UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Facilities Engineering Institute (PSFEI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Bodenschatz, PE, CSSP, to the role of associate director, effective Sept. 18.
Bodenschatz fills the role which has been vacant since John Hajduk was named director of the institute in March 2017.
Bodenschatz serves as the subject matter expert (SME) on various building infrastructure systems. He meets with clients, oversees quality assurance of deliverables to the client and maintains budgets to ensure that income and expenditures are within fiscal requirements. Other responsibilities include execution of personnel activities including hiring, conducting reviews, developing staff and leadership and ensuring that staff are meeting their objectives.
After an extensive and thorough search, Hajduk believes PSFEI has made an excellent choice in Bodenschatz. “When we first launched the search for this position, we considered applications from a large variety of applicants, both within the University and externally,” said Hajduk. “PSFEI is unique in that it blends industry, public service and education, so finding the best fit was no easy task. Mark brings a great deal of experience to the role and I am looking forward to having him on our team.”
Bodenschatz joins PSFEI from Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics (ICA), where he served for over 10 years as associate athletic director for facilities and event operations. In that role, he served as facilities coordinator for all athletic facilities, managed major and minor maintenance and projects, conducted capital planning and managed a staff of building coordinators, event staff, information technology and other support staff. In addition, Bodenschatz served as director of game-day operations at Beaver Stadium.
Prior to joining ICA, Bodenschatz served for over 16 years in a variety of roles at the Office of Physical Plant (OPP) including director of design and construction, director of Commonwealth services and manager of design services. Before OPP, Bodenschatz worked for two architectural engineering companies.
Some of Bodenschatz’s greatest career accomplishments include management of design and construction contracts for the ICA Facilities Master Plan, Morgan Academic Center, Pegula Ice Arena, 2010 Beaver Stadium renovation and IM Building renovation and expansion. He also served as project manager at OPP for the Sarni Tennis Center, Multi-sport Facility, Lasch Football Training Facility, 2001 Beaver Stadium expansion and the design of the Bennett Childcare Facility.
“My role will draw on much of my experience and expertise and will bring me back to core engineering, which is a passion of mine. I also have a heart for leading and mentoring people and absolutely love teaching,” said Bodenschatz, “Frankly, this job seems to be the perfect fit for my skills, experience and interests. I am truly looking forward to this new opportunity.”
Bodenschatz earned a Bachelor of Architectural Engineering, Environmental Systems Option, and a Master of Engineering in Architectural Engineering, both from Penn State. He is a licensed mechanical engineer in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as well as a certified sports security professional.