Dr. Diane L. Reinhard assumed the presidency of Clarion University of Pennsylvania on June 1, 1990. Her doctor's degree in educational evaluation had been awarded by Ohio State University and her bachelor's and master's degrees by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her experiences included teaching in an elementary school and on the graduate level, working as an intern with the National Institute of Education and as a research associate at the Center for Evaluation, and holding various higher education administrative positions. Most recently she had been dean of the College of Human Resources and Education at West Virginia University. While at West Virginia Dr. Reinhard also served a ten-month term as acting president.

Why did Reinhard come to Clarion, what is her administrative style, and what does she hope to accomplish? During a recent interview she noted the following reasons for seeking the position, “Clarion's academic reputation and quality of the faculty, a faculty committed to the students and the region.”

As to administrative style and goals, an excerpt from an article in the Clarion Magazine provides a clue. “I think my style is one of facilitation and consultation,” she said. “Ultimately, though, the legacy that any president strives for is to advance the mission of the university and to enhance the quality of life for all members of the academic community.”

Goals were addressed in President Reinhard's inaugural address. “Let us create connections—connections in our teaching and learning, in our scholarship activities, and in our relations with the region we serve. Connections are the building blocks of our community and our mission of teaching, scholarship, and service is the blueprint.”

What legacy did Dr. Reinhard inherit for this blueprint? She provides the leadership for one of the outstanding public institutions of higher education in the nation. An issue of Money Magazine's College Guide published during her first year as president listed Clarion as one of the `Best College Buys' in America, ranking it in the top 10 percent of the public colleges.

The Clarion Community

According to an old African proverb, it takes a whole village to raise a child. In a slightly different context, it takes an entire community to provide a well rounded education for a student. This includes human resources (the academic and the geographical communities), fiscal resources, and physical resources. The academic community includes the student body and all employees of the University. Fiscal and physical resources impact on program delivery.

The composition of the student body is mostly white, with 60 percent being female. Approximately 75 percent of the student body are within the traditional age range (18-23), with 35 percent residing in university facilities. As they have for decades, the greatest numbers come from Allegheny, Clarion, and Venango Counties.

In spite of allegations that young people of the 1990s refrain from volunteerism, Clarion students remain socially responsive and responsible. A recent issue of the Clarion Magazine documented student support of the local food bank and collecting cold weather clothing for the homeless. Their responsibility has also been demonstrated over the past two decades through participation in university governance. During his 1968 Centennial Commencement address, Dr. Robert Havinghurst challenged the institution “to prepare students with open and responsible minds.” Apparently the challenge is still being met.

The characteristics of the student body and the nature of the services provided have been shaped by the institution's social responsiveness and an abundance of legislation emanating from several levels. The legislation includes, but is not limited to creation of state colleges and then state universities, the G.I. Bill, Title IX, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, anti-hazing legislation, crime reporting requirements, the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, and anti-discrimination legislation of many types.

What is the current nature of the geographical community hosting Clarion University? Clarion County is a typical rural northwestern Pennsylvania county. Data gleaned from the 1990 U.S. Census and the 1992 Pennsylvania Abstract reveal that the county has a declining population of 42,000, a small minority population, an extremely low crime rate, the level of educational attainment is on the high end of the scale, and service industries lead the way in terms of employment opportunities.

The second category of human resources includes university employees, both professional and non-professional. The number in each category exceeds 350. As noted earlier, the faculty is “committed to the students and the community.” It is more highly `pedigreed' than ever before. Males still constitute the majority by a ratio of about five to three.

Fiscal resources remain a matter of concern. While the budget is at an all time high, the source of revenue continues to evolve. Federal and state support has decreased to 43 percent of the entire budget. Erosion of this proportion is likely to continue. This translates to increased student tuition and fees and a need for the university to increase its fund raising activities.

