Editor’s note: These briefs cover action by the Board of Trustees today. Go to http://www.psu.edu/ur/NEWS/TRUSTEES/index.html and click on May 12 for the full stories.
PSU ALUMNI LEAD NATION IN NUMBER OF GIFTS TO UNIVERSITY
For the third consecutive year, Penn State leads the nation in the number of alumni making gifts annually to their universities, according to figures recently made available by the Council for Aid to Education (CAE). For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, 72,208 Penn State alumni made gifts to their university. The University of Michigan ranked second, receiving gifts from 68,602 of its alumni. Harvard University ranked third with gifts from 65,496 alumni. Among Big Ten public universities, Penn State also ranked first in the percent of alumni who made gifts in fiscal 1999. For more on this story by Mike Bezilla, go to http://www.psu.edu/ur/pinews For a more complete list of rankings in the categories that measure how Penn State compares with other universities philanthropically, go to http://www.psu.edu/ur/about/bigten/rankings.html
IMPACT! CHANDRA IMAGES SUPERNOVA BLAST WAVE
Two images made by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, one in October 1999, the other in January 2000, show for the first time the full impact of the actual blast wave from Supernova 1987A (SN1987A). The observations are the first time that X-rays from a shock wave have been imaged at such an early stage of a supernova explosion. Recent observations of SN 1987A with the Hubble Space Telescope revealed gradually brightening hot spots from a ring of matter ejected by the star thousands of years before it exploded. Chandra's X-ray images show the cause for this brightening ring. A shock wave is smashing into portions of the ring at a speed of 10 million miles per hour (4,500 kilometers per second). The gas behind the shock wave has a temperature of about ten million degrees Celsius, and is visible only with an X-ray telescope. "With Hubble we heard the whistle from the oncoming train," said David Burrows, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State who is the leader of the team of scientists involved in analyzing the Chandra data on SN 1987A. "Now, with Chandra, we can see the train." Images and more information on chandra can be found at http://chandra.harvard.edu And http://chandra.nasa.gov. For more on the College of Science, go to http://www.science.psu.edu
HOW CREDIT CARDS USED, NOT HOW MANY, IS THE ISSUE
For college students, it's not how many credit cards you own that makes you a materialist, but how you use them, a Penn State study shows. College students who rate themselves low on materialism own as many credit cards as their materialistic peers, but are less prone to use them to buy status symbol items. Those who rated themselves high on the materialism scale made significantly more credit card purchases of clothes and gifts supporting the belief that they place more value on the show of possessions as a means to enhance social status. Nevertheless, the self-styled materialistic students did not report significantly larger credit card balances than the low materialism group. While college students in general have more opportunities to have credit cards, the good news is that the default rate among them is lower than for the overall population. The research team included Mary Beth Pinto, assistant professor of marketing, Diane H. Parente, assistant professor of management and Todd S. Palmer, assistant professor of business law and management, all at Penn State Erie. For the full story by Paul Blaum, go to http://www.psu.edu/ur/2000/studentcreditcards.html
CENTER CONNECTS FOREST SCIENTISTS, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS
How a community handles development and land use directly affects water supply, stormwater, wildlife habitats, and stream management. As government agencies, businesses, and grassroots organizations work to change watershed-related policies, the need for professionals with interdisciplinary training climbs. With this in mind, the School of Forest Resources in the College of Agricultural Sciences joined with the Department of Landscape Architecture to form the Center for Watershed Stewardship with Director Kerry Wedel. Funded by a five-year, $1.78 million grant from the Heinz Endowment, the Center offers continuing education courses for professionals in the emerging field of watershed planning and management, as well as a graduate option in watershed stewardship for students in landscape architecture, forest resources, and wildlife and fisheries science. As part of the 19 to 22 credits of course work, graduate students work in teams on yearlong community service projects, called "Keystone Projects." The full article by Kim Dionis is online at http://www.psu.edu/dept/arts/news/4-00-connect.html
TRUSTEES RE-CREATE MEDICAL CENTER, APPOINT BOARD
The Trustees took final action toward completing the de-merger with the Geisinger Health System. As a result of the decision in November 1999 to end Penn State's affiliation with Geisinger on July 1, 2000 (the formal termination date of the affiliation), all personnel, equipment, licenses and other elements of the health care operations will be transferred to the control of the University. This will include re-acquiring the Community Health Center building on Fishburn Road in Derry Township that was conveyed to Geisenger in 1997. Today, the board approved the establishment of a new Pennsylvania nonprofit corporation controlled by the University and named "The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center" for the purpose of employing personnel, owning equipment and holding the hospital and other licenses necessary to provide health care services. They also appointed a board of directors.
