 million, and other supporters of IUP, such as Terry Serafini ’61 and Bill and Audrey Madia, made gifts of at least $1 million, which show just how much IUP means to those who came through the Oak Grove years ago.

Our students are fortunate to have such a dedicated support system, and we know they will do amazing things with the opportunities we pass on to them.

Scholarships for Security For the third consecutive year, the US Department of Defense has awarded IUP scholarship funding for students in the Cyber Security program. The grant, of more than $630,000, provides full funding for tuition and books, plus an annual stipend and a laptop, for nine IUP students. Students who are awarded one of these scholarships also receive a guarantee of a civilian position in the Department of Defense for the number of years they receive the scholarship.

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“The scholarship made my debt load so much less, and it relieved my stress,” Fada said. “It made it easier for me to strive to find the career I want.”

22,003 members of the IUP family helped raise $81,359,941 for our students.

THE GIFT OF SUPPORT In November, on the annual national Giving Tuesday, we made what we thought was a reachable, but challenging, goal of raising $20,000 in one day to help our students. We knew we would have the backing of our strong alumni and friends network, but we could not have predicted the support we got.

At the end of the day, 223 donors pledged a record-breaking $46,528.

Many friends of IUP pledged to match donations, which helped the total grow quickly.

“Time after time, our alumni, friends, and everyone in the IUP family continue to amaze us through their passion, care, and outpouring of support,” said Khatmeh OsseiranHanna, IUP’s vice president for University Advancement.

The IUP Student Assistance Fund was the main source of support. The fund helps IUP students who have obstacles to learning and need a little help to stay on track. Amid the worldwide pandemic, many students faced issues, including needing computers and WiFi access.

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F O R W A R D FA C I N G

Out of This World A recent book coauthored by Department of Geoscience faculty member Ken Coles, The Atlas of Mars: Mapping its Geography and Geology, was singled out by the Association of American Publishers with a national book award. The book is the winner of the PROSE award in the cosmology and astronomy category.

STUDENT CENTERED

It’s “Still” on Us Thanks to a renewal of a grant from Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, IUP holds its spot at the forefront of combating sexual assault on college campuses.

Wolf awarded IUP a $30,000 grant to expand the Green Dot Bystander Intervention training program’s curriculum, add more programming, and introduce the “Break the Silence” campaign, which is aimed at protecting those who make anonymous allegations of sexual abuse. This is third time since 2016 that IUP has received funding for this program.

Creating a Home for Everyone

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n some of our recent work to support diversity, equity, and inclusion at IUP, some of our Black and Brown students, as well as those in the LGBTQIA+ community, told us they don’t always feel welcome, that they feel out of place at our university.

As a student-centered university, we cannot have this.

We must do something about it.

So, to fully understand what some of our students see when they are on campus, we took a walk in their shoes. It was an eye-opening experience.

STUDENT CENTERED

Lessons in Diversity Since he earned his master’s degree at IUP in 2013, Justin Brown has been invited back to IUP several times to lead programming on our diversity and inclusion efforts. In 2020, he led the virtual workshop “UGH!?! Not Another Diversity Presentation,” which was designed to shift paradigms about race and inequity. Brown, who works as a diversity and inclusion educator, has given back to IUP by helping students, faculty, and staff over the years with many sessions relating to racism, sexism, stereotypes, prejudice, and women and gender issues.

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In September, we held a series of walking tours, in which IUP President Michael Driscoll, along with members of his cabinet, walked the campus with a group of diverse students to get a better understanding of why they don’t always feel at home when they’re at IUP. “It has made my experience at IUP better,” said Austin Marsico, a graduate student in counseling from Reynoldsville. “It made me, as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, feel represented and heard. I just hope that doing the audit makes others feel the way that I felt, not just my community, but everyone at IUP.” “It opened my eyes,” said Nabiha Islam, a criminology graduate student from Huntington Station, New York.

“It made me realize that nothing is perfect and that changes are needed.”

The comments Driscoll and his staff heard ranged from some buildings feeling plain and sterile, to not enough food choices for students with religious- or health-based diets, to art installations that felt “too white,” to too few all-gender restrooms.

