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Editor:
Tonya Allen
allen@pop.psu.edu
PRInformation
Spring 2003
Note from the Director
The list is impressive: Zelinsky, De Jong, Robinson, Hogan, Lichter and Hayward. The hard work of these past Directors of PRI built the Institute into a nationally recognized center of excellence in population research and training. I look forward to working with PRI staff, graduate students and faculty in meeting new challenges, seizing emerging opportunities, and keeping PRI at the forefront in demography.
The challenges we face are worth noting. The recent economic downturn and constrained state and federal budgets have left less extramural funding available to support the work we do. Notable here is the expected "soft landing" in NIH funding. Keener competition for infrastructure, training, and research grants means that PRI will need to be agile, aggressive, and engaged in the years ahead. A local challenge will be to enhance the historically strong spirit of community among Penn State demographers who are now more diverse and more far flung across campus than ever before, and to maintain our sense of identity as PRI adjusts to its institutional position within Penn State's new Social Science Research Institute (SSRI).
Thankfully PRI has a strong base on which to meet today's challenges. Our unique dual degree program in demography continues to flourish under the direction of Gordon De Jong. Currently six graduate programs are partnered with us to offer the dual degree, and there is clear potential to expand this list in the coming years. Also, I look forward to working with Gordon, department heads, and faculty in expanding the array of course offerings in demographic techniques and other key areas of demographic training.
On the research side, PRI is well positioned to address several of the new areas of emphasis outlined in the strategic plan of the Demographic and Behavioral Sciences Branch of NICHD. These areas are (1) diversity and opportunity in American society, (2) intergenerational research, (3) children and health - a population perspective, (4) sexuality, development and health, and (5) macro-level population research. The list of newly funded projects in this newsletter, and the broader list of recently funded proposals, show that we are already grant active in a number of these areas. Working with faculty and senior graduate students, and drawing on recent positive experiences, I will be exploring the creation of new substantive working groups with an eye toward building research interest and capacity in these areas. New working groups in the demography of aging and international demography are anticipated as well.
Another prevailing strength at PRI is our disciplinary diversity. That so many funding agencies are calling for genuine interdisciplinary collaborations positions us well to respond to future opportunities. Here, the creation of SSRI, which is comprised of a wide collection of social scientists at Penn State, promises to be beneficial for PRI as it broadens real potential for synergy and interdisciplinary work. A prime example is SSRI's new Health Disparities Initiative. May 23, 2003, marks the kick-off meeting for this initiative, in which PRI is participating.
In closing, I would like to thank the staff, students, and faculty who so warmly welcomed me to the Directorship of PRI. Again, I look forward to working with all of you over the next few years.
Leif I. Jensen
Director
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