Penn State's Board of Trustees met on Friday, Nov. 17, 2006, on Penn State's University Park campus. The following items were presented to the board for action or informational purposes:
Penn State Board of Trustees meet; President Spanier's remarks
Penn State's Board of Trustees held its regular, bi-monthly meeting Nov. 17 on Penn State's University Park campus. In his opening remarks to the board, President Graham B. Spanier reported that the University already is seeing an increase in applications for next year, over what was an all-time record for fall 2006. He said members of the board should feel very good about how Penn State is being perceived by students and their families, as reflected in the extraordinary popularity of the institution. Spanier also drew attention to a new effort the University has undertaken to enhance coordination and collaboration among the many and varied green energy research projects under way and planned across the University. Penn State also is partnering with Pennsylvania's Workforce Investment Board and the Commonwealth's Department of Labor and Industry on the Pennsylvania Plastics Initiative. nering with Penn State on the Pennsylvania Plastics Initiative. Funded with $4.2 million from the U.S. Department of Labor and state government, the initiative is creating a statewide network of plastics companies, workforce and economic development organizations, and education institutions. Spanier also reported that for the seventh straight year, Penn State Hershey Medical Center has been selected for the Consumer Choice Award, which is judged annually by the National Research Corp., an independent health-care performance measurement company. Finally, he ended his report with praise for the Penn State women's soccer team, which won its ninth consecutive Big Ten title and swept the Big Ten Tournament Title for the fourth time.
Read the full text of the president's remarks at http://live.psu.edu/story/20887
New gift for honors college boosts Schreyer family commitment beyond $58 million
Penn State's Schreyer Honors College has received a $25 million gift commitment from its namesakes, William and Joan Schreyer, to support scholarships and other student and faculty programs. University President Graham B. Spanier made the announcement at today's Board of Trustees meeting (Nov. 17). The Schreyers endowed the college at its founding in 1997 with a $30 million gift. Together with support for other Penn State initiatives, their total philanthropic commitment to Penn State now exceeds $58 million. "Thanks to Bill and Joan's previous philanthropy, the Schreyer Honors College in less than a decade has earned a national reputation as one of the nation's finest honors education programs," said Penn State President Graham B. Spanier. "Now, through this latest act of tremendous generosity, the Schreyers have given the college the resources it needs to enrich the education of promising young scholars in extraordinary ways."
Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/20892
Town-gown collaboration remains strong on many fronts
Penn State has one of the best "town-gown" relationships in all of higher education, according to Vicky Triponey, vice president for Student Affairs. Triponey told the Board of Trustees today (Nov. 17) that the University benefits from a very positive atmosphere of cooperation and mutual respect between campus and community law-enforcement agencies. "In the process, I believe we are finding unprecedented success in teaching Penn State students priceless lessons about being law abiding, respectful and active citizens who embrace and support the necessary standards and expectations of our community," Triponey said as she introduced Stephen Shelow, director of University Police; Thomas R. King, chief of police, State College Borough; and Thomas J. Fountaine II, manager, State College Borough, to talk about law enforcement, student safety and community partnerships.
Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/20891
Penn State sees enrollment growth; minority enrollment, applications reach record levels
With more than 83,000 enrolled students, record numbers of minority students and current levels of applications exceeding the rate of last year's highest-ever total, Penn State remains one of the nation's most popular destinations for higher education. More students are attending Penn State than any other university in the Northeast, according to official enrollment figures for the 2006-07 academic year. A total of 83,721 students are enrolled at 24 campuses, including 42,039 at University Park. The official University enrollment figures represent a one-day snapshot of the student body, typically taken several weeks into the fall semester. "Penn State could well be the most popular university in the country," said Randall C. Deike, associate vice president for enrollment management and executive director for undergraduate admissions. "With record numbers of applicants and a significant increase in the percentage of admitted students accepting their offer of admission, prospective students and their families place a high value on a Penn State experience and a Penn State degree. The increases in enrollment across the University are even more significant as they come at a time when Pennsylvania is beginning to experience a decline in high school graduates, a trend expected to continue through 2015."
Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/20889
Provost responds to Spellings Commission Report
Penn State already has in place a number of the recommendations made in the much-publicized report by the Spellings Commission on the Future of Higher Education, according to Rod Erickson, executive vice president and provost. In remarks to the Penn State Board of Trustees today (Nov. 17), Erickson said the University has taken steps to control costs while maintaining academic quality, provided extensive information to prospective students and their families, and been a leader in educational innovation and outcomes assessment. "The report provides much food for thought, although it is difficult to capture the essence of a sector as complex as higher education in a mere 30 pages of text. There is much to commend the report, but it also raises many questions that are not adequately addressed," Erickson said.
Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/20885
Trustees approve final plans for Student Health Center
Approximately 400 Penn State students are served daily by University Health Services and Counseling and Psychological Services, and in recent years those services have been constrained by limited space and privacy in existing facilities. The University took another major step in addressing that challenge Friday (Nov. 17) as Penn State's Board of Trustees approved final plans for the construction of the new Student Health Center. "This new 63,000-gross-square-foot facility will support the highest professional standards of practice in a state-of-the-art, supportive and caring environment," said Gary C. Schultz, senior vice president for finance/treasurer of the University.
Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/20884
Penn State York science building named to honor Elias
The science building at Penn State York will be named to honor one of the campus' founders, Edward M. Elias, following approval from the University's Board of Trustees Friday (Nov. 17). Elias, who became the campus' first full-time employee and faculty member in 1950, oversaw Penn State York's transition from a part-time extension program known as the Penn State General Extension Center in York to a complete undergraduate campus during his term as the campus director. "Ed Elias provided important leadership for Penn State York for more than three decades," said John J. Romano, vice president for Commonwealth Campuses at Penn State. "I am delighted that his many contributions to the University are recognized in the naming of this science building in his memory."
Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/20886
Trustees set room and board rates for 2007-08
The University's Board of Trustees Friday (Nov. 17) received an update on the state of Housing and Food Services at Penn State, and approved a modest increase of 4.82 percent to Penn State's average room and board rates, effective for the 2007-08 academic year at all nine of the University's residential campuses, including University Park. The room and board schedule is part of the 2007-08 Housing and Food Services budget of $145.1 million authorized by the board. Housing and Food Services at Penn State is an auxiliary enterprise, operating independent of tuition and state subsidies received by the University. "The Housing, Food Service and Residence Life programs are entirely self-sustaining enterprises of the University and receive no direct financial support from tuition or state funds," said Gail A. Hurley, associate vice president of auxiliary and business services. "The room and board rate proposal supports normal increases in annual operating expenses, and subsidizes an ongoing program of updating existing facilities with new amenities and safety features, such as sprinklers."
Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/20888
Trustees approve three honorary degrees
Penn State's Board of Trustees today (Nov. 17) approved the granting of honorary doctorates to Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAD); Anna Quindlen, noted author and Newsweek columnist; and Luo Shiming, former president of the South China Agricultural University. Each recipient will speak and receive an honorary degree at one of the University's 2007 commencement ceremonies.
Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/20890