'It's all about the students': Penn Staters reflect on President Barron's legacy

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — As Penn State President Eric J. Barron prepares to retire following spring 2022 commencement ceremonies, members of the Penn State community have begun to reflect on the far-reaching impact he’s had on the University over the last eight years, ranging from student success, and access and affordability, to statewide economic development initiatives, the arts, and diversity, equity and inclusion.

“When he began his presidency, Dr. Barron laid out six challenging imperatives that he was committed to accomplishing,” said Madlyn Hanes, retired senior vice president for Commonwealth Campuses and executive chancellor. “They were ambitious, but no one could argue their timeliness and importance. He stayed laser-focused on each, adding others that became timely as his presidency evolved, and accomplished them all — far exceeding expectations, far exceeding aspirations. What a joy to work with someone who is passionate about the academy and the good — the extraordinary good — the University can do to advance its mission as a major public research, land-grant institution.”

Following a 20-year career in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences — starting in 1986 as a faculty member and center director, then as dean from 2002 to 2006 — Barron returned to the University in 2014 as its president. He knew firsthand of Penn State’s ability to make a difference and quickly set the institution on a path to elevate its impact in Pennsylvania and beyond.  

“It was a great day for Penn State when Eric and Molly Barron decided to return,” said Tom Poole, retired vice president for administration. “Eric helped us to think about things in new ways — student debt and time to graduation, the entrepreneurial potential of faculty and students, and innovation hubs to serve the commonwealth, to name a few. Their legacy includes the example they set of values-based leadership. Their sincerity, empathy, compassion and devotion to just causes will never be lost on Penn State.”

An approachable and empowering leader

Barron has “helped make Penn State elite without being elitist,” said Keith Masser, trustee emeritus, who chaired the University’s Board of Trustees when Barron was named president.

He also has been an approachable leader, always putting the best interests of the University and its students first, and he has provided calm, reassuring leadership even in the most challenging times, a sentiment reflected by many former colleagues and students.

“President Barron had a steadying presence on the entire institution, consistently encouraging excellence and somehow prepared for anything that came our way,” said Nicholas Rowland, Penn State academic trustee, professor of sociology, and past chair of the University Faculty Senate. “We addressed the senate together the day after the entire University went online in the earliest days of the [COVID-19] pandemic. None of us knew what to expect or precisely what to do or how to do it well. As we started the senate meeting, he looked me in the eyes and said in an astonishingly assuring tone, ‘We'll get through this.’ The ground around my feet felt somehow firmer in that moment. That's leadership.”

Throughout his career, colleagues have lauded Barron for his unique ability to bring out the best in others with a leadership style that encourages and seeks out fresh ideas and diverse viewpoints when making decisions.

“As a leader of one of the smallest units within the Penn State portfolio, President Barron has always treated me as one of the most influential members of the Penn State community,” said Danielle Conway, dean of Penn State Dickinson Law and Donald J. Farage Professor of Law. “How and why, you might inquire? The answer is simple: President Barron has the superpower of showing everyone how important they are to the success of Penn State. I knew when the president reached out by phone or by email, he was doing so out of a genuine need to receive the benefit of your expertise. He is brilliant exactly because he observes and acknowledges the capacity within others. He draws it out of you for the benefit of Penn State.”

Lee Kump, John Leone Dean of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, who joined the EMS faculty with Barron in 1986, said that Barron’s collaborative leadership style dates to his earliest days as director of the Earth System Science Center.  

“As director of the Earth System Science Center, then as dean of EMS, and now as president of Penn State, Eric has been an empowering leader, one who facilitates the development of good ideas rather than throwing up hurdles one must clear to win his support,” Kump said. “He’s been my ideal of an effective administrator, and I've strived to model my leadership after his.”

A student-centered approach

Despite the demands of leading one of the nation’s largest public research institutions, Barron has remained committed to and connected with Penn State’s student body, never losing sight of the fact that a university exists to serve its students.  

