Even more significant has been thegrowth of the University's research program. In fifteen years, Penn State has vaulted from the middle of the pack to becomeone of the top ten research universities in the country, with annual expenditures approaching $550 million, and highly rated programs in diverse areas ranging from materials to sociology.

Mid-way through last year, a committee was convened to take a look at how well Penn State has communicated this dramatic success story. The changes you see are one result of those deliberations.

In addition to the things you've already noticed, we've incorporated more short articles, a more fluid Encyclopedia section, and subheads and tabs to help you quickly identify subject areas. There are new features, too: a section devoted to books by Penn State faculty, and another to point you toward interesting research-related items both on our web site (www.rps.psu.edu) and on other sites around Penn State.

And there's larger change afoot. Over the course of our re-evaluation, after considering the steady increase of printing and mailing costs, the global reach of electronic publishing, changing reading habits, and a host of other factors, we've made a decision to shift our emphasis. Specifically, from now on we will be doing less of our publishing on paper and more on the World Wide Web.

In September, we will launch a new Web presence combining the engaging, in-depth research coverage we've always provided with fresh elements that exploit the Web's best assets: immediacy, flexibility, and interactivity. In doing so, we hope to bring the diversity and drama of Penn State's research program to a much wider audience. We'll continue to publish a corresponding print edition, but henceforth that will come out only once a year.

While it's tough to depart from an established formula - particularly one whose consistent quality has earned 18 national awards over the last 15 years from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education - it's also exciting to consider the possibilities of electronic publishing. Fittingly, for a research leader, we're embarking on an experiment. And we'd like you to join us. Please use the enclosed return card to send us both your current U.S. mail address and your e-mail address. We'll use that information to update our mailing list, and to let you know when the inaugural Web issue is ready to go online. In addition, we'll keep you aware of new Web features as they are posted.

Thank you for your continuing interest in research at Penn State.

This page was last updated Thursday, May 27, 2004.