University Park

Penn State Board of Trustees to meet in New York City

New York, NY -- When Penn State's Board of Trustees holds its first-ever meeting in New York City later this week it will serve as a reflection of the University's growing prominence on the national stage.

Scheduled to meet in New York City on Thursday and Friday, March 18 and 19, the board will take part in opening session bell-ringing at the New York Stock Exchange on Friday morning, receive an overview of the University's research work and contributions to homeland security, and get a sense of the Penn State theater program's impact on Broadway.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will address the group Thursday evening and there will be a meeting with major University donors from the area. During the recent Grand Destiny fund-raising campaign at Penn State one-sixth of the total, or approximately $200 million, was raised from donors in the New York City area.

Penn State has almost 21,000 alumni living in the New York City metro area, the fourth largest metro area in the nation for University alumni, outside of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg. In fact, the New York metro alumni population is larger than it is for any state, other than Pennsylvania.

Rafael Vinoly, a design finalist for the memorial planned for the World Trade Center site and the designer of Penn State's newly opened IST Building, will also address the Board along with experts in the hospitality industry, investment services, academic healthcare and from Wall Street.

Penn State has the largest alumni association in the nation; receives more applications than any other school in the country; and is one of the largest research centers in the United States, with $545 million in research last year.

Penn State's Board of Trustees meet every other month, with two of those meetings usually occurring at a campus outside of University Park.

Two years ago the Board held its March meeting in Washington, DC, tying in sessions with legislators, government leaders, Defense officials, and higher education association officials.

Extra costs associated with the New York City meeting will be underwritten by private funds.

Last Updated March 19, 2009

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