Penn State provides enrollment, completion and workforce-alignment data; launches university-wide program review

Penn State administrators, a student leader and a Centre County business representative briefed the Performance Based Funding Council on campus enrollment, degree outcomes, program review and local workforce connections.

Student perspective and community role

Michael (Mike) Fowler, a third-year political science student and president of Penn State's Lion Caucus, described the university's large alumni network, research activity and student opportunities. "Penn State will continue to be a powerful institution that prepares young people for a future of excellence," Fowler said, adding that state funding "is essential to the success of Penn State and its students."

Enrollment and outcomes data

Tracy Lankilder, interim executive vice president and provost, provided enrollment and outcome highlights drawn from Penn State's enrollment summary and accountability reports. She said Penn State's 2024 enrollment totaled 87,995 students, including 73,394 undergraduates, and that first-year retention and four- and six-year graduation rates improved from the prior year. Lankilder said underrepresented minority and Pell-recipient graduation rates increased for the four- and six-year windows and that mean time to degree has trended down to about 4.1 years. She said about 42% of bachelor's and graduate degrees are awarded in high-demand STEM fields.

Provost on program review and market alignment

Lankilder described an ongoing academic portfolio and program review (APPR) launched in early 2024 that will evaluate program demand, workforce alignment and research strengths across all Penn State campuses and World Campus. The review will produce a dashboard of market and student demand indicators and initial reports that Lankilder said would be "made broadly accessible" within about a month.

Local business perspective and internships

Greg Scott, president and CEO of the Chamber of Business & Industry of Centre County, said Penn State is central to local economic strategy and that stronger pipelines of internships and experiential learning can help retain graduates locally. He identified high-demand local clusters such as robotics and sensor technology and said aligning university offerings with regional employer needs is a priority.

Questions and council discussion

Council members asked about the value of a degree, the role of internships in keeping students in-state, and whether increasing state funding could lower tuition and raise application and retention rates. Lankilder said lower tuition would likely increase applications and yield and said the university could provide finance calculations on how additional operating support would translate to tuition reductions.

Takeaway

Penn State emphasized that it is producing tens of thousands of graduates each year, improving graduation outcomes for underrepresented groups, and undertaking a system-wide program review to better align academic offerings with workforce needs and student demand. Local employers said deeper internship and employer-university connections are central to retaining graduates in the region.