New discretionary fund to honor retiring Penn State Smeal Dean Charles Whiteman

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Smeal College of Business Board of Visitors has created a new discretionary fund to honor Charles H. Whiteman, John and Karen Arnold Dean, who will retire on June 30, following 12 years of service.

The Charles H. Whiteman Dean’s Discretionary Fund will be available to Whiteman’s successors to support areas such as academic programs and initiatives, faculty research expenses, faculty and staff programs and facilities enhancement.

“Dean Whiteman has been a great leader for the college,” said Smeal Board of Visitors Co-Chair Salomon Sredni, the managing director of Ocean Azul Partners. “Over the years, he often shared just how important it was for him to have discretionary funds available for the things he felt were priorities for Smeal. It seemed fitting that we thank him for his great leadership by creating a dean’s discretionary fund that bears his name.”

Whiteman said he hoped that people will remember his responsiveness to the changing landscape of business education, and in particular the great expansion of the portfolio of lifelong learning opportunities that has occurred at Smeal in the past dozen years. Under his leadership, Smeal launched a new certificate in business for non-Smeal undergraduate students, introduced several new Smeal majors, significantly increased master’s-level professional graduate offerings and added a new Doctorate in Business Administration program.  

Lara Warner, the chair of Smeal’s Board of Visitors and a risk and controls executive, offered her appreciation for Whiteman’s leadership.

“The last few years have been particularly challenging for higher education,” Warner said. “The increasing prevalence of remote learning, the rise of AI [artificial intelligence], a new University budget model and enrollment growth are just a few of the challenges facing Smeal, and Dean Whiteman has done an outstanding job of not only managing those challenges but positioning the college for even greater success under the next dean. I’m thrilled to learn that donors outside the Board of Visitors are hearing about this fund and are also making gifts to honor Dean Whiteman’s legacy.”

Whiteman said he was humbled to have his name attached to such an important philanthropic resource for the college.

“I’ve been fortunate to oversee several such discretionary funds in my time as the John and Karen Arnold Dean of Smeal, and many good things have been possible because of this support,” he said. “As my successors administer the fund to make Smeal an even better college, I know they will remember it was the generous supporters of one of their own that made meaningful outlays possible.”

While Whiteman and his wife, Claire, will be moving to Iowa later this year, he said they will always consider themselves Penn Staters.

“This is an extraordinary community. Our time at Penn State has been special for us, and I am so grateful to our alumni and friends for welcoming us and allowing us to be a part of it these last 12 years,” he said. “Even from afar, Claire and I will be cheering for Smeal’s success for the rest of our lives.”

Gifts to the Charles H. Whiteman Dean’s Discretionary Fund, which can be made at raise.psu.edu/DeanWhiteman, advance the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students to join the Penn State family and prepare for lifelong success; driving research, outreach and economic development; and increasing the University’s impact for students, families, patients and communities across the commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting raise.psu.edu.