UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State's Board of Trustees today (Sept. 19) authorized the University to submit an appropriation request for fiscal year 2015-16 to the state in the amount of $307.1 million. The Committee on Finance, Business and Capital Planning recommended the action at its meeting on Thursday. For details, click here.
In other action, the board:
-- Authorized the increase of funding for the East Campus Steam Plant project on the University Park campus to $16.2 million. The project, initially authorized in March 2011 at $13.5 million to construct 5,000 feet of high-pressure steam line to distribute additional steam capacity, ran into several unforeseen issues, including the need to postpone and then re-bid a significant portion of the project. Construction on the project will be complete by October.
-- Re-appointed J. David Rogers, chief executive officer of J.D. Capital Management in Greenwich, Conn., and Gary Glynn, president and chief investment officer (Retired) of U.S. Steel and Carnegie Pension Fund of New York, to membership in the Penn State Investment Council, with terms expiring in 2017. The council provide direct oversight of the University's endowment and long-term investment program.
-- Authorized the University to file articles of incorporation necessary to establish a Pennsylvania Nonprofit Corporation known as Penn State Health, and to take such other actions as are required in order to form the corporation. For details, click here.
-- Approved the purchase and installation of a new, vendor-based Human Resources Information System at a total capital cost not to exceed $18 million. The University's current system was developed more than 25 years ago, and its operational limitations have impaired the ability of the Office of Human Resources, the Payroll Office and other key stakeholders to provide 24/7 web-based services to faculty, staff, colleges, departments and central administrative units. Limitations also impair the ability to respond in a timely manner to federal mandates as well as policy and procedural changes. After conducting a comprehensive needs assessment, cost/benefit analysis and extensive vendor demonstrations the steering committee recommended unanimously that a modern-day Software-as-a-Service system would provide the greatest functionality, flexibility and scalability to the University, in the shortest amount of time, with a longer technology base, and with the long-term lowest cost.
-- Approved the appointment of Lawrence H. Lokman as vice president for Strategic Communications, effective Oct. 8.
-- Confirmed the recommendation to continue the appointment of A. Craig Hillemeier as chief executive officer of Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center; senior vice president for Health Affairs; and dean of the Penn State College of Medicine, until such time as a national search is successfully concluded.
-- Removed the interim designation and confirms the appointment of Neil A. Sharkey to serve as vice president for Research until such time as a national search is successfully concluded.
-- Elected the following people to the Board of Directors of the Corporation for Penn State: Eric J. Barron, Kathleen L. Casey, Mark H. Dambly, Keith W. Eckel, David J. Gray, A. Craig Hillenmeier, Edward R. Hintz Jr., Nicholas P. Jones, Keith E. Masser, Daniel S. Mead and William F. Oldsey.