“It was important to me to not just listen to what the students were saying, but to really hear them,” Driscoll said. “All our students deserve to feel welcome, safe, and comfortable at our university.

Taking this tour was something that gave us valuable information that will help us as we work to make IUP a truly inclusive community.”

Islam was happy that the voices of the students had been heard.

“President Driscoll constantly engaged with the students and listened to what they had to say,” she said. “The students respectfully discussed their concerns, and he would respond with, ‘Thank you for telling me the problem. How can we fix it?’ This was the first time I met President Driscoll. I was surprised, because I didn’t think the president of the university I attend would be willing to listen to the problems, because sometimes you don’t think those who are in charge will listen. However, I am thankful that he listened to the questions and concerns of students to create a more welcoming environment at IUP.” The walking tours are part of a large, and growing, effort to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion at IUP. We have been working at this for several years now, but we will not stop until barriers like racism, sexism, and disrespect are erased from our university.

In 2020, we did not let the pandemic stop us from working at this. We created more programming, held more dialogues and training sessions, and examined more policies to ensure that everyone who comes to our university—whether it be as a student, a faculty or staff member, or a guest—is treated fairly and equitably, and with dignity and respect.

Some examples would be the work by IUP’s Center for Multicultural Student Leadership and Engagement. It developed two programs to open discussion around social inequities. The first, Building Bridges, provided a space for Black and Brown students to receive support, express concerns, and connect with other students, and Breaking the Barrier created a dialogue among students with varying backgrounds, interests, and needs to see what positive changes can be made just by getting to know one another.

With guidance from the Office of Social Equity, a student-group, Students against Racism, was created to help all students become involved in anti-racism work. Our graduate students formed the LGBTQIA Grad Group to work with the GLBT Commission and

F O R W A R D FA C I N G

Striving for Social Justice The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference created the Social Justice Task Force, with at least one person, either an advisor or a student-athlete, from each of the league’s 18 schools forming the group.

IUP’s two representatives are Richard Hsaio, a faculty member in the Department of Kinesiology, Health, and Sport Science, and Rachel Johnson, a member of the women’s swimming team.

The task force was created to combat racism and injustice while focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the league.

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STUDENT CENTERED

the Center for Multicultural Student Leadership and Engagement.

“This is a work in progress,” Driscoll said, “but it is something we cannot give up on. We have made diversity, equity, and inclusion part of our university fabric, and we will continue to do so.”

Making It Easier to Find Scholarships IUP created the National Achievement Scholarships Office so students can get information to apply for scholarships, which are oftentimes key to their access to an education. Students will meet with faculty members who have experience in the myriad available national and international scholarships and receive help in making their applications stand out in a crowd.

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While a lot of this work may be uncomfortable for some of us, it is necessary. Events in our country in 2020, including the violent deaths of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd, have shown us that change must occur, and we must start with our own corners of the world.

As an institution of higher education, it is our mission not only to educate our students, but to educate ourselves. That is no different when it comes to diversity and inclusion work. We, as a university, have stumbled at times to walk the walk, but we will continue this journey.

“We are not there yet, but we are growing,” Marsico said.

“We still have a lot to do and a lot to change to make it better for everyone. Things are just starting to blossom.

I cannot wait to see what happens in the future for IUP.”

O N T H E R I G H T PAT H During his long and successful career at ExxonMobil, Tim Cejka, a 1973 IUP graduate, saw the impact diversity has on a workforce.

“Diversity of viewpoints, of backgrounds, of gender, of race, of nationality, and of educational backgrounds helps us to get better solutions,” he said.

When Cejka and his wife, Debra, also a 1973 IUP graduate, decided to make a gift to their alma mater last year, they knew what they wanted it to be used for.

Their $350,000 gift, as part of the Imagine Unlimited campaign, is being used to fund IUP’s work in diversity, equity, and inclusion through programs, training and education, research, academic and co-curricular student support, and scholarships.

“The impact of this gift is already having, and will continue to have, a positive effect on our entire community, especially the wellbeing of our students,” said IUP President Michael Driscoll.