“It’s all about the students for Dr. Barron — ensuring that students at Penn State have a quality experience, receive an excellent education, have meaningful co-curricular opportunities, feel welcomed and included, have a warm place to sleep, nutritious food to eat, and an academic path and the financial means for completing their degrees,” said Tracey Huston, vice president for Outreach. “The students serve as his North Star and guide his decision-making for the institution.”

An educator at heart, Barron has said that he still counts teaching among his greatest joys, as evidenced by the class he’s taught throughout his presidency as part of Penn State’s Presidential Leadership Academy (PLA).

“That Dr. Barron consistently made the Presidential Leadership Academy a priority speaks volumes to his commitment to the student body,” said Emily Briselli, a Penn State alumna and former PLA student. “Every week, he made it a priority to sit down and have thoughtful discussions with us, and then to follow up with us after class to delve further and share other resources.”

Barron’s commitment to students is perhaps best exemplified through his work around access and affordability, which has focused on keeping a Penn State education within reach for all ambitious, academically talented students, regardless of background or financial means. To that end, he led the creation of programs under Achieve Penn State to help students graduate on time and with less debt, prioritized student scholarship support as a central part of the University’s $2.1 billion “A Greater Penn State” campaign, and worked tirelessly to control student costs. In four of his eight years as president, Barron worked closely with the Board of Trustees to freeze in-state tuition University-wide. He consistently underscored the fact that tuition is only one factor in the total cost of education, and that graduating on time also is a key determining factor.

“Dr. Barron's legacy reflects his empathy for real issues faced by students and his determination to find solutions,” said Rob Pangborn, retired vice president and dean for Undergraduate Education. “His active support of the unique program Pathways to Success: Summer Start as a bridge to college studies, as well as other scholarship and programmatic support comprising the Open Doors initiatives — the Student Transitional Experiences Program, RaiseMe, Complete Penn State and Smart Track to Success — are examples of Dr. Barron's deep understanding of the student experience.”

Barron also has focused resources to address student food and housing insecurity, launching a task force to find solutions to this important issue and personally committing, along with his wife, Molly, $525,000 to establish the Eric and Molly Barron Student Food Security Endowment, which will provide University meal plans for undergraduate students who encounter food insecurity.

“When I think of Dr. Barron, I think of him consistently describing Penn State as a ‘ticket to upward mobility,’” said Najee Rodriguez, president-elect of the University Park Undergraduate Association. “He is absolutely correct, and it is, because of him. I have struggled for most of my life, never thinking I could make it into college as a first-generation college student. Penn State has changed my life, and I can move upward because of this institution and what Dr. Barron cultivated it to be.”

A personal commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion

“Eric's mind and heart have been most strongly joined in his work and statements around issues of diversity, equity and inclusion,” said Damon Sims, vice president for Student Affairs. “His sincere personal commitment to these purposes has propelled the University community to a higher level of commitment, too.”

Over the course of his presidency, Barron has prioritized initiatives to help make Penn State a more diverse, equitable and inclusive institution. This includes appointing a Select Presidential Commission on Racism, Bias and Community Safety to review the University’s operations and advance greater diversity, equity and inclusion and convening a task force to review the Student Code of Conduct, which resulted in new provisions for acts of bias and discriminatory harassment.

Nyla Holland, a University alumna and past president of Penn State’s Black Caucus, co-chaired the Student Code of Conduct Task Force with Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia, professor and associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion at Penn State Law, during the summer and fall of 2020.

“Dr. Barron empowered Shoba and I to do our best work, defended the work of the task force, and created a precedent for what [similar] efforts at the University should look like, and who they should be led by,” said Holland. “His consistent concern and regard for the task force, personal transparency that allowed us to strategize effectively, and sincerity were very supportive in such a stressful and momentous time.”

While Barron has said that work must continue on this critical issue, Penn State has made strides under his leadership to increase underrepresented student enrollment, diversify its senior leadership, and create a more welcoming campus environment through services, support, dialogue and awareness. Barron also was instrumental in securing more than $26 million for equity scholarships through the Educational Equity Matching Program, providing valuable resources to help Penn State recruit and retain students from diverse backgrounds.

