In the News
May 24, 2001

Changes coming to
state retirement code
On May 8, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed House Bill 26 to amend the provisions of the State Employee's Retirement Code by enhancing retirement benefits and reducing the vesting period. Gov. Tom Ridge signed the bill into law on May 17. Most changes incorporated in the law will become effective July 1.

Undergraduate research
is on the increase
Research is a significant element in undergraduate education at Penn State, with more than 5,000 undergraduates participating in some form of research this past year.

Board adopts interim
budget of $2.16 billion
The Board of Trustees adopted an interim maintenance and operating budget of $2.16 billion during its recent meeting.

Groundskeepers keep campus
in tip-top summer shape
The University presents its prettiest face from May through the summer months when the elms create a living canopy over the mall and the flower beds around the sundial at The Nittany Lion Inn sparkle with color. But, the campus doesn't get that pretty by itself.

News Bureau announces
change in leadership
The Penn State News Bureau, part of the Department of Public Information, is getting a new look.

Commission for Women
announces new membership
The Commission for Women, an advisory body to the University president since 1981, has announced the appointment of 12 new members. In addition, the commission has named its executive committee for 2001-2002.

Access the world with
a Penn State account
In the new millennium, universities are depending on electronic resources as never before. These services, many scholars agree -- along with electronic directories and the World Wide Web -- are becoming indispensable to the University community. None of it would be possible, however, according to Russell Vaught, associate vice provost for information technology, without a system known as the Penn State access account.

Spiritual Center plans
proceed on schedule
With the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center Inaugural Celebration completed, plans are proceeding on schedule for the project on the University Park campus.

Penn College unit to train
auto-body shops on regulations
Over the next four years, a mobile training unit operated by Pennsylvania College of Technology will travel around the state, showing auto-body shops how to comply with new air-quality regulations and boost profits in the bargain.

Non-lethal weapons testing
proves many inaccurate
In the five decades since the inception of the University's Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) as a Navy-sponsored research organization, priorities within the defense industry have gradually expanded from preparing for war to also keeping the peace.

Students' pledge
boosts endowment
Nearly three years ago, Bebago Lugogo was attending Smeal College's Diversity Appreciation Weekend when he heard an alumnus say, "The greatest ambition in life is not to stand on top of the world. It is to reach down and lift up your people." Now the second-year MBA student is getting ready to graduate. He also is one of seven members of the Minority MBA Association who recently pledged $14,000 to the "Vernis Welmon Endowment for MBA Minority Affairs and International Programs."

PENNTAP aided 500 firms,
gave $11.4 million in benefits
The University's Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program (PENNTAP) provided 640 cases of technical assistance to 500 businesses in all 67 counties in 2000.

$460,000 grant links state
with South African university
The University Office of International Programs (UOIP) has received a $460,000 grant from the Tertiary Education Linkage Program (TELP) on behalf of the Pennsylvania Academic Consortium, which is composed of Penn State, the University of Pittsburgh and Lincoln University.

Indoor track dedicated to
alumnus Olympic gold medalist
Penn State officials recently dedicated the 200-meter indoor track at the University's Multi-Sport Facility in honor of Olympic gold medalist and alumnus Horace Ashenfelter and his wife, Lillian, of Glen Ridge, N.J.

Proposals sought for
Faculty Technology Initiatives
Faculty are invited to submit ideas about using technology to solve instructional challenges to the Faculty Technology Initiative program.

University represented in
Congressional internship program
An undergraduate student with a dual major in labor and industrial relations and political science is one of just 30 students nationwide to be selected for a 2001 Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Summer Internship in Washington, D.C. Roberto Santoni, who just completed his junior year, is the only Penn State student to be chosen from a field of approximately 1,000 applicants.

New child-care center slated
to open at Penn State Fayette
This summer Penn State Fayette will unveil its newly renovated, 47,570-square-foot Eberly Building housing a child-care facility, The Cub's Den, which is an extension of Duck Hollow Discovery Learning Center, operated by Rebecca Belski.

Team of students to compete
at FutureTruck competition
Students from the Society of Automotive Engineers and the Pennsylvania Transportation Institute have been invited to bring the Power Lion, a hybrid electric vehicle, to the weeklong 2001 FutureTruck competition starting June 4 at the General Motors Proving Ground in Milford, Mich.

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