27

The IUP Story Our students come from places far and wide.

in Words and Numbers, Abridged Edition

International Students:

407

Out-of-State Students:

654

Pennsylvania Students:

9,006 They enroll in programs that empower them to improve their own lives and the lives of others here in Pennsylvania and around the world.

The number of high school students in the country is declining, but by honoring our tradition of fostering growth through hard work, the caliber of IUP students has continued to rise.

FALL 2020 ENROLLMENT Undergraduate:

7,759 Master’s:

1,260 PhD and Other Doctoral Degrees:

775

Vocational:

273

FRESHMAN CLASS PROFILE

2020

2019

2018

TOTAL

1,737

1,754

1,960

AVERAGE HIGH SCHOOL GPA

3.40

3.31

3.27

BUSINESS

193

194

270

EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATIONS

151

154

195

FINE ARTS

74

79

106

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

512

455

622

HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

124

106

166

NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS

380

370

384

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

303

396

217

FIELDS OF STUDY BY COLLEGE

We challenge students to work hard, but we support them at the same time— Financially…

A total of

Entailing

$14M+

$8.9M+

In 2019-20, separate from state and federal aid awards, IUP eased the financial burden for students.

in university scholarships and assistantships

and $5.3M+

in scholarship awards from the Foundation for IUP, reflecting generosity from alumni and friends.

…and academically, on our campuses and in the field.

2,330

out-of-classroom experiences completed in 2019-20

$10M

Exciting news:

expended in research and innovation—and students assisted with much of it.

The university expects this amount, in combination with the number of research doctoral degrees awarded, to lead to the Research 2 University classification after the next Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education survey.

71 Guides mentoring 2,248 students

403 submitted and/or answered Hawks Q&A Center requests

Each incoming freshman is assigned a staff or faculty guide who can answer questions, provide guidance, or just lend an ear. No topic is off limits.

between its August 15 opening and December 2020.

When they succeed, we cheer their accomplishments...

RESEARCH

Total Graduates 2019-20:

PhD and Other Doctoral Degrees:

Bachelor’s:

Certificates:

Master’s:

Associate:

2,873 271

…and are #IUPproud when they take their first steps after graduation.

2

82% 94%

124 646

1,804 28

Are employed in field of choice Are productive, meaning they are working, serving in the military, attending graduate or professional school, etc.

Indiana University of Pennsylvania

C o u n ci l o f T rus t ees Samuel Smith, Chair Mark Holman ’79, Vice Chair Laurie Kuzneski ’93, Treasurer Joyce Fairman ’76, M’84, Secretary Jennifer Baker ’05 Glenn Cannon ’71 (deceased, January 20, 2020) Timothy Cejka ’73 Susan Delaney ’64 James Miller (completed service in 2020) David Osikowicz Nathan Spade ’01 Abigaelle Vertil (student trustee) Anne White (began term in 2021)

M i ch a el Dri s col l , Pre side n t

Pre si de n t ’ s Cabin et Timothy Moerland, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Debra Fitzsimons, Vice President for Administration and Finance Thomas Segar, Vice President for Student Affairs Patricia McCarthy ’89, D’15, Vice President for Enrollment Management Khatmeh Osseiran-Hanna, Vice President for University Advancement Barbara Moore ’84, Executive Director of Institutional Planning and Assessment Chris Noah, Chief Marketing Officer Elise Glenn, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Title IX Coordinator

A ca de mi c Dean s Robert Camp, Dean, Eberly College of Business and Information Technology

(retired in 2020) Geofrey Mills, Interim Dean, Eberly College of Business and Information

Technology (started in 2020) Lara Luetkehans, Dean, College of Education and Communications Curtis Scheib ’77, M’78, Dean, College of Fine Arts Sylvia Gaiko, Dean, College of Health and Human Services Yaw Asamoah, Dean, College of Humanities and Social Sciences Deanne Snavely, Dean, Kopchick College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Randy Martin, Dean, School of Graduate Studies and Research (retired in 2020) Hilliary Creely, Interim Dean, School of Graduate Studies and Research

(started in 2020)