UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Board of Trustees concluded its November meetings, giving final approval to several capital projects and electing new officers, among other actions, Nov. 7-8 at the University Park campus.

The trustees approved:

• A new classroom building at the University Park campus;
• A new building for the Applied Research Laboratory at Innovation Park;
• The renovation and additions to the historic Sackett Building at University Park;
• The construction of a new Academic Learning Center at Penn State Harrisburg;
• A ground lease agreement with a developer to build a 1,500-bed housing project at University Park; and
• Revised assessment criteria for trustee candidates.

The board elected new officers with David Kleppinger named chair and Rick Sokolov named vice chair, whose terms begin immediately. Current chair Matt Schuyler concluded his tenure as board chair with the close of the November meeting.

The trustees welcomed two new members — Suzan Collins and Ken Kane — recently appointed by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. Collins is a 1986 Penn State mechanical engineering graduate and is director of the family office for Collins and Ganley, P.C., a Pittsburgh-based firm that offers accounting, tax, bookkeeping, payroll and family office services to businesses and individuals. Kane is a 1982 Penn State forest products graduate and is senior adviser at Generations Forestry, director of Hamin Bank and Trust Company and a board member of the Pennsylvania Department of Conversation and Natural Resources advisory council.

The board also recognized the departure of trustees Abe Amoros and Terry Pegula as they completed their service to the board.

As part of President Neeli Bendapudi’s report to the board, trustees heard a presentation by Patrick Mather, dean of the Schreyer Honors College, and honors students Olivia DiPrinzio and Morgan Dawkins on recruiting top student talent to Penn State.

During the board’s Nov. 7 committee meetings, trustees heard a number of reports from Penn State leaders, including:

•  A research ranking discussion by Andrew Read, senior vice president for research, to the Committee on Research and Technology on the University’s progress toward President Neeli Bendapudi’s goal of growing Penn State’s interdisciplinary research excellence. Read highlighted the collective success of Penn State’s faculty in driving the University’s record $1.337 billion in research expenditures for fiscal year 2023-24, an 8% increase over the previous year. Penn State’s strategic investments in areas of national priority, along with strong leadership and support from the board, may help Penn State rise from its current ranking of all U.S. universities at No. 28 back to the top 15, which is where the University ranked for 25 years starting in 1988, Read said. He suggested an important aim should be not just total research expenditures, but also the number of areas in which Penn State is top ranked to promote a breadth of excellence. Read said Penn State already has intentional strategies in place to grow investment in existing areas of strength, and additional investment will be critical for the University to increase its ranking. He pointed to significant potential to increase industry-sponsored research, and to further foster and support faculty work in commercializing ideas and inventions. Read said Penn State should investigate potential incentive structures for research commercialization and large multi-principal investigator grants.
• An overview of market trends impacting the higher education enrollment landscape by Matt Melvin, vice president for enrollment management, to the Committee on Student Success. Melvin talked about changing and shifting demographics; college attendance rates and patterns; academic program expansion and market demand; college application trends and impact on yield; intensified price competition; and volatility in international markets. Melvin said the University is responding to these broader trends by systematically and strategically building pipelines and pathways; adopting a University-wide territory management approach to recruitment with particular emphasis on the Pennsylvania market; enhancing the value proposition of a Penn State degree by leveraging the capabilities and capacities of the University’s vast and powerful alumni network; and developing a more coordinated approach to marketing and recruitment.
• A diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) update from SeriaShia Chatters, interim vice provost for educational equity, to the Committee on Equity and Human Resources on Penn State’s strategic goals related to DEIB. Chatters provided the trustees with a broad overview of her office’s mission, key focus areas and impact, as well as presented strategic objectives and opportunities for board engagement. Chatter’s presentation was followed by an overview of the University’s DEIB training for faculty and staff presented by Christy Helms, director of talent management for Penn State Human Resources.

Recordings of the meetings are available on the Board of Trustees website.

The board’s next regularly scheduled public meeting is set for Feb. 20-21 at the University Park campus.