UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Frank Sisti, a College of Education alumnus who graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in secondary education, has enjoyed a long and successful career. Since his graduation, he has earned multiple graduate degrees, including a doctorate in management and organizational leadership. His successful career has included work in project management, risk management and software leadership. Sisti has also held multiple leadership positions in the military, serving in Vietnam, South Korea and as staff director on two commissions for President Ronald Reagan. Currently, he is the executive director of the Systematic Leadership Institute in Phoenix.
But on a dark night in 1963, Sisti’s future did not always seem so bright. Fortunately for Sisti, he encountered a Penn State legend who showed him what it means to be a Penn Stater.
“A fond memory of my Penn State experience would have to be when I entered my sophomore year,” said Sisti. “I was coming to University Park from the Penn State Forestry Academy at the Mont Alto campus.”
Sisti said he had finished preparing his matriculation cards, which were used by students to obtain a seat in a particular class by going to the main floor of Rec Hall and literally holding up their cards when professors opened their classes. At the end of the day, he said he felt that he had constructed a solid term of classes. However, after speaking to his roommate, he discovered that he had botched his class times.