Administration

Board of Trustees actions: Nov. 2, 2007

Penn State's Board of Trustees met on Friday, Nov. 2, 2007, on Penn State's University Park campus. The following items were presented to the board for action or informational purposes:

Penn State's Board of Trustees meets; President Spanier's remarks

Penn State's Board of Trustees held its regular, bi-monthly meeting Nov. 2 at the Penn State University Park campus. In his opening remarks to the board, President Graham B. Spanier noted that five Penn State faculty members recently garnered international attention as part of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change which shared in the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. On a more somber but proud note, Spanier recognized alumnus Lt. Michael P. Murphy, a Navy SEAL who was recently awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award, for his heroism in Afghanistan, during which he gave his life to help his team.

For the full text of the President's remarks visit http://live.psu.edu/story/27021.


Enrollment and admissions data reflective positive trends for University

Penn State is one of America's most popular universities, a notion supported by University-wide applications of 99,791 for 2007, noted Robert N. Pangborn, vice president and dean for undergraduate education, to the University's Board of Trustees Friday (Nov. 2). In 2006 Penn State received 16.3 percent more undergraduate applications than the prior year, a total of 61,103, which pushed the University's overall application total to a record 94,506. That trend continued in 2007 with another 5.7 percent increase, and at present, total applications received for the 2008 class is 5 percent ahead of the number for a comparable date last year. Such trends have been reflected across the University -- for instance, the university experienced a 6.3 percent one-year growth in graduate applications, with increases among both domestic and international applicants, for a total of 18,420 in 2007. Based on an annual "snapshot" taken at the end of the sixth week of fall semester classes, Penn State's 2007 system-wide enrollment stands at 90,609, including all undergraduate, graduate, online, law and medical students.

Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/27040


Undergraduate student aid remains challenging for students from all backgrounds

Penn State's efforts to lessen the financial impact of attaining an undergraduate degree are having a positive effect on thousands of high-achieving students who demonstrate the greatest financial need. However, cost trends in public higher education are necessitating greater burdens of student debt at all income levels. "When we look at the average debt of graduating students by income, we find that our lower income students, even with the receipt of federal and state grants, still borrow more than the average across all students," said Anna Griswold, Penn State assistant vice president for Undergraduate Education and executive director of student aid, in a report to the University’s Board of Trustees Friday (Nov. 2).

Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/27041.


Online enrollments continue to grow as World Campus approaches 10th anniversary

With the launch of the World Campus in 1998, Penn State expanded its reach worldwide. The World Campus now ranks as one of the 10 largest online learning campuses in the United States and online enrollments are increasing by more than 25 percent annually, according to Vice President for Outreach Craig Weidemann. In a report Friday (Nov. 2) to the Penn State Board of Trustees, Weidemann said that since its founding nearly a decade ago with just 41 students, the World Campus has grown to more than 7,000 students worldwide and features one of the largest and most diverse online learning portfolios in the country. The 7,000-student figure includes not only students who are enrolled solely in the World Campus, but also students who are enrolled at a Penn State campus and are simultaneously enrolled in the World Campus as well.

Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/27022.


Trustees approve new name for Delaware County campus

Penn State's presence in the Greater Philadelphia region, southern New Jersey and the state of Delaware will be taking on a new name: Penn State Brandywine. Approved Nov. 2 by the University's Board of Trustees, the name change is intended to strengthen the image of a high-quality campus and to distinguish the campus from other educational institutions in the Delaware County area. The move also reflects the campus' continuing influx of students from neighboring counties and regions, and from out-of-state."Since opening its doors 40 years ago to several hundred students in the immediate community, the campus has grown to approximately 1,700 students," said Penn State President Graham B. Spanier. "But in recent years, the campus has shown a steady increase in students from nearby Chester County, the city of Philadelphia, parts of southern New Jersey and the state of Delaware. The change of name to Penn State Brandywine more accurately reflects its geographical region and avoids confusion with other local institutions that share the 'Delaware' name."

Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/27023


Trustees name architects for biological research lab, Berks classroom building

Penn State's Board of Trustees Friday (Nov. 2) announced architects for two campus construction projects, a classroom building at the Berks campus and a biological research laboratory at the University Park campus. Based on an ongoing trend of rapid growth, including an additional 164 students this academic year, the Berks campus has identified a need for a new classroom building that will greatly increase available general classroom and departmental space.

Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/27052


University extends lease with Centre Region Recreation Authority

Penn State's Board of Trustees Friday (Nov. 2) approved extending the University's lease agreement with the Centre Region Recreation Authority, to a new term starting Jan. 1, 2008 through Dec. 31, 2042 for 63.2-acre property near the interchange of the Mount Nittany Expressway (Route 322) and East College Avenue, east of Puddintown Road. The original lease allowed the creation of a regional nature center in a wetlands area known as Millbrook Marsh. It was originally approved in November 1996 for 35 years, with three successive five-year renewal options. The intent of the agreement is for the Centre Region Recreation Authority to maintain and protect the marsh ecosystem, open space and water resources along the Spring Creek corridor as a public asset. The Centre Region Recreation Authority intends to build an education building on the leased land.

Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/27027.


Master plan for Mount Nittany Medical Center provides green light for future growth

Thirty-five years after building what is today Mount Nittany Medical Center on land provided by Penn State, the local health care facility now has a master plan that will establish a medical sub-campus on 154 additional acres owned by the University. Penn State's Board of Trustees Friday (Nov. 2) approved the plan, which is a joint effort between Mount Nittany Medical Center and Penn State. The master plan encompasses the 154 new acres plus the existing 29-acre site where Mount Nittany Medical Center is currently situated. Under an affiliation agreement signed in April 2006 by Penn State, its Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Mount Nittany Medical Center, the organizations agreed to strengthen clinical care and provide additional resources for patients in the Centre Region. They also agreed to jointly develop a master plan for the Medical Center that would assure wise use of the property and protect the valuable natural resources adjacent to the Medical Center.

Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/27028.


Final plans approved for Dickinson School of Law Building in Carlisle

Final plans for renovations and additions to Trickett Hall at Penn State's Dickinson School of Law Carlisle campus received approval from Penn State's Board of Trustees Friday (Nov. 2). An advanced audiovisual telecommunications network will connect the building with the law school's new facility at University Park, enabling students and faculty at either location to access on a real-time, interactive basis classes or programs at either location.

Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/27051.


Trustees set room and board rates for 2008-09

The Board of Trustees Friday (Nov. 2) was updated on a number of significant enhancements for Housing and Food Services. As a result of increased operating costs, the board approved an increase of 6.8 percent, or $245, to Penn State's average room and board rates, effective for the 2008-09 academic year at all nine of the University's residential campuses, including University Park. The room and board rates are part of the 2008-09 Housing and Food Services budget of $154.5 million authorized by the board. The proposal encompasses the changes in annual operating expenses as well as costs associated with life safety initiatives and the expense of renovations and upgrades to existing facilities. The biggest increase in expenses for Housing and Food Services is utilities, which are estimated to increase by nearly 11 percent, or more than $1.8 million, in 2008-09. Inflation is expected to drive up food costs by 4 percent.

Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/27026.

 


Penn State's financial condition remains healthy

 

Penn State's financial health remained strong during the last fiscal year that ended June 30, according to a report presented today (Nov. 2) to the University's Board of Trustees. Solid investment performance contributed to the soundness of the balance sheet, said Joseph Doncsecz, University corporate controller. Doncsecz presented the findings of the annual independent financial statement audit done by Deloitte & Touche LLP at the board's regular meeting. Deloitte & Touche issued an unqualified opinion based on their audit.

Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/27024.

 


Distinguished filmmaker, philanthropist/studio executive to receive honorary degrees

 

Penn State's Board of Trustees approved Friday (Nov. 2) the granting of honorary degrees to Academy Award-winning director William Friedkin and philanthropist Sherry Lansing, a pioneering studio executive and movie producer and the first female movie studio head. This is the first time Penn State has honored a married couple. Lansing will receive a doctor of humane letters degree and Friedkin will receive a doctor of fine arts degree at the May 2008 commencement.

Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/27030.

Last Updated March 19, 2009

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