Penn State is currently implementing its five year strategic plan to help improve the university’s educational standards and fiscal policy.

The plan — which is set to be fully in place by 2013 — is “something that needs to be done to keep a higher education institution on track,” Penn State spokeswoman Annemarie Mountz said.

Mountz listed several of the plan’s goals, including: enhancing student success; realizing Penn State’s potential as a global university; enhancing diversity; serving the people of the commonwealth; and using technology to expand opportunities.

The plan’s goals are listed in a complex implementation matrix, which helps keep track of the plan’s progress, Mountz said.

Pennsylvania State Sen. Jake Corman, R-Centre, said he supports the plan, even though Penn State will have to spend more money during the economic recession. Corman said Penn State is being fiscally responsible by planning for the long-term.

“Any entity should be doing long-range planning,” Corman said. “If it’s not costly and still effective, more power to them.”

The aspects of the plan that require money are funded by private donations, Mountz said.

Each strategy has a specific implementation plan with a name attached to label responsibility for that part, Mountz said.

“We have accountability and we have actionable items and a timetable for when things need to be started,” she said.

One goal of the plan is to reduce costs of Penn State’s health care benefits. Penn State is currently self-insured, she said.

Penn State currently spends more than $180 million on health care benefits annually, Mountz said.

“We’ve cut the fat out of the budget, were into the bone,” she said.

Another goal of the plan is to reshape the scheduling format to maximize the use of facilities, according to a Penn State Live press release.

This strategic plan will not create financial pressure on students, Mountz said. The plan will mostly work with what the university already has rather than spend money on more, she said.

The new Knowledge Commons in the Pattee Library, funded by private donations, will provide new technological resources to students, Mountz said.

Despite other immediate issues the university faces, including a housing shortage and conflict over the West Campus Steam Plant, Mountz said the strategic plan is just as important as any other issue.