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Conferences and Institutes report Academic conferencing at Penn State has record year By Deborah A. Benedetti
	Penn State Continuing Education’s Conferences and Institutes had a banner year during fiscal 1997–98, generating nearly 49,000 enrollments for 460 programs.   Enrollments in 1997–98 increased 9 percent over the previous fiscal year, when there were about 45,000 enrollments. Participants came from every state and 51 countries. The number of programs delivered also grew by 12 percent during the same period, from 410 to 460.   “Since The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel opened in May 1994, our conference enrollments have been steadily growing,” Dr. Patricia A. Book, associate vice president for outreach and executive director, Division of Continuing Education, said. “Many factors are contributing to the success of the conferencing operation, including the collaboration of the faculty from the academic colleges in identifying areas of research and scholarship for dissemination through a conference format and the availability of funding to support program development.”   Dr. Michael Ostroski, director of Conferences and Institutes, noted, “The Conferences and Institutes’ staff works closely with faculty members in planning programs to ensure they are of the highest academic quality. At the same time, we are continuously involved in developing systems to improve our processes.”   The efforts of the Conferences and Institutes staff have been rewarded with high marks from both faculty members who develop programs for delivery at the conference center and at other venues throughout the University, Pennsylvania and other parts of the country, as well as program participants. Evaluations from more than 200 programs show customer ratings of 4.4 (on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 as “excellent”) for program content and help and assistance of conference staff. Faculty rated professionalism of the conference planner at 4.7, Ostroski said.   In addition to offering more programs, the length of many conferences is rising, Dr. Suzanne Wrye, director of program development for Conferences and Institutes, said. The number of education days (determined by multiplying the number of attendees by the number of program days) has been increasing, from about 123,000 in 1995–96 to more than 145,000 in 1997–98.   Programs delivered by Conferences and Institutes in 1997–98 included: 235 academic conferences and workshops targeted toward academic and professional audiences, which attracted nearly 15,000 participants. 107 association, corporate and/or contracted group meetings and conferences, with more than 10,000 participants. seven community programs, including Elderhostels and programs open to the general public, attracting nearly 1,400 participants. 10 study-abroad programs for students, 191 of whom studied in countries around the world last summer. 101 youth programs, including sport camps and academic programs such as the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science, for more than 22,000 participants.   “This growth has been the result of new program development initiated by staff in both Conferences and Institutes and the Outreach Office of Program Development, recruitment of external business through the Outreach Office of Client Development and improved marketing campaigns through the Outreach Office of Marketing Communications,” Book said. “In addition, the Outreach Office of Marketing Research worked with faculty chairs to gather critical information from potential participants that helped shape the conference content. Marketing Research also provided data on competitive conferences to assist conference designers in scheduling and setting registration fees.”   Income-sharing between Conferences and Institutes, 11 academic colleges and the Athletic Department also is increasing, from $86,409 in 1993–94 to $214,692 in 1996–97. A total of $584,558 has been shared by these units over the past five years.   “We anticipate even greater growth in all areas during the coming fiscal year,” Book said.   The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel is the largest center of its kind in American higher education. In May 1997, it merged with The Nittany Lion Inn under Penn State Hospitality Services. Together, the Inn and conference center provide the most comprehensive range of conference services available on any American university campus. They have 387 guest rooms, 75,000 square feet of meeting space, state-of-the-art educational technology and four restaurants.   Wrye noted some program highlights for 1997–98 include: Programs related to University initiatives: the Partnership for Prevention conference, the Penn State Quality Conference and Expo, Best Practices in Diversity, the Roads Scholars trip, the Take Our Daughters to Work program and the Orion Wilderness Orientation program. Distance education programs: the Innovations in Distance Education conference, the final event in a three-year project with AT&T, and the Institute for Leadership in Distance Education for distance educators around the world. Children, youth and family programming for professionals and the public on child nutrition, teen pregnancy, behavioral problems in children, family grief and problems of mobility in the elderly, as well as sport camps and academic events for youth audiences. Research dissemination and scholarly conferences on number theory, rhetoric and composition, visual literacy, spectral line shapes and romance languages.   A number of programs have been honored with awards from the University Continuing Education Association and the Association for Continuing Higher Education.   More information about upcoming academic conferences and professional meetings can be found at Outreach and Cooperative Extension’s Web site at www.outreach.psu.edu.   Through Continuing Education, Cooperative Extension, Distance Education, Penn State Public Broadcasting and Technology Transfer, Penn State Outreach extends University scholarship to more than 5 million people annually in all 67 Pennsylvania counties, all 50 United States and 80 countries on six continents.