Millersville University, located in Lancaster County, is one of the 14 state-owned institutions of Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education. Founded in 1855 as the Lancaster County Normal School, the University today is a comprehensive public institution with a broader mission to provide a full range of undergraduate programs that sustain the liberal arts tradition and to offer a range of selected graduate programs. Millersville offers 57 bachelor's and four associate degree programs in the arts and sciences, business and education. The University also offers master's degrees in 23 programs in the arts and sciences and education, along with selected certification programs.

     Millersville enrolls approximately 7,500 students. More than 70 percent are full-time undergraduates; the rest are part-time undergraduates and graduate students. About 58 percent of all undergraduates are women and one in seven is at least 25 years old. Half of Millersville's undergraduates come from southeastern Pennsylvania; most are from either Pennsylvania or contiguous states. Millersville University is a selective institution admitting 60 percent of the approximately 6,000 students who apply each year. About 35 percent of undergraduate students live in University residence halls, with the remainder of the student body commuting from homes and nearby apartments.

     At the outset, the team wants to acknowledge the vital role that President Joseph Caputo has played in building Millersville University over a period of nearly twenty years. We realize, of course, that the institution is and has been led by a corps of dedicated colleagues who have defined its quality over time. At the same time, it is evident that the vision and steady hand of President Caputo have been in great measure responsible for Millersville's past achievements and for establishing a firm foundation for its future. His legacy of leadership should stand the institution in good stead for years to come.

     The report which follows is organized around the topics on which the self-study report is focused. We do not attempt to address each of the recommendations contained in the institution's Self-Study, but we do underscore and, in some cases, elaborate on some of them, as well as offering additional suggestions or recommendations.