Administration

Board of Trustees actions: May 18, 2007

Penn State's Board of Trustees met on Friday, May 18, 2007, on Penn State's University Park campus. The following items were presented to the board for action or informational purposes:

Penn State Board of Trustees meets; President Spanier's remarks
Penn State's Board of Trustees held its regular, bi-monthly meeting May 18 at the Penn State University Park campus. In his opening remarks to the board, President Graham B. Spanier reported that 10,634 students will graduate this weekend University-wide, including 542 with associate degrees; 8,465 with baccalaureate degrees; 1,335 with graduate degrees; 126 with medical degrees; and 166 with juris doctorate degrees. He also celebrated the accomplishments of the Penn State men's gymnastics team, which won its NCAA-record 12th national championship; and the men's and women's fencing team, which also earned a national title. On a more somber note, he addressed the tragedy at Virginia Tech and outlined Penn State's safety, security, communications, emergency response and overall preparedness.
Read the full text of the president's remarks at http://live.psu.edu/story/24318

Donor commits funds to launch Arboretum at Penn State
Penn State President Graham B. Spanier announced today (May 18) a gift commitment of $10 million from University alumnus and State College resident Charles H. "Skip" Smith to launch construction of The Arboretum at Penn State. The University's Board of Trustees will recognize this lead gift by naming the H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens in honor of Charles Smith's late father, a State College contractor and real estate developer. Occupying nearly 400 acres of land extending west and north from Park Avenue to the Mount Nittany Expressway, the Arboretum will be open to the public. The master plan for the arboretum, developed by the University in conjunction with the firm Marshall-Tyler-Rausch, includes plantings of species from around the world and state-of-the-art educational and research facilities. Future plans for the Arboretum include an education and visitors center, conservatory and children's garden.
Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/24349

Center leading the way in ethics and religious programming, support
When deciding on a college four years ago, Lauren Mack was concerned about how a large institution might affect her faith traditions, her ethics and morals. Graduating from Penn State this weekend, Mack looks back on her time at the University as one that, in part, enabled her to develop her own Catholic faith while enriching her knowledge and bringing her closer to a diverse student body of varied religious and spiritual beliefs. Mack joined a panel representing student affairs and Penn State's Center for Ethics and Religious Affairs (CERA) in an informational report to the University's Board of Trustees Friday (May 18) on CERA and its services to the University Park community and beyond.
Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/24340

Schreyer Honors College reviews decade of distinction, future of honors education
Honors education for undergraduates in Penn State's Schreyer Honors College means not only opportunities for academic and research excellence, but also an emphasis on ethical leadership, global perspectives and civic engagement, noted Dean Christian M.M. Brady in a report to Penn State's Board of Trustees today (May 18). In September 1997 William and Joan Schreyer endowed the former University Scholars Program, established in 1980, with a $30 million gift to create the Schreyer Honors College and, in William Schreyer's words, "to attract students from all walks of life to Penn State, and nurture and inspire responsible citizenship and a global perspective among students." To kick off the college's 10th anniversary in November 2006, the Schreyers enhanced their commitment to the college with an additional $25 million endowment.
Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/24348

Adult learner education a priority
The need for an educated and well-trained workforce, a prerequisite for national, state and regional economies to stay competitive, is the driving force behind the growing numbers of adult learners nationally and at the University, Vice President for Outreach Craig Weidemann reported to the Board of Trustees today (May 18). By highlighting demographics and workforce needs, Weidemann stressed the importance of adult learners not only to the University, but also to Pennsylvania's economy.
Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/24341

Board hears review of Faculty Senate efforts
The past academic year saw efforts advanced by Penn State's University Faculty Senate to address several student- and faculty-related issues, outgoing Senate Chair Joanna Floros told the University's Board of Trustees Friday (May 18). For several years, the Senate and University administration have worked to determine the success of the First Year Seminar, a University-wide academic requirement. Floros noted that this year the Senate passed a recommendation to charge an ad hoc committee with developing potential solutions for or suitable alternatives to the debated general education requirement, and said a report will be issued next spring.
Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/24344

Trustees agree to re-establish lease
Penn State's Board of Trustees on Friday (May 18) agreed to re-establish the terms of a land lease with the U.S. Government at University Park Airport due to delays in the development and construction of new training facilities for the Pennsylvania National Guard at the site. In May 2005, the Board approved a 6.36-acre land lease with the U.S. Government for a Pennsylvania Army National Guard training facility at the airport. The term of the lease was to begin in 2005 and terminate in 2040, with three consecutive five-year renewal options. The trustees also approved extending the existing adjoining 22.62-acre land lease for the Pennsylvania Air National Guard training facility to coincide with those terms.
Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/24343

Curtin Road transit project offers safety, convenience to public-transportation patrons
Penn State's Board of Trustees approved today (May 18) a 30-year agreement with Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) to have the University construct and maintain a Curtin Road bus transit center near the northwest corner of Pattee Library and Fisher Plaza. The project is funded by the University with support from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through a grant from CATA. Construction of the new transit center adjacent to Pattee Library is scheduled to begin at 6 a.m. on Monday, May 21, 2007.
Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/24350

Trustees approve interim budget for 2007-08; Penn State awaits approval of appropriation
Penn State adopts an interim budget each year so that it has an approved fiscal operating plan from the beginning of the fiscal year, July 1, until the next year's actual budget is approved by the University's Board of Trustees. Today (May 18), the board approved an interim maintenance and operating budget of $3,222,631,000. This budget supports all Penn State operations and enterprises throughout the commonwealth.
Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/24346

Trustees approve granting of honorary degrees
Penn State's Board of Trustees today (May 18) approved the granting of an honorary doctor of humane letters to Lee S. Shulman, president of The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Shulman will receive an honorary degree in May 2008 at the College of Education commencement ceremony. Shulman has headed The Carnegie Foundation in Stanford, Calif., since 1997. The foundation, created by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1906, has a mission to uphold the cause of higher education.
Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/24345

Trustees re-appoint three to Penn State Hershey Medical Center board
The Penn State Board of Trustees on May 18 approved the re-appointment of Steve A. Garban, L.J. Rowell Jr. and Gary C. Schultz to the Board of Directors of the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Each appointment is for a three-year term ending June 30, 2010. Garban is the vice president of the Board of Trustees at Penn State and serves as a director of Metropolitan Life Series Fund in Boston and is the lead independent director. Rowell is a retired chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of Provident Mutual Life. Schultz is senior vice president for finance and business/treasurer of the University.
Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/24347

Penn State announces results of trustee elections
Penn State alumni, delegates of agricultural societies and the board (representatives of business and industry endeavors) recently elected six incumbents and one new member to serve on the University's Board of Trustees. University alumni re-elected incumbents Steve A. Garban, vice president of the Board of Trustees, Paul V. Suhey, a board certified orthopedic surgeon and George T. Henning, former Chief Finance Officer of LTV Corp. Delegates of agricultural societies re-elected Keith W. Eckel, a partner of the Fred W. Eckel Sons Farms, Inc. in northeast Pennsylvania and Samuel E. Hayes, Jr., former Secretary of Agriculture for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The board elected two trustees representing business and industry trustees: incumbent Edward P. Junker III, chairman and CEO of PNC Bank Northwest PA and vice chairman of PNC Bank Corp (retired) and John P. Surma, chairman and chief executive officer, United States Steel Corp.
Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/24351

Last Updated March 19, 2009

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