Sad news indeed.  I will continue to proudly tout the differentiator in the
marketplace that a Mineral Economics degree from EMS at Penn State provides
versus other more generic and ubiquitous business and economics degrees.
Thanks, Adam, for all you've done to keep the flame alive, and belated
greetings to all those copied here who have manifested it in industry,
government, and academia.

Tom Kontos
Vice President, Industry Relations & Analytical Services
ADESA Corporation
317/249-4235

Subject: Closing of ENNEC Department
Importance: High
-- 

Dear Alumns,

I'm sorry to have to convey the bad news that the Penn State 
administration has decided to close the Department of Energy, 
Environmental, and Mineral Economics effective July 1.   This 
decision stems primarily from massive budget cuts confronting the 
University in light of a significant decrease in state appropriations 
and of a continuation of increasing costs of higher education.  Also, 
despite acknowledged progress in Department accomplishments, we are 
still lagging other EMS departments in major areas such as student 
credit hours and external funding.  Finally, it is easier to close a 
small Department, and one that is sometimes (and erroneously) viewed 
as duplicating educational efforts in the economics area, than it is 
to close a larger and more unique department in the College.

Fortunately, the University is formulating a plan with many positive 
aspects for our faculty, staff, students, and with respect to 
coverage of our fields of expertise.  Tenured faculty will be 
shifting their appointments to other units in the College 
(Meteorology, Geography) and elsewhere at Penn State (Business, Ag 
Econ).  The staff has been promised at least equivalent opportunities 
in EMS.  Continuing students will be provided the necessary courses 
over the next two years to graduate.  New educational initiatives in 
Environmental Risk Management and in Energy Business, and new 
research initiatives associated with Penn State's new Environmental 
Consortium will also serve to continue our intellectual tradition.

Still, there is no way of getting around the news that a wonderful 
educational entity that has been home to so many wonderful people and 
has contributed so much to education, the State of Pennsylvania, and 
the larger world community, will soon cease to exist.  Please know 
that our Department has worked valiantly for many years to amass 
accomplishments that would stave off such a decision.  As Head of the 
Department over the past fourteen years, however, I feel that I bear 
the ultimate responsibility for this outcome.  I only wish that I 
could have done more.

I regret that I have not kept in better touch with many of our 
alumns.  Recently, and facilitated by the ease of using e-mail, we 
had planned to start a semi-annual Alumni Newsletter.  The current 
situation actually makes this even more imperative-the Department may 
no longer exist but our Alumni Association can prosper indefinitely 
if we participate actively in it.  Let me encourage you to spread the 
word about our situation to alumns who have not received this 
communication and to ask them to send me their e-mail addresses for 
future communications.

A degree from Penn State's Mineral Economics Department, or the 
revamped Department of Energy, Environmental, and Mineral Economics, 
has served our alumns especially well over the past five decades. 
There is no reason that it should not continue to do so.

Thanks,

Adam Rose
Professor and Head