From teaching and conducting University business to commencements, ribbon-cutting ceremonies and homecoming parades, the life of Penn State’s 18th president varies day-to-day. This gallery provides a few snapshots of moments from a leader who oversees the state's sole land-grant institution encompassing more than 88,000 students, $1 billion in research expenditures, and 24 locations across the commonwealth.
Administration
In photos: President Barron through the years
Credit: PENN STATE. All Rights Reserved.
Penn State President Eric J. Barron and his wife, Molly Barron, in 2015. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State President Eric J. Barron in 2019. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State President Eric J. Barron, along with the Nittany LIon Shrine, pose for photographs showing off their new "WE ARE" masks during an event on Aug. 20, 2020, promoting Penn State's "Mask Up or Pack Up" campaign to encourage mask wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State President Eric J. Barron welcomed graduates, families and friends to the livestream of Spring 2020 Commencement ceremony on the afternoon of May 9, 2020. The broadcast also included live remarks from Executive Vice President and Provost Nicholas Jones, along with a variety of videotaped features and special guest appearances. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
Newly named Penn State Athletic Director Sandy Barbour marvels at the size of the video boards that were installed in Beaver Stadium during the off-season, as she chats with Penn State President Eric J. Barron, left, and head football Coach James Franklin. Barbour was introduced as the University's next athletic director during a press conference held Saturday, July 26, 2014, at the stadium. Credit: Annemarie Mountz / Penn State. Creative Commons
In 2018, Penn State President Eric J. Barron, center, prepares to cut the ribbon during a celebration to dedicate the Mont Alto LaunchBox. Joining him, from left to right, are Richard Heddleson, regional director for the South Central Office of the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central and Northern Pennsylvania; Mike Ross, Franklin County Area Development Corp. president; Francis K. Achampong, Penn State Mont Alto chancellor; Lynn Dietrich, Penn State trustee; State Rep. Paul Schemel; Neil Sharkey, Penn State vice president for research; and assisting with the ribbon is Madlyn Hanes, Penn State vice president for Commonwealth Campuses and executive chancellor. Credit: Debra Collins / Penn State. Creative Commons
Chunlan Mo, a junior studying mathematics, observes the eclipse with Penn State President Eric J. Barron. A large crowd gathered on the steps of Old Main to observe the eclipse in 2017. Credit: Curtis Chan / Penn State. Creative Commons
Sgt. Maj. Roger Craig shakes hands with Penn State President Eric J. Barron during the military honor cords ceremony on the University Park campus. Craig was one of 20 sergeants major to receive a master's degree through Penn State World Campus in 2018. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State President Eric J. Barron reviewed his agenda for the day with Carmella Mulroy-Degenhart, executive assistant to the president, on the morning of May 12, 2014, the president's first day as leader of the University. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State President Eric J. Barron signs a solar panel at the groundbreaking for a utility-scale solar project in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 6, 2019. The project, a partnership between Penn State and Lightsource BP, will provide 25% of Penn State’s purchased electricity over the next 25 years. Credit: Ryan Smith Productions. All Rights Reserved.
Penn State President Eric J. Barron leads a discussion in his Presidential Leadership Academy (PLA) class in 2015. Through this PLA class, which Barron has taught since 2014, Penn State students have the opportunity to learn directly from the president, as well as the dean of Schreyer Honors College, to develop critical thinking and leadership skills, with a focus on navigating complex topics and representing diverse communities and stakeholders. Credit: Michelle Bixby, Penn State / Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State President Eric J. Barron, center, experienced a virtual reality environment while participating in a tour at The Dreamery in 2018. The Dreamery, located in the Shields Building on the University Park campus, is Teaching and Learning with Technology’s co-learning space where Penn Staters can explore emerging technologies. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon, left, and Axalta Chairman and CEO Charlie Shaver, right, presented Penn State President Eric J. Barron with a model of the newly unveiled Penn State race car during festivities held April 14, 2015, on the University Park campus. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State President Eric J. Barron waved to the throngs lining the streets of the University Park campus and downtown State College for the annual Homecoming Parade on the evening of Oct. 22, 2021. Credit: Patrick Mansell. All Rights Reserved.
