Penn State President Graham Spanier spoke about the challenges of Pennsylvania's demographics for higher education at the first University Faculty Senate meeting of the year.

Spanier said the influences on higher education in Pennsylvania during the next 25 years will include the shrinking pool of high school graduates, the aging population, a modest change in population diversity and changing family structure.

"Penn State is the leader in every aspect of progress," Spanier said.

This year, the university is off to a great start, he said, adding that Penn State has a record enrollment, although the final numbers will not be known for a few weeks.

"Penn State has seen a decrease in international students, but an increase in graduate students," Spanier said.

The percentage of minority students has doubled since 1994, and at University Park alone, 12 percent of the student body is considered a minority.

But Pennsylvania is not as diverse as most of the nation, Spanier said, adding that Penn State is putting significant attention toward attracting and retaining minorities.

"It's going to be pretty tough to try and provide our students with an educational experience that mirrors the nation's diversity if we don't have that diverse pool to draw from within our own state," Spanier said.

Although Penn State has seen an increase in enrollment, fewer students may attend the university in the future, he said.

Pennsylvania has seen its number of high school graduates dwindle, and those who decide to continue their education are not staying in Pennsylvania after graduation due to the lack of jobs, Spanier said.

"The state is losing more young workers than we are gaining from other states," he said. "We need to find incentives to get graduates to stay."

The school's popularity with out-of-state students is strong and growing, but the university needs to work especially hard for the viability and health of all the campuses, Spanier said.

"These demographics tell our future and it's a future of enormous challenge," he said.

Also, the Senate passed legislation that will allow specific colleges to decide the frequency of Student Rating of Teaching Effectiveness (SRTEs) for tenured faculty.

Recommendations regarding SRTE procedures were discussed and passed at yesterday's Senate meeting and will be sent to Spanier for approval.

Suggestions include requiring all provisional faculty, or tenure-tracked, to have all sections of all courses evaluated by the SRTE every time one is taught, said Leonard Berkowitz, a senator on the committee of faculty affairs.

"The SRTE covers two purposes, improvement, but more importantly, personnel evaluation," he said.

Bob Secor, vice provost for academic affairs, gave additional reasons for why SRTE's need to be implemented with the suggested changes.

"In order to take something seriously, such as education, it needs to be evaluated," he said, adding that every student has the right to say how he or she feels.

Also at the meeting, Senate chair Christopher Bise outlined the goals he has for the academic year.

Bise wants to make sure Penn State is student-oriented and cost-effective, expand communication within the Senate, colleges and campuses, and ensure issues are handled in a timely matter.

"We need to strive to enhance Penn State's reputation as a quality institution," he said.