PENN STATE PLUGS INTO WIND POWER
Demonstrating its commitment to renewable energy resources and the environment, Penn State has announced that it will sign a contract with Community Energy, Inc. (CEI), a renewable energy marketing firm, to purchase 5 percent of the University Park campus's electrical needs from wind energy over the next five years. The pledge establishes Penn State as a national leader in wind energy. By purchasing 13.2 million kilowatt hours annually--the energy output of three 215-foot tall windmills--Penn State will be the second largest user of retail wind energy in the United States. This energy source has zero emissions associated with it; compared to the average electric generation in the region, approximately 4,644 tons of coal and 7,914 tons of carbon dioxide emissions will be saved annually. This has the equivalent carbon dioxide benefits of taking 1,130 cars off the road or planting 2,152 acres of trees. For the full story by Paul Ruskin, visit http://www.psu.edu/ur/2001/windmills.html. Photos from the event are posted at http://www.psu.edu/ur/2001/windmillphotos.html.
M&T BANK'S SUPPORT TO PENN STATE TOPS $1 MILLION
M&T Bank's support of Penn State's Grand Destiny fund-raising campaign has now surpassed the million-dollar mark, according to Rod Kirsch, vice president for development and alumni relations at Penn State. The Buffalo-based bank began contributing to the campaign at its outset on July 1, 1996. M&'s gifts have now helped a variety of programs on five Penn State campuses. M&'s ongoing philanthropy supports a broad range of programs that have an important impact not only on our students and faculty, but on the quality of life in the campus communities, said Kirsch. We are grateful for their generosity and the wonderful example they have set for corporate support of higher education. For the full story by Mike Bezilla, visit http://www.psu.edu/ur/2001/mtbankgift.html.
VERTICAL DIFFERENTIATION GETS MIXED RESULTS
Many businesses and firms practice vertical differentiation when selling to consumers, creating multiple versions of a product with different quality levels and offer them at different prices. You see this every day as consumers buy television sets with different screen sizes, washers and dryers with varying capacity, and airline tickets based on class of service, explains Hemant K. Bhargava, professor of management science and information systems in Penn State's Smeal College of Business Administration. While this is generally a good pricing strategy when selling traditional goods like televisions, Bhargava's recent research finds mixed results for firms selling information goods, such as digitized books or music. This research is described in an article Information Goods and Vertical Differentiation appearing in the Fall 2001 issue of the Journal of Management Information Systems. For the full story by Steve Infanti, visit
http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/depth/october01/vertical.html.
CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS WINS DESIGN AWARD
The Center for the Performing Arts, part of the College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State, has earned the 2001 award of excellence for publication cover design from the University and College Designers Association (UCDA). The award was given at UCDA's annual conference conducted this year in Victoria, British Columbia. Urszula Kulakowski, the center's art director, designed the cover, which graced the 2001-2002 season brochure. Canadian artist Ferruccio Sardella provided the illustration for the cover. Kulakowski, who received art and graphic design training in her native Poland, joined the center's marketing and communications department in 1989. UCDA, which promotes excellence in visual communications for educational institutions, includes thousands of members from throughout the United States and Canada. For information about the 2001-2002 Center for the Performing Arts season, contact the center at (814) 863-0255 or visit http://www.cpa.psu.edu.