Penn State President Eric J. Barron chatted with new international students and their families at the 2016 Welcome Reception for New International Scholars held Aug. 12, 2016, outside Penn State's Old Main. Visit Global Penn State. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
Molly and President Barron pose for a photo during the 40th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Banquet in 2015. Credit: Michelle Bixby, Penn State / Penn State. Creative Commons
A ceremonial groundbreaking for the new Palmer Museum of Art was held on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. Left to right: Erin Coe, director of the Palmer Museum of Art; B. Stephen Carpenter II, dean of the College of Arts and Architecture; Penn State President Eric J. Barron; Board of Trustees member Rob Fenza; Rich Bundy, vice president for Development and Alumni Relations; and Chelsea Grassinger, principal, Allied Works. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
President Eric J. Barron at Board of Trustees meeting in 2016. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
Old Main employees donned blue jeans on Jan. 24, 2020, to help support the Centre County United Way. Staff members each donated $10 to the local charity for the privilege of wearing jeans to the office and to show solidarity with United Way. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State President Eric J. Barron and other University leaders and community members took part in "Class of 2025: A Virtual Welcome to the Penn State Community" on March 25, 2021. The virtual welcome was a necessary and welcome event that took place during the coronavirus pandemic. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State President Eric J. Barron and Penn State Lehigh Valley Chancellor Tina Q. Richardson cut the ceremonial ribbon at the official ribbon cutting for the campus's $14.4 million expansion project in 2021. Credit: Dan Z. Johnson. All Rights Reserved.
Penn State President Eric J. Barron and his wife Molly Barron scan through a Daily Collegian newspaper from March 3, 1949. The newspaper was one of many artifacts from 1949 pulled from a time capsule found in Willard Building during the current renovation and construction project. The time capsule was opened in March of 2020. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State President Eric J. Barron, right, joined David Gray, senior vice president for Finance and Business at Penn State, at the annual University Staff Advisory Council awards ceremony on the afternoon of May 14, 2014, at the Nittany Lion Inn. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
In 2016, President Eric J. Barron speaks with students behind Old Main on the University Park campus of Penn State. Credit: Curtis Chan, Penn State / Penn State. Creative Commons
Framed by the American flag, Penn State President Eric J. Barron steps up to the podium onstage to welcome the assembled graduates to the Fall 2019 Commencement ceremonies. Credit: Michael Garrett / Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State President Eric J. Barron enters Beaver Stadium on the University Park campus with the grand procession during the 2021 Spring Commencement celebration for the Smeal College of Business. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State student Rebecca Clark took the opportunity to get a selfie with Penn State President Eric J. Barron during a Welcome Week reception held Aug. 23 at the HUB-Robeson Center. President Barron hosted the reception for the 2014 freshman class following New Student Convocation ceremonies at the Bryce Jordan Center on the University Park campus held earlier in the evening. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
The Lion Ambassadors welcomed Penn State President Eric J. Barron and his wife, Molly Barron, on board their flatbed truck as they rode through the University Park campus during the 2014 Penn State Homecoming Parade. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State President Eric J. Barron and his wife, Molly Barron, pose for a photo in the Arboretum at Penn State in 2015. Credit: Michelle Bixby, Penn State / Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State President Eric J. Barron in 2019. Credit: Michelle Bixby, Penn State / Penn State. Creative Commons
The Nittany Lion led a group that included Penn State President Eric J. Barron, his wife, Molly, State College Mayor Elizabeth Goreham and Director of University Police Tyrone Parham on LION Walk 2014. LION (Living in One Neighborhood) Walk is an annual event that promotes a respectful sense of community among Penn State students and borough residents. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State President J. Eric Barron and his wife, Molly Barron, were honored during a break in the action at the Military Appreciation Game against Rutgers at Beaver Stadium on Nov. 20, 2021. President Barron began his term as leader of the University in May of 2014 and will be retiring in 2022. Credit: Patrick Mansell. All Rights Reserved.
