PENNSTATE PzetnHarrisburg I 8 5 5 CAPITAL TIMES vol. 25, no. 1 PSH GETS FACELIFT Victoria Cuscino Capital Times Editor Penn State Harrisburg renovated the Olmsted lobby during summer break and implemented a new telephone system on August 8, 1990. PSH maintenance worked all summer in the lobby to create a conversation and waiting area for students. Many students stay in the lobby to wait for friends, so we wanted to create a convenient area as a meeting place, said Dr. James South, Associate Provost for Administrative operations. The renovations included a new sofa unit, carpeting, better lighting, woodwork and a higher ceiling." Because that is the way most of our visitors enter the college , we feel that should be a quality place," South said. To facilitate the lobby renovations, the records office lost some of their space. Therefore, we tried to make the records office a "warmer place" and more efficient, South said. By opening the corridors, the lobby has a "different feel...because is is more open." The telephone project consisted of replacing all the instruments on campus, and a complete rewiring inside and from one building to another -- a $1,400,000 project. Pennsylvania State University at Harrisburg Babo and the "Sidewalk Supervisor' The new telephone system "will give us several capacities we have not had previously," South said . This includes voice mail, which makes some people work more efficiently and will release secretaries from their telephones so they can be more productive by performing their actual duties. PSH was "out of capacity" with the old system and there were no more telephone lines, available with the old technology, South said. Students living in the dorms have telephones in their rooms this year -- no more waiting for hall phones! The money for these projects came from a variety of sources. Some of it came from student tuition, state appropriation, gifts to the college, and from savings in other areas of the budge!. Dr. South stressed the importance of taking care of our current facilities to maintain an environment where students can learn and professors can teach. His self-imposed goal is to see PSH completely renovated by 1991. It is already over 50% finished. SEE RENOVATIONS on 2 PHOTO BY JANET VVIDOFF PSU NAMES THOMAS 15TH PRESIDENT The Pennsylvania State University Board of Trustees named Joab L. Thomas--former president of the University of Alabama--as the 15th president. In a special session on July 23, the Board approved the unanimous recommendation of the Trustee Presidential Committee. Thomas is the former president of the University of Alabama, former chancellor of North Carolina State University and professor of biology. President Bryce Jordan will retire August 31 and plans to work with Thomas to ensure a smooth transition. Thomas will assume the presidency on September 1. After the board meeting, Thomas answered questions regarding his expectations and goals as president of Penn State. Administration cannont neglect undergraduate education in its attempt to improve the quality of research at the University, Thomas said. Undergraduate education must continue to be of the highest quality while the University simultaneously continues its growth in research. Thomas plans to continue some of President Jordan's initiatives, including the strategic planning process Jordan implemented in 1984. Board members cited Thomas's administrative experience at the University of Alabama and North Carolina State University and his academic and research accomplishments in the field of biology as reasons they selected Thomas. Dr. Thomas is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and has a commitment to the advancement of women and minorities. Born in Holt, Alabama, he received his A. 8., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in biology from Harvard University. He worked his way through the academic ranks at Alabama State University-- assistant professor, associate professor and then professor of biology. He began his administrative career in 1964 when he was appointed assistant dean in the College of Arts and Sciences. In 1969 Thomas became dean for student August 22, 1990 In 1976, he was appointed chancellor of North Carolina State University and remained . there until assuming the presidency at Alabama in 1981. Thomas is the author of several monographs and books and numerous papers published in scholarly journals. Dr. Thomas also has various civic and community accomplishments. He was named Tuscaloosa Citizen of the Year in 1987, and serves on the board of directors of the Tuscaloosa Chamber of Commerce, the Industrial Development Authority of West Alabama, the Alabama Power Company, Blount Inc. and the International Service for National Agricultural Research. He is a member of various professional organizations including the American Institute of Biological Sciences, Botanical Society of America, American Society of Plant Taxonomists, International Association of Plant Taxonomists, Alabama Academy of Sciences, and North Carolina Academy of Sciences. Dr. Thomas and his wife--the former Marly Dukes of Boise, Idaho--have four children: Catherine, David, Jennifer and Frances.
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