THON broke all records this year, raising more than $6 million and bringing the total raised since its inception to more than $50 million for the Four Diamonds Fund. The actual total raised was $6,615,318.04. "We went crazy when we saw the total," said dancer Allie DiCastro. "It's such a rewarding experience. It's something I'll have for the rest of my life." Fellow dancer Tina Clavvers agreed. "At times it definitely felt more difficult than we thought. But the last two hours we spent a lot of time with our families. When I got to dance with my THON child near the end it brought it all home and gave me lots of energy," she said. For a small sampling of photos from Friday, visit http://live.psu.edu/stilllife/1596 online; from Saturday, visit http://live.psu.edu/stilllife/1597 online; and from Sunday, including the total, visit http://live.psu.edu/stilllife/1598 online. For a larger collection of photos covering much of the activity from THON 08, visit http://live.psu.edu/stilllife/1599 online. For photos from THON Express, a 135- mile run that began at 6 p.m. on Feb. 21 at Penn State Hershey Medical Center, and ended on Feb. 22 at the Bryce Jordan Center, visit http://live.psu.edu/stilllife/1595 online.
The Office of the President has put out a call for nominations for individuals eligible to receive the Faculty Scholar Medal, which recognizes scholarly and creative excellence. The medal will be awarded to individuals in the following scholarly areas: arts and humanities; engineering; life and health sciences; physical sciences; and social and behavioral sciences. For information on deadlines for submitting nominations and accompanying materials, check with the dean's office in the individual colleges. Deans should submit final rankings of the recommendations from their areas to the senior vice president for research, via e-mail to [email protected] or mail to 304 Old Main, University Park, PA 16802, by Monday, Dec. 10. Chancellors from areas outside of University Park should submit recommendations to the vice president for Commonwealth Campuses or the dean of The Graduate School, as appropriate, by Monday, Nov. 12. The Faculty Scholar Medal, established by the Board of Trustees in 1980, will be given at the University Awards Program on Monday, March 24, 2008.
Making gifts ranging from several hundred dollars to the maximum $100,000, Penn State donors are taking advantage of benefits afforded by the recently passed Pension Protection Act of 2006. The act allows donors to make tax-free withdrawals from a traditional or Roth Individual Retirement Account (IRA) directly to a qualified charity. Distribution amounts are not included in the donor's gross income and do not factor into any charitable deduction that otherwise would apply to the donor, but will count toward the donor's minimum required distribution. Penn State alumnus Hal Marcus, who with his wife, Inge Marcus, have been benefactors of the College of Engineering, urged other donors to consider the opportunities presented by the Pension Protection Act in making their gifts. "This new legislation has given us one more creative way to give, and we encourage others who may be eligible to use their IRA fund to support Penn State in this way."
Every year as fans clamor to get tickets to big football games, unscrupulous entrepreneurs crop up to take advantage of those who are willing to spend more than face value to see their favorite teams play. The danger for the fans goes beyond shelling out big bucks, though. In recent years, it has become increasingly common for scalpers to sell counterfeit tickets. With No. 4 Michigan set to visit Penn State in a highly touted Big Ten matchup this weekend, Tom Sowerby, University Police supervisor, is concerned that fans will encounter problems with counterfeit tickets once again. "I think it is very likely that we will see counterfeit tickets for this game, especially since the ring leader of a group that was arrested for selling counterfeit tickets for Penn State's game at Notre Dame a few weeks ago was arrested here for the same offense in 1997," he said.
Penn State always does well in the rankings that are designed to help parents and students sift through the thousands of colleges and universities in this country to decide which will help them spend their money wisely. Once again this year, Penn State also has been recognized for the job it does in preparing its students to benefit the nation. Up three spots from last year, Penn State now is ranked No. 3 in the nation behind only Massachusetts Institute of Technology (first) and University of California, Berkeley (second) by Washington Monthly, a political, inside-the-beltway publication. The magazine ranks institutions as engines of social mobility; as producers of academic minds and scientific research that advance knowledge and drive economic growth; and as forces to inculcate and encourage an ethic of service.
Penn State's Board of Trustees met on Friday, May 12, on Penn State's University Park campus. Items presented to the board included President Spanier's opening remarks; information about the popularity of Penn State recreation programs, indicating how highly students value these types of activities as part of their collegiate experiences; a description of the University's comprehensive influenza pandemic plan; an outline of interdisciplinary research and education programs; and a review of Faculty Senate efforts in 2005-06.
The Penn State Commission for Women celebrated the accomplishments of women throughout the University's history, and honored some of the University's notable achieving women at its annual spring banquet, held Monday, April 3, at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel on the University Park campus. Penn State President Graham B. Spanier commended the commission for its work over the years. "Twenty-five years ago, those path-breaking women could not have known where their work would lead. They were simply trying to find their voice, and change minds and attitudes. But their work, and yours subsequently, has forever altered the face of our University," he said. In addition to honoring the 2006 Achieving Women Award winners and the Rosemary Schraer Mentor Award recipient, the commission recalled the women of Penn State's past through a program titled "A Legacy of Women's Voices," which was produced and directed by Jo Dumas, lecturer in communications, and performed by Helen Manfull, professor emeritus of theatre arts; graduate student Crystal Endsley; and Sherrin McKenzie, group and program sales coordinator with the Center for Performing Arts at Penn State. The Essence of Joy choir provided music for the program, which featured highlights from the commemorative book, "We are a Strong, Articulate Voice: A History of Women at Penn State," written by Carol Sonenklar. For photos from the event, visit http://live.psu.edu/still_life/2006_04_03_cfw/index.html online.
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Registrations still are being accepted from new and newly tenured faculty for the 11th annual Road Scholars Tour. The tour, scheduled for May 8-10, is designed to give new and newly tenured faculty the opportunity to visit several Penn State locations and Pennsylvania businesses to learn how the University is making a difference. The bus will depart from University Park, and over the course of the three days, will visit Penn State campuses, Pennsylvania businesses and popular historic sites, and learn about the University and the state along the way.
Penn State students, faculty and staff who plan to travel out of the country over the spring break will not face any official travel restrictions due to Influenza A H5N1 (avian influenza strain, also referred to as bird flu). The U.S. Department of State, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the World Health Organization (WHO) have not issued any travel alerts or warnings for avian-flu infected areas. However, the CDC advises travelers to countries with documented H5N1 outbreaks to avoid poultry farms, contact with animals in live food markets, and any surfaces that appear to be contaminated with feces or fluids from poultry or other animals. If going to a country where avian flu has been identified (see http://www.cdc.gov/travel/other/avian_influenza_se_asia_2005.htm for more information), travelers should consider the potential risks and keep informed of the latest medical guidance and information in order to make appropriate plans. Margaret Spear, director of University Health Services at Penn State, recommends that students and other spring-break travelers follow the basic CDC guidelines for reducing the risk of infections while traveling.
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Penn State received $42.9 million in gifts from alumni and friends in December 2005 -- the highest total ever for a single month, President Graham B. Spanier reported to the Board of Trustees last week. The previous record was $35.3 million in December 1999. "Several factors converged to allow us to accomplish such a feat," Spanier said. "For example, improvements in the financial markets have made securities a more attractive gift vehicle for donors. We ended the first six months of fiscal year 2006 with about $12.8 million in securities gifts, the highest total we've had at this point in the last five years." Philanthropic support typically is directed to scholarships and graduate fellowships, faculty endowments, library and laboratory acquisitions, equipment upgrades and many other purposes for which state and federal funds are inadequate or unavailable. For the six months ending Dec. 31, 2005, giving to the University totaled about $98 million.