Due to recent budget cuts, Penn State will not be joining a nationwide trend by research universities to allocate millions of dollars to hire nationally renowned faculty.

Instead of increasing its hiring budget, Penn State turns to programs within the university to increase the caliber of the professors already teaching.

The Schreyer Institute for Innovation in Learning (SIIL) recently merged with other university services to provide faculty with resources to improve teaching skills.

"Our role is to try to make sure that the faculty members are recognized for the wonderful things they are doing," said SIIL director Renata S. Engel. "We already have many examples, across all disciplines, of excellence in the scholarship of teaching and learning."

Every year the SIIL supports faculty research by awarding small grants to support the creation of new courses.

Penn State does not allocate money to hire nationally renowned faculty because the university is facing state budget cuts.

In July, the state House approved an appropriations bill cutting Penn State's funding by 5 percent to $306.5 million for the current academic year. The bill has yet to be approved by the state Senate.

"There have been four large budget cuts in the past two years," said Penn State spokesman Bill Mahon. "So far this year we have not received any funding from the state of Pennsylvania and a fifth cut has been proposed."

Officials from University of Southern California hope that a $100 million budget specially aimed to improve the school's reputation will help establish the school as a research university and raise the quality and visibility of its academic programs.

"The goal of the Senior Faculty Initiative is simply to get the best people from all fields for the college," said USC President Joseph Aoun in a mission statement found on the school's Web site.

The decision by colleges and universities to hire nationally renowned faculty is under debate as to whether this change benefits students or just the school's national prestige.

In Penn State President Graham Spanier's State of the University address in September 2002 he spoke of the need for Penn State to become a more student-centered university.

"Although a university's national reputation is substantially based on the research productivity and stature of its faculty, we must never forget that our university exists first and foremost to provide an advanced education to our students," Spanier said.

Curt Sobolewski, professor of sociology, said teaching is an immediate concern when considering what is best for students.

"Hiring nationally renowned faculty will benefit both the university and the students because it will enhance the prestige of the university."

However, Sobolewski also understands the importance of research.

"As much as teaching matters, it doesn't help bring in money to open up research centers or help to build new buildings," he said. "Teaching doesn't secure grants that can help put the schools name on the national scope."

G. Dirk Mateer, professor of economics, said giving money to undergraduate education could be a "gigantic step forward" for students.

"$100 million is enough to provide improved facilities, better technology, and the hiring of many additional instructors," he said.

The SIIL provides a handbook, Learning to Teach, Teaching to Learn, to professors.

It says teaching requires dedication and determination, despite any roadblocks.

"Good teaching is something that is always labor intensive, sometimes frustrating, but doable. And it's worth the effort," the book says.