Trustees honor Barron for University service, dedication

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Board of Trustees recognized retiring University President Eric J. Barron today (May 6) with several honors for his distinguished record of academic leadership and meritorious service to Penn State as president. 

“During his past eight years as president, Eric has hed Penn State through a remarkable period of transition, transformation and growth, while continuing to focus on the University’s mission of teaching, research and service,” said Matt Schuyler, chair of the Board of Trustees. “His efforts have touched every facet of campus life, includind promoting greater access and affordability, as well as diversity and inclusion; bolstering the University’s support for active-military student veterans; and growing the University’s world-class research enterprise.” 

In recognition of Barron’s efforts, the board: 

Renamed the Penn State Innovation Hub: The board officially renamed the Penn State Innovation Hub in downtown State College as the “Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub Building” in honor and recognition of Barron’s dedicated service and leadership to the University.  

Barron’s Invent Penn State effort is one of the president’s signature achievements, designed to foster and support entrepreneurship at campuses and communities across Pennsylvania. Since its inception in 2015, Invent Penn State has supported 4,976 entrepreneurs, graduated 464 startups from accelerator programs and helped start 218 new Pennsylvania companies. 

Invent Penn State also spawned a LaunchBox and Innovation Hub Network, which encompasses 21 publicly available locations across the commonwealth, including the newly named Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub Building.  

Opened in November 2021, the Barron Innovation Hub is a six-story, state-of-the-art, multi-use building fully focused on innovation. The 85,000-square-foot facility serves as the home of Happy Valley LaunchBox and features makerspaces, a virtual-reality/immersive technology laboratory, student club storage, a sixth-floor vista point/overlook event space and collaboration areas designed to accelerate innovation, technology commercialization and local startup companies through peer learning, knowledge sharing and mentorship.  

The Barron Innovation Hub also houses the dean’s suite for the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, where Barron served as dean from 2002 to 2006, and as founding director of the Earth Systems Science Center — one of the first major initiatives focused on the total study of Earth as a system — from 1986 to 2002. Barron also served as director of the Earth and Mineral Sciences Environment Institute from 1998 to 2002.  

Contributed to the Eric and Molly Barron Student Food Security Endowment: The board, along with members of the President’s Council and Academic Leadership Council, provided contributions to the couple’s food security endowment. President Eric Barron and First Lady Molly Barron established the endowment with a $525,000 gift that provides support to purchase University meal plans for undergraduate Penn State students who encounter food insecurity, a key priority during Barron’s presidency. 

Bestowed the Penn State Medal: When it was adopted in 1957 by the Board of Trustees, the Penn State Medal was intended to recognize and honor the achievements of people who have made an outstanding contribution to higher education in Pennsylvania.  

The board revised the medal’s criteria in 1987 to recognize individuals in Pennsylvania whose accomplishments in general or on behalf of higher education specifically serve as an inspiration for similar high-level achievement by Penn State students.  

In addition to Barron, only three others have received the honor: President Emeritus Rodney Erickson, President Emeritus Joab Thomas and President Emeritus Bryce Jordan.  

Barron’s Penn State Medal was presented in a custom display crafted from a Penn State elm.

Granted emeritus status: Barron was awarded the status of president emeritus and professor emeritus of geosciences.