University and Department Summary
The University enrols nearly 80,000 students at twenty-four locations throughout the state. The outreach programs serve millions of people worldwide, and it administers more than $350 million annually on research. In Pennsylvania's unique system of higher education, Penn State has been defined by statute as a "state-related" institution. This definition means that the University is not entirely public; nor, despite its private charter, is it a private institution. In return for carrying out a statewide program of instruction, research, and service, the University receives regular appropriations from the state legislature. This allows the tuition level to be kept down for in-state students. Tuition and fees provide some 33% and State appropriations 21% of the $1.4 billion budget. By the 80’s lagging state appropriations had failed to keep up with inflation and the growing demand for the University’s services. Finally, in 1984, President Bryce Jordan launched the six-year Campaign for Penn State, which raised $352 million in private gifts for academic programs. The campaign highlighted the fact that, despite its name and land-grant designation, Penn State was state-related, not state-owned, and would have to seek greater support from the private sector to strengthen academic quality. Dr. Jordan also pushed ahead with plans for a research park that would emphasize the economic development aspect of the University’s public service mission. The Hershey Medical Center–a college of medicine and teaching hospital–was established in 1967 with a $50 million gift from the charitable trusts of chocolate magnate Milton S. Hershey. Pennsylvania State University is actually a publicly funded private institution but charges in-state fees $6952 p.a. p.g. As a result it gets a high proportion of the in-state excellent students at the u.g. level - 60-70% of whom are the 1st generation to attend University. Is ca 62% (engineering average) international students compared to the average of 38% for Universities visited.
Major changes seen to be coming when the ABET accreditation criteria changes are incorporated into curriculum changes. These changes prescribe that a range of skills be incorporated into the older requirements for a particular set of subjects. Chemistry is emphasised amongst the sciences and advanced chemistry training is required. The teaching load for faculty is a course per semester. Usually one undergraduate and graduate course will be taught. They employ some lecturers whose load is higher, and they are not on the 'tenure-track'.
A minimum of 10 graduate semester courses is required and must include a minimum of 5 post-graduate level Chemical Engineering courses taken at the University. There is no communication or language requirement. The comprehensive examination consists of a written research proposal or project defended orally after it has been accepted. All new graduate students are matched to available research projects as soon as possible, usually within a month, after they join the department.
Starting salary for BS chemical engineer is ca 44k. Faculty starts from 55-70$k. A start-up package for a theorist would be $50k for work stations, 2 studentships at 3 yrs each and summer salary for 1-2 yrs. An experimentalist would have up to $250k in equipment. It is possible to be tenured in 2 yrs.
There is virtually no engineering or chemical engineering science. Most work would fit within a Chemistry, Biology or Physics Department except that it is influenced by industrial needs. This essential difference was emphasised elsewhere as the major distinguishing feature between chemical engineering and the sciences in research. By seeking solutions to industrial problems rather than pursuing knowledge for its own sake, chemical engineers will use all the tools and knowledge of the sciences but be pursuing quite different research projects. Overall much new science directed towards the synthesis of new materials with interesting properties. The key approach is the acquisition of new techniques from science as rapidly as they develop and using them to create new entities rather than study the nature of matter.
6 major areas with 20 faculty.
Biomedical, Biochemical, Computational Chemistry and Physics (e.g. nanoscopically confined fluids, surface diffusion), Interfaces and Colloidal Engineering - self assembled structures- microstructured fluids as separation materials, Polymers, Process Systems.
Benefits as a University from being an IBM designated research university. Donation of equipment say 50 to 120k for individual faculty. University had an SP2 supercomputer plus 200k support.
Biomedical engineering Ph.Ds will go to medical school or physiology post doc or to devices industry. Overseas PhDs will generally take academic jobs.
Maranakas Perez Costas,Wayne R. Curtis, Ronald P. Danner, Kristen Fichthorn, Themis Matsoukas, John R. McWhirter, Ramanathan Nagarajan, Jonathan Phillips, John W. Tarbell, M. Albert Vannice, James S. Vrentas.