County Commissioners report on revitalized Happy Valley economy
By Chris Buchignani According to many accounts, Happy Valley derives its monicker from the unusual economic resiliency that the region enjoyed throughout the Great Depression. This legacy lives on, according to Commissioner Mark Higgins, who invoked the story in delivering a promising report with his fellow commissioners on the state of Centre County. The Chamber […]
Is Penn State moving from ocean liner to an agile speed boat? Here are 5 disrupters leading “purpose, agility, opportunity”
By Chris Buchignani On February 27, President Bendapudi shared her vision for the University with a focus on five key areas. Here’s what it looks like, and who is leading the disruption. Student success: Dr. Justin Schwartz, Interim Executive Vice President and Provost, is charged with elevating the overall Penn State […]
Presidential Goal #5: Transform Penn State’s internal operations
By Chris Buchignani Dr. Michael Wade Smith, a long-time trusted advisor to President Bendapudi, is tasked with combatting bureaucratic creep, modernizing operations, and restructuring the University’s finances. He will lead the charge on improving operational efficiency, setting spending priorities, and attracting and retaining top talent. He will be joined by co-leads Kathy Bieschke (Vice Provost […]
Presidential Goal #4: Foster diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging
By Chris Buchignani Dr. Marcus Whitehurst, Vice Provost for Educational Equity, will take the lead on ensuring a safe, welcoming Happy Valley experience for all who come to study, teach, work, and live at Penn State, with a focus on identifying shortfalls and closing gaps in serving underserved populations. That will include evaluating current conditions […]
Presidential Goal #3: Increase land-grant impact
By Chris Buchignani Dr. Larry Terry, Vice President for Outreach, will lead up an initiative of particular interest to us here at HappyValley Industry. His charge to ensure the University continues to hew closely to its founding mission as Pennsylvania’s sole land-grant institution means not only keeping its traditional focus on agriculture vibrant and relevant […]
Presidential Goal #2: Grow interdisciplinary research excellence
By Chris Buchignani Dr. Lora Weiss, senior vice president for Research will have the job of maintaining the scope and status of Penn State’s billion-dollar research juggernaut while identifying ways to spark innovation and increase competitiveness. Navigating this challenging arena will mean finding and keeping diverse, top-tier faculty, exploring potential new fields/areas of study, and […]
Presidential Goal #1: Enhance student success
By Chris Buchignani Dr. Justin Schwartz, Interim Executive Vice President and Provost (former Dean of the College of Engineering) is charged with elevating the overall Penn State experience for students across the University system. This effort encompasses the academic resources available to students as well as those geared toward life outside the classroom and after […]