“The University is now in position to provide greater funding opportunities to our high-need students, which will help shorten the time to graduation for many of our Pell-eligible and first-generation/low-income student populations,” said Marcus Whitehurst, vice provost for Educational Equity. “For years to come, Dr. Barron's impact will be remembered each time Penn State graduates a student who received a scholarship from the Educational Equity Matching Program. This will have a greater impact on the retention of our students who contribute to the diversity of the University.”

A vision for the future

As president, Barron has advocated for the totality of the University and encouraged excellence across disciplines, a stance that has resulted in new facilities for academic programs ranging from engineering to communications to the liberal arts. He has been a champion of the arts in particular, believing strongly that spaces for the arts are just as important as science labs to Penn State’s mission, and was the driving force behind the creation of the new, future home for the Palmer Museum of Art.

“Dr. Barron came to Penn State with a deep understanding of the value of the arts to higher education and his role as a steward of these significant cultural resources,” said Erin Coe, director of the Palmer Museum. “His vision to establish a cultural gateway to Penn State by locating the new building for the Palmer Museum in the Arboretum and creating a cultural destination for the entire region will greatly benefit the quality of life for the residents of our community and the quality of the economy for local businesses.”

Barron also saw the immense potential for Penn State to become an economic driver for the commonwealth and grow Pennsylvania’s innovation economy. Understanding that University researchers needed resources to move their discoveries from the lab to the marketplace, and recognizing Penn State’s unique position to help student, employee and community entrepreneurs alike, Barron spearheaded the creation of Invent Penn State in 2015.

“One of the most impactful aspects of President Barron's vision was opening up [Invent Penn State’s] resources to all citizens of the commonwealth,” said Lee Erickson, associate director of economic development and student programs. “There is no other university that has the statewide footprint that Penn State does. And, as such, there is no other university that is poised to move the needle for so many. Key to this was President Barron's vision to reinvent the land-grant mission and marshal Penn State resources to fuel economic development.”

Invent Penn State’s LaunchBox and Innovation Hub Network now spans 21 locations in Penn State campus communities statewide, putting 96% of Pennsylvanians within a 30-mile drive of a LaunchBox location. These hubs are part of Barron’s vision for economic development extension as part of Penn State’s modern land-grant mission.

“His Invent Penn State and the LaunchBox initiatives were extraordinarily transformative,” said Penn State New Kensington Chancellor Kevin Snider. “We pursued Dr. Barron’s goal of economic development through our Corner LaunchBox and the results have fundamentally transformed a Rust Belt city and our campus.”  

Throughout his presidency, Barron has been a steadfast proponent of the University’s historic land-grant partnership with the commonwealth, believing strongly in Penn State’s ability to better society through its missions of teaching, research and service.

“We are an applied college,” said Rick Roush, dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences. “We work at the nexus of food, fiber, energy, environment, community and economic sustainability. We have a Penn State Extension presence in every county, applying the research we do here, there. Having a president that understands the unique role and value of the land-grant legacy and the need for public-private partnerships to leverage that legacy has been priceless.”

When he was hired as Penn State’s 18th president, Barron said that his previous two decades at the University taught him “what it meant to continually strive for excellence — to make every year stronger than the year before.” Over the last eight years, that continuous commitment to excellence and improvement has defined his presidency.   

“Eric joined us for the closing celebration of our previous fundraising campaign, ‘For the Future, the Campaign for Penn State Students,’” recalled Peter Tombros, a Penn State alumnus and University philanthropic and volunteer leader. “As part of the campaign closing program, a student scholarship recipient shared that he asks himself every morning, ‘What can I do more and what can I do better?’ That quote really struck Eric. In the seven years that have passed since that day, I’ve heard Eric reference that student frequently, and I know that Eric regularly asks himself the same question: What can he do more and what can he do better?”

Editor’s note: Additional thank-you messages, tributes and well wishes for President Barron from the Penn State community and local and state leaders can be read by clicking here.