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Workforce Development Outreach Initiative Launched
Loomis to Lead Initiative

University Park, Pa.—The College of Education and Penn State Outreach have appointed Frederick D. Loomis, Ph.D., to lead an outreach initiative in workforce education and development. The purpose of the initiative is to enhance Penn State's leadership role in providing workforce education and development within the Commonwealth, as well as nationally and internationally.

The College of Education's Workforce Education and Development program has been ranked in the top three nationally during the last decade and has a number of major sponsored research and service activities with the Pennsylvania Department of Education and other organizations. This new initiative will further extend faculty expertise within the College of Education and allow Penn State to better serve the economic and workforce development goals of the Plan for a New Pennsylvania, including programs and services in support of the Commonwealth's workforce development professional community.

Specifically, the Outreach Initiative will allow Penn State to better provide educational programs and services in support of the Commonwealth’s workforce education and economic development professional community, including assistance on planning, needs assessment, program development, performance management and program evaluation. A Leadership Institute for Workforce Education and Development is planned for the Summer 2004.

"We are delighted to be making this appointment and have great confidence that Dr. Loomis and his colleagues at Penn State will enjoy impressive success at simulating workforce and economic development for the Commonwealth,” said Dr. David Monk, dean of the College of Education. "We see this as a marvelous example of how outreach and research can be integrated to improve the lives of our citizens."

Loomis will hold faculty rank as associate professor of workforce education and development and will serve as a focal point for coordinating Penn State Outreach responses to workforce development opportunities across the Commonwealth. He will serve as a liaison for developing partnerships and alliances with state agencies, corporations, and economic development organizations. In addition, he will facilitate communication and collaboration among workforce development providers across the Penn State system—particularly the development of joint funding proposals that take full advantage of Penn State's geographical reach.

"This initiative is a major priority for Outreach and will allow Penn State to develop a comprehensive and strategic leadership role in assisting Pennsylvania with the development of its workforce,” said Dr. Craig Weidemann, vice president for Outreach.

"With more than 10 years of experience in outreach at Penn State, I believe Fred Loomis is uniquely qualified for this important role. He is well-versed in the vexing challenges facing business and industry in the Commonwealth and the significant opportunities that can be embraced as these organizations attempt to respond to the demands of the information economy," Weidemann added.

A Penn State alumnus with advanced degrees in higher education and public administration, Loomis has been a faculty member and administrator in the School of Information Sciences and Technology since March 2000. During this period, he also served for more than a year as special assistant to the executive vice president and provost, providing University-wide leadership to Penn State's Web strategy initiative. In addition, he served as director of administration, planning, and information technology for Penn State Outreach and Cooperative Extension. From September 1998 through December 1999, he also served in a dual capacity as executive director of the Pa2K Year 2000 Outreach Program in the Governor's Office for Information Technology. Prior to joining Penn State in 1988, Loomis spent 10 years as a program specialist in the U.S. Department of Education.

Experienced professionals representing education, business and industry, healthcare, and government are attracted to the masters and doctoral programs in Workforce Education and Development at Penn State every year. Graduate alumni hail from six continents and the graduate faculty are widely published and well-known for their collaborative work with business and industry within the Commonwealth and around the world.

For more information about the workforce education and development outreach initiative, contact Fred Loomis at 814-865-6696 or floomis@outreach.psu.edu.

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