Good News From Penn State: Giving, Enrollment Strong!

In a message to the entire Penn State community, the university's president, Rodney Erickson delivers some good news this holiday season.

Here's part of what he has to say:

As a university and a community, we have endured a great deal, but our core mission and values remain intact. Penn State is an outstanding academic institution, and we demonstrate this every day. We are defined by our commitment to exceptional teaching. We are defined by our $805 million research enterprise that addresses complex and pressing issues such as food production, energy, health and well-being, national security and economic development. We are defined by our leadership and contributions in the arts and humanities. And we are defined by our service work that has improved countless lives around the globe. Penn Staters are defined by our hard work and accomplishments, and there's still great demand to be part of our community. Consider these indicators:

• To date, applications for admission to Penn State are up more than 3.4 percent over last year. 
• Paid memberships in the Alumni Association—the largest in the nation—stand at 166,842; that's up about 2 percent over last year. 
• The base of philanthropic support remains strong. Since July 1 and for the month of November, our annual giving program totals via the Lion Line, direct mail and online contributions show increases over last year in three important categories—the amount of dollars and the number of donors and gifts. 
• Penn State Career Services reports that interest by corporate recruiters has not wavered; in fact, recruiters and corporations are registering for the Spring Career Fair at a higher rate than they did last spring. 
• All corporate partners and sponsors have stood by Intercollegiate Athletics, and our student-athletes continue to represent Penn State with sportsmanship, dedication and pride. Please join me in congratulating the Nittany Lion Football team for its invitation to meet the University of Houston in the TicketCity Bowl in Dallas on Jan. 2, 2012. This is a fitting acknowledgement of the team's hard work, and the proceeds will further efforts to better protect our children.