Penn State President Eric J. Barron addresses a crowd in the rotunda during Capital Day 2018 in Harrisburg on March 13, 2018. During Capital Day, Penn Staters visited the state Capitol Building in Harrisburg and met with their elected officials to share their stories illustrating the University’s unique value to Pennsylvania. Credit: Christie Clancy / Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State President Eric J. Barron and his wife, Molly Barron, in 2015. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State President Eric J. Barron in 2019. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State President Eric J. Barron, along with the Nittany LIon Shrine, pose for photographs showing off their new "WE ARE" masks during an event on Aug. 20, 2020, promoting Penn State's "Mask Up or Pack Up" campaign to encourage mask wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State President Eric J. Barron welcomed graduates, families and friends to the livestream of Spring 2020 Commencement ceremony on the afternoon of May 9, 2020. The broadcast also included live remarks from Executive Vice President and Provost Nicholas Jones, along with a variety of videotaped features and special guest appearances. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
Newly named Penn State Athletic Director Sandy Barbour marvels at the size of the video boards that were installed in Beaver Stadium during the off-season, as she chats with Penn State President Eric J. Barron, left, and head football Coach James Franklin. Barbour was introduced as the University's next athletic director during a press conference held Saturday, July 26, 2014, at the stadium. Credit: Annemarie Mountz / Penn State. Creative Commons
In 2018, Penn State President Eric J. Barron, center, prepares to cut the ribbon during a celebration to dedicate the Mont Alto LaunchBox. Joining him, from left to right, are Richard Heddleson, regional director for the South Central Office of the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central and Northern Pennsylvania; Mike Ross, Franklin County Area Development Corp. president; Francis K. Achampong, Penn State Mont Alto chancellor; Lynn Dietrich, Penn State trustee; State Rep. Paul Schemel; Neil Sharkey, Penn State vice president for research; and assisting with the ribbon is Madlyn Hanes, Penn State vice president for Commonwealth Campuses and executive chancellor. Credit: Debra Collins / Penn State. Creative Commons
Chunlan Mo, a junior studying mathematics, observes the eclipse with Penn State President Eric J. Barron. A large crowd gathered on the steps of Old Main to observe the eclipse in 2017. Credit: Curtis Chan / Penn State. Creative Commons
Sgt. Maj. Roger Craig shakes hands with Penn State President Eric J. Barron during the military honor cords ceremony on the University Park campus. Craig was one of 20 sergeants major to receive a master's degree through Penn State World Campus in 2018. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State President Eric J. Barron reviewed his agenda for the day with Carmella Mulroy-Degenhart, executive assistant to the president, on the morning of May 12, 2014, the president's first day as leader of the University. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State President Eric J. Barron signs a solar panel at the groundbreaking for a utility-scale solar project in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 6, 2019. The project, a partnership between Penn State and Lightsource BP, will provide 25% of Penn State’s purchased electricity over the next 25 years. Credit: Ryan Smith Productions. All Rights Reserved.
Penn State President Eric J. Barron leads a discussion in his Presidential Leadership Academy (PLA) class in 2015. Through this PLA class, which Barron has taught since 2014, Penn State students have the opportunity to learn directly from the president, as well as the dean of Schreyer Honors College, to develop critical thinking and leadership skills, with a focus on navigating complex topics and representing diverse communities and stakeholders. Credit: Michelle Bixby, Penn State / Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State President Eric J. Barron, center, experienced a virtual reality environment while participating in a tour at The Dreamery in 2018. The Dreamery, located in the Shields Building on the University Park campus, is Teaching and Learning with Technology’s co-learning space where Penn Staters can explore emerging technologies. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon, left, and Axalta Chairman and CEO Charlie Shaver, right, presented Penn State President Eric J. Barron with a model of the newly unveiled Penn State race car during festivities held April 14, 2015, on the University Park campus. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State President Eric J. Barron waved to the throngs lining the streets of the University Park campus and downtown State College for the annual Homecoming Parade on the evening of Oct. 22, 2021. Credit: Patrick Mansell. All Rights Reserved.
