Smeal College Board of Visitors gathers for fall meeting

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State Smeal College of Business Board of Visitors gathered for their fall meeting on Oct. 10 and 11.

The two-day event began with an update from Charles Whiteman, the John and Becky Surma Dean of Smeal, on the state of the college, including enrollments, faculty hiring and research activities. A full slate of meetings included an opportunity for the board to give feedback on Smeal’s strategic plan and future college initiatives.

“It is really meaningful for us as a college to have this opportunity to hear from the distinguished members of our board,” said Whiteman. “Their feedback helps provide us with an external perspective on the opportunities and challenges our students will face when they graduate.”

Board members also had several opportunities to meet with students, including a lunch with sustainability students on Friday, and board member Karen Quintos, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Dell, took some time on Friday afternoon to network with Penn State Smeal MBA students.

Lizabeth H. Zlatkus, retired executive vice president and chief risk officer at the Hartford Financial Services Group Inc., is the Board of Visitors chair, and the vice chair is Lou Grabowsky, managing partner at Grant Thornton. View a full list of Board of Visitors members at www.smeal.psu.edu/about/advisory/bov.

The Board of Visitors was formed in 1989 to serve as a corporate board of advisers focused on providing counsel and stimulating advances in areas of strategic importance to Smeal and Penn State. They meet once every semester to provide recommendations on new initiatives, offer feedback, and connect with the Smeal community.

Other advisory boards in Smeal include the Alumni Society Board, which focuses on interaction among alumni and with students and faculty, and the Sustainability Advisory Board, which works with the college’s Sustainability Council to help guide the sustainability agenda.