TheState System of Higher Education's Board of Governors has approved seven new degree programs, including several in high-demand areas identified in the Board's 1998 report on science, advanced technology education and workforce development.

Each of the new programs was designed to respond to the Commonwealth's changing workforce needs. The new degrees and the universities at which they will be offered are:

· Bachelor of Science in electrical and electronics engineering technology at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania;

· Bachelor of Science in communication, with tracks in journalism, emerging technologies and multimedia, and public relations at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania;

· Associate of Science in early childhood education at Clarion University of Pennsylvania; and

· Associate of Technology in industrial technology at Millersville University of Pennsylvania.

The State System has been making a concerted effort to address the needs of business and industry in the Commonwealth through the development of new programs in areas where there are worker shortages. The development of four of the programs approved by the Board today will be funded in part through the System's recently established Venture Capital Loan Program, which was designed to encourage and reward the creation or expansion of programs designed specifically to address workforce needs.

The $2 million loan program is being funded through a special appropriation to the State System that was included in the 1999-2000 state budget. Up to half of each loan may be forgiven by the Board if specific program objectives are met.

"All of our efforts in new program development are being undertaken with the needs of the Commonwealth in mind," said Chancellor James H. McCormick. "Our universities will continue to adapt and to develop the innovative programs necessary to meet the ever-changing demands of business and industry in Pennsylvania."

The master of arts in holocaust and genocide studies degree to be offered at West Chester University will help meet a growing need for teachers trained in these topics. Five states currently require the teaching of the holocaust in their secondary schools; seven, including Pennsylvania, recommend it.

The program will be offered both onsite and via distance education, enabling students on other campuses, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg, to enroll. West Chester has offered courses on the holocaust since 1977 under the leadership of professor Irene G. Shur, founder and director of the National Association for Holocaust Education. The master of arts degree will require the completion of 30 credits, six of which may be a thesis. Students also may earn a certificate for successfully completing 15 credits, or five courses.

East Stroudsburg University will offer separate degrees in biotechnology and chemical biotechnology. The university earlier received a $250,000 award through the Venture Capital Loan Program to develop both programs.

There has been a rapid expansion in the area of biotechnology in recent years, helping to fuel significant advancements in the fields of agriculture, environmental protection and medicine. The need for well-trained graduates also has increased dramatically.

The new biotechnology major will focus on the application of biological systems and organisms to technical and industrial purposes. Biotechnology applications include human and veterinary medicine, plant and animal agriculture, environmental bioremediation, the chemical industry, forensics and food enhancement and safety.

The new degree in chemical biotechnology will emphasize protein purification and characterization, separations technology, molecular modeling, toxicology medicinal chemistry and recombinant DNA technology.

In addition to funding from the State System's Venture Capital Loan Program, the university also has received awards from several other sources. The Pasteur Merieux Connaught Laboratory, the world's largest producer of vaccines which is situated near East Stroudsburg, donated $600,000 in equipment and materials and the university also has received a grant from the National Science Foundation to partially equip the biotechnology lab.

In addition to the coursework required, a variety of field experiences and internship opportunities will be available to students who enroll in either major.

Bloomsburg University's new program in electrical and electronics engineering technology also was created to provide trained graduates in a rapidly growing, high-demand field. It will include cooperative education experiences in which students will spend two periods of time working in industrial settings

The university worked with Lehigh Carbon, Luzerne County and Northampton community colleges in the development of the new major to help assure easy entry for graduates of electronics technician programs into the engineering technology program.

Development of the new degree offering and related coursework is being funded in part through a $250,000 award from the Venture Capital Loan Program and a $350,858 grant from the Commonwealth's Link-to-Learn Program. Participating industries also have contributed more than $34,000 to the program's development.

The new bachelor of science degree in communication at Slippery Rock University will offer students three distinct tracks of study.

The journalism concentration will include an expanded emphasis on electronic journalism. The emerging technologies and multimedia program will include courses on digital video, audio, image and graphic editing and design and preparation of materials for the development of Internet and Intranet resources. The public relations track will build upon the university's course offerings in public relations, with greater specificity in areas such as writing skills, preparation of computer and video mediated messages and knowledge of the business environment in which public relations is practiced.

The university received an award of $198,591 from the Venture Capital Loan Program to help fund the purchase of new computer work stations and video and audio equipment.

The associate degree program in early childhood education will be awarded by Clarion University in cooperation with four other System universities – Edinboro, Lock Haven, Mansfield and Slippery Rock Universities of Pennsylvania – through the Northern Tier Educational Initiative.

Pennsylvania childcare regulations mandate that at least half of head start teachers must have an associate or comparable degree by 2003. This new program will help provide the education necessary to ensure a sufficient number of teachers are in compliance with the new requirements. It will be offered throughout the northern tier region, which ranges east-west from Erie to Mansfield, and north-south from the New York line to New Castle.

Millersville University's associate degree in industrial technology program was designed to help provide skilled workers throughout Lancaster County. Specifically, the program will prepare graduates for employment in business, industry, education and government in areas that contribute to the design and development, production, distribution or operational support of complex technical systems. Students who earn the associate degree will be able to easily transfer into a four-year degree program at Millersville.

The State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth. Its 14 universities offer more than 250 degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. Nearly 350,000 System alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.

The state-owned universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The System also operates branch campuses in Clearfield, Kittanning, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg and the University Center for Southwest Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh. The regional centers are part of the Educational Resources Group, which is responsible for coordinating statewide programming.