Recruitment

A renewed initiative to increase diversity when recruiting police officers and other UPPS employees is underway and being led by Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Director Iris Richardson and Deputy Chief Dale Osenbach, along with our Human Resources strategic partners.

We also ascribe to the Penn State Finance and Business Diversity Statement, which states:

"We affirm our personal commitment to the University’s values of dignity and respect for all individuals. We believe that the diverse backgrounds and personal characteristics of employees bring varied perspectives and experiences that enrich the environment of the Finance & Business workplaces. Since a diverse workplace is critical to this organization’s ongoing success, we have emphasized diversity and inclusion in our Strategic Plan and we are committed to keeping it as a priority in our everyday business.

"We expect the work culture within Finance & Business to be free of negativity and prejudice and we expect everyone to be able to come to work and not worry about being harassed or demeaned. We also expect that all employees will interact with all members of the University community in a professional and respectful manner regardless of their own personal beliefs or backgrounds. We will strive to have a workplace and community that are comfortable, safe and welcoming for everyone.

"We encourage anyone who experiences or witness intolerance to come forward without fear of retaliation. We recognize that building a diverse and inclusive organization is a continuing process that requires commitment, focused effort and the attention of us all. We will achieve this if we all do our part to ensure that we treat the people around us with kindness, respect and dignity."

UPPS Employee Demographics

University Police and Public Safety is committed to having a workforce that reflects the community it serves. We remain committed to recruitment and retention with the guidance of our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office and other Penn State stakeholders. Below is recent UPPS employee demographic data. Going forward, the data will be updated on an annual basis.

Race/Ethnicity Demographics

**2024 Demographics - Percentage of UPPS Employees by Race/Ethnicity**
	Asian	Black	Hispanic	American Indian or Alaska Native	Two or More Races	Undeclared	White	Total
Sworn Officer	1.96%	1.31%	7.84%	0.00%	0.65%	12.42%	75.82%	72.17%
Non-Sworn	1.69%	1.69%	3.39%	3.39%	0.00%	6.78%	83.05%	27.83%
Total	1.89%	1.42%	6.60%	0.94%	0.47%	10.85%	77.83%	100.00%

**2023 Demographics - Percentage of UPPS Employees by Race/Ethnicity**
	Asian	Black	Hispanic	American Indian or Alaska Native	Two or More Races	Undeclared	White	Total
Staff	1.83%	2.75%	5.96%	0.46%	0.46%	11.01%	73.85%	96.33%
Sworn Officer	1.38%	2.29%	5.05%	0.00%	0.46%	9.17%	55.96%	74.31%
Non-Sworn	0.46%	0.46%	0.92%	0.46%	0.00%	1.83%	17.89%	22.02%
Technical Service	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.46%	0.0%	0.0%	3.21%	3.67%
Non-Sworn	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.46%	0.0%	0.0%	3.21%	3.67%
Total	1.83%	2.75%	5.96%	0.92%	0.46%	11.01%	77.06%	100.00%

Gender Demographics

**2024 Demographics - Percentage of UPPS Employees by Gender**
	Female	Male	Total
Sworn Officer	18.30%	81.70%	72.17%
Non-Sworn	49.15%	50.85%	27.83%
Total	26.89%	73.11%	100.00%

**2023 Demographics - Percentage of UPPS Employees by Gender**
	Female	Male	Total
Staff	25.69%	70.64%	96.33%
Sworn Officer	14.22%	60.09%	74.31%
Non-Sworn	11.47%	10.55%	22.02%
Technical Service	1.38%	2.29%	3.67%
Non-Sworn	1.38%	2.29%	3.67%
Total	27.06%	72.94%	100.00%

Veteran Demographics

**2024 Demographics - Percentage of UPPS Employees by Veteran Status**
	No	Yes	Total
Sworn	86.93%	13.07%	72.17%
Non-Sworn	88.14%	11.86%	27.83%
Total	87.26%	12.74%	100.00%

**2023 Demographics - Percentage of UPPS Employees by Veteran Status**
	No	Yes	Total
Staff	83.94%	12.39%	96.33%
Sworn Officer	65.14%	9.17%	74.31%
Non-Sworn	18.81%	3.21%	22.02%
Technical Service	3.67%	0.0%	3.67%
Non-Sworn	3.67%	0.0%	3.67%
Total	87.61%	12.39%	100.00%