DEAN REPORTS ON COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
In an informational report to the Board ,College of Education Dean David H. Monk focused on College priorities for the future. One of those is to assign a higher priority to teacher preparation. While two million new teachers will be working in the nation’s primary and secondary schools in the next decade, research universities typically prepare only a small proportion of needed teachers.
TRUSTEES APPROVE INTERIM BUDGET
Penn State adopts an interim budget so that it has an approved fiscal operating plan from the end of its fiscal year, July 1, until the next year’s budget is approved. The 2000 — 2001 Penn State Budget will be presented to the Board for approval July 14. Today the Board approved the interim maintenance and operating budget at the level of the 1999 — 2000 total operating budget of $1,582,168,000
PENN STATE DUBOIS GETS A NEW CAMPUS MASTER PLAN
DuBois is the latest Penn State campus to get a new campus master plan to guide its future growth and development. Approved today, the plan concentrates new development on the north side of Pa. Route 255. It calls for the acquisition of several properties over the next several years to concentrate campus buildings into a central core and provide needed parking. The campus has served the Clearfield County region since 1935, and since 1964 in its current location.
FINAL PLANS APPROVED FOR CHAPEL, BELL TOWER AT ERIE
With few changes, the final plans for the Larry and Kathryn Smith interfaith chapel and the Floyd and Juanita Smith Carillon bell tower at Penn State Erie, the Behrend College, were approved the Trustees today.
NEW GRADUATE HOUSING SLATED FOR UNIVERSITY PARK
Preliminary plans for the first new graduate housing at University Park since 959 were approved today. The new units will be built on the West Campus and will replace temporary housing built more than 50 years ago. The 75 single student apartment units and 126 family units will be built on the western edge of the West Campus, according to the Campus Master Plan.
LANDS AT STONE VALLEY INCREASE, HARRISBURG GETS A SWIMMING POOL
Stone Valley is about to get a bit bigger, thanks to the opportunity to purchase a 25-acre parcel of undeveloped wooded land adjacent to the experimental forest in Huntingdon County. The Board also approved the construction of a swimming pool addition to the Capital Union Building at Penn State Harrisburg for competition, leisure and physical therapy. It will be built in cooperation with the community.
PENN STATE ANNOUNCES TRUSTEE-ELECTION RESULTS
Penn State alumni, and delegates of agricultural and industrial societies elected three new member and four incumbents to serve on the University’s Board of Trustees. Newly elected are: David M. Joyner, M.D., chairman of the board and CEO of Elan Cosmetic Centers, Inc, Charles C. Brosius, former Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture and retired president of Marlboro Mushrooms, and re-elected Carl T. Shaffer, vice president of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, and Robert D. Metzgar, president and owner of North Penn Pipe & Supply, Inc. In addition, the Pennsylvania Senate last month confirmed the gubernatorial appointment of Robert A. Fortinsky, president of Fortune Fabrics, Inc. and president of Fortinsky Charitable Foundation.
NEW DEANS APPOINTED
The Board approved the appointment of Darrell G. Kirch, M.D, to be Senior Vice President for Health Affairs, as well as Dean of the College of Medicine and Chief Executive Officer of the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, and Judy D. Olian, to be dean of the Mary Jean and Frank P. Smeal College of Business Administration. Both appointments are effective July 1.
TRUSTEES APPROVE HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENTS
The Board approved the conferral of honorary degrees at future commencements to musician William "Billy" Taylor, actress Uta Hagen, and industrialist and philanthropist Kazuo Inamori .
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION SETS UP $10 MILLION FUND
In an unprecedented event in higher education, the Penn State Alumni Association has established its own $10 million endowment, with the earnings earmarked for annual philanthropy to the University. The monies, accumulated over a period of several years, were the result of successful investments and entrepreneurial activities. The funds do not come from membership dues.