Penn State President Eric J. Barron chatted with new international students and their families at the 2016 Welcome Reception for New International Scholars held Aug. 12, 2016, outside Penn State's Old Main. Visit Global Penn State. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
Molly and President Barron pose for a photo during the 40th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Banquet in 2015. Credit: Michelle Bixby, Penn State / Penn State. Creative Commons
A ceremonial groundbreaking for the new Palmer Museum of Art was held on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. Left to right: Erin Coe, director of the Palmer Museum of Art; B. Stephen Carpenter II, dean of the College of Arts and Architecture; Penn State President Eric J. Barron; Board of Trustees member Rob Fenza; Rich Bundy, vice president for Development and Alumni Relations; and Chelsea Grassinger, principal, Allied Works. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
President Eric J. Barron at Board of Trustees meeting in 2016. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
Old Main employees donned blue jeans on Jan. 24, 2020, to help support the Centre County United Way. Staff members each donated $10 to the local charity for the privilege of wearing jeans to the office and to show solidarity with United Way. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State President Eric J. Barron and other University leaders and community members took part in "Class of 2025: A Virtual Welcome to the Penn State Community" on March 25, 2021. The virtual welcome was a necessary and welcome event that took place during the coronavirus pandemic. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State President Eric J. Barron and Penn State Lehigh Valley Chancellor Tina Q. Richardson cut the ceremonial ribbon at the official ribbon cutting for the campus's $14.4 million expansion project in 2021. Credit: Dan Z. Johnson. All Rights Reserved.
Penn State President Eric J. Barron and his wife Molly Barron scan through a Daily Collegian newspaper from March 3, 1949. The newspaper was one of many artifacts from 1949 pulled from a time capsule found in Willard Building during the current renovation and construction project. The time capsule was opened in March of 2020. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State President Eric J. Barron, right, joined David Gray, senior vice president for Finance and Business at Penn State, at the annual University Staff Advisory Council awards ceremony on the afternoon of May 14, 2014, at the Nittany Lion Inn. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
In 2016, President Eric J. Barron speaks with students behind Old Main on the University Park campus of Penn State. Credit: Curtis Chan, Penn State / Penn State. Creative Commons
Framed by the American flag, Penn State President Eric J. Barron steps up to the podium onstage to welcome the assembled graduates to the Fall 2019 Commencement ceremonies. Credit: Michael Garrett / Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State President Eric J. Barron enters Beaver Stadium on the University Park campus with the grand procession during the 2021 Spring Commencement celebration for the Smeal College of Business. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State student Rebecca Clark took the opportunity to get a selfie with Penn State President Eric J. Barron during a Welcome Week reception held Aug. 23 at the HUB-Robeson Center. President Barron hosted the reception for the 2014 freshman class following New Student Convocation ceremonies at the Bryce Jordan Center on the University Park campus held earlier in the evening. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
The Lion Ambassadors welcomed Penn State President Eric J. Barron and his wife, Molly Barron, on board their flatbed truck as they rode through the University Park campus during the 2014 Penn State Homecoming Parade. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State President Eric J. Barron and his wife, Molly Barron, pose for a photo in the Arboretum at Penn State in 2015. Credit: Michelle Bixby, Penn State / Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State President Eric J. Barron in 2019. Credit: Michelle Bixby, Penn State / Penn State. Creative Commons
The Nittany Lion led a group that included Penn State President Eric J. Barron, his wife, Molly, State College Mayor Elizabeth Goreham and Director of University Police Tyrone Parham on LION Walk 2014. LION (Living in One Neighborhood) Walk is an annual event that promotes a respectful sense of community among Penn State students and borough residents. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
Penn State President J. Eric Barron and his wife, Molly Barron, were honored during a break in the action at the Military Appreciation Game against Rutgers at Beaver Stadium on Nov. 20, 2021. President Barron began his term as leader of the University in May of 2014 and will be retiring in 2022. Credit: Patrick Mansell. All Rights Reserved.
Penn State President Eric J. Barron addresses a crowd in the rotunda during Capital Day 2018 in Harrisburg on March 13, 2018. During Capital Day, Penn Staters visited the state Capitol Building in Harrisburg and met with their elected officials to share their stories illustrating the University’s unique value to Pennsylvania. Credit: Christie Clancy / Penn State. Creative Commons
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