A specific example of the need for fund raising is illustrative. Governor Robert Casey's `Operation Jump Start' has allocated $7.85 million to the University for renovation of three buildings and the campus heating system. The qualifier is that the institution must match 25 percent of the building project allocation through fund raising in the private sector.

The physical plant is adequate and appropriate, although a lack of sufficient funding for deferred maintenance continues to plague the institution. There has also been a historical quest for the construction of a president's residence. Since before the turn of the century Moore Hall (formerly Music Hall) has served as the presidential residence. A 1925 report contains a list of recommended physical plant changes. The only remaining unmet need on the list is a presidential residence. From time to time the matter has come before the trustees only to be shunted aside because of financial exigencies. Remodeling has been the order of the day and even this has been a source of controversy. The current Council of Trustees, responding to the historical quest for a president's residence and a request for review by the State System of Higher Education a number of years ago, voted at its January 1993 meeting to keep the project under consideration.

Fiscal constraints have not halted curricular advancement. Recent additions include programs or concentrations in biotechnology, women's studies, gerontology, and a cooperative doctorate with Penn State in science education. During a 1968 Centennial Convocation address, Dr. Eric Walker, president of Penn State, noted “I am sure Clarion State College, whose first century has given so much evidence of forward-looking progress, will be in the vanguard of the movement to break the shackles of conventional approaches to higher education.”

How does an institution get in the vanguard and stay there? Planning is the answer. What lies ahead?

Planning for the Future

Early in President Reinhard's administration a Strategic Planning Council was created. It generated a list of 12 priority goals. These include the size and composition of the student body and faculty, curriculum, physical plant needs, and the mission of Venango Campus.

During the author's interview with President Reinhard, questions were raised about future directions for the institution. The mission statement developed by the Strategic Planning Council indicates Clarion will remain primarily an undergraduate institution. Budgetary constraints will remain a factor in the plan implementation. Other topics were noted and discussed, including:

• redefining and refining the mission statement,

• continuing to seek a diverse faculty with strong interest in teaching, scholarship, and practical research related to community needs,

• enrollment management, leading to modest growth, and consideration of both the size and the composition of the student body (quality, quantity, diversity, and pre-collegiate preparation),

• expanding international opportunities,

• focusing on equity issues, and

• maximizing resource utilization through heightened involvement in network, partnerships, and cooperative ventures.

The Clarion Tapestry

The areas listed above and the entire history of Clarion represent the writer's efforts to weave a verbal tapestry. As such, it has certain elements in common with the Bayeux Tapestry. Both depict historical events, this effort the history of Clarion, the Tapestry the Norman Conquest of England, both focus on individuals, events, and the lifestyle of the period covered, both have common threads within, and neither is a bona fide tapestry. This text is only a tapestry in the metaphorical sense while the Bayeux masterpiece has embroidered rather than woven illustrations.

The Clarion tapestry has a number of threads that have been continuous over the past 125 years. The institution has always been coeducational, sought to provide a quality education, served the needs of first generation college students, extolled the virtues of the community in its recruitment literature, been community-minded since the days when state control began, and has been faced with financial difficulty regardless of the time or name of the institution.

Mixed in with the common threads have been a number themes that entered the picture and also left their mark on the tapestry of Clarion. Fire, wars, veterans, Penn State freshmen, financial scandal, depression, flu epidemics, federal and state legislation, student rights, coed dormitories, and racial and gender equity.

By far the most substantive changes in the pattern of the tapestry have taken place during the past 25 years when some 80 percent of all Clarion graduates received their degrees. A comparison of basic information between 1967 and 1992 can be found elsewhere in this chapter.

Growth in the quantitative context is evident, what about quality? A remark from Dr. Eric Walker's Centennial Convocation address is as appropriate today as it was in 1968. “We have effected this remarkable growth without diluting the quality of our programs, but by actually increasing it.”

Quality in programs is a common thread that has emerged in the history of Clarion and one that will continue to play an important part in the evolution of the institution.