4 The Dally Collegian A quick look at our community Penn State $2.7 million willed to science scholarships The Eberly College of Science received its second largest gift for scholarships ever $2.7 million from the estate of two Penn State alumna. The money will be used to help fund undergraduate and gradu ate scholarships in the Depart ments of Physics and Chemistry. The donor is Nellie H. Roberts, a 1929 graduate with a master’s of science degree in home eco nomics. The scholarships will be named after her and her late husband Oscar L. Roberts, a 1929 graduate with a doctoral degree in chemistry. The University will invest the money and the return will be used for student support. “It is not uncommon (for alum na) to remember Penn State in their will,” according to Mary Hort, a development writer. Deadline for teaching awards approaching Nominations for the 1996 Atherton, Eisenhower and Alum ni Teaching Fellow Teaching Awards are available until Oct. 27. The awards will be presented at the Awards Convocation in March 1996. “It is a very nice convocation, if you’ve never been, you ought to go,” said James Rambeau, associate dean for Undergradu ate Studies and director of Uni versity Scholars Program. The George W. Atherton Award for Excellence in Teach ing recognizes excellence in undergraduate teaching at the University; the Milton S. Eisen hower Award for Distinguished Teaching recognizes distin guished teaching. The Alumni Teaching Fellow Award is jointly given by the Alumni Association, the Under graduate Student Government and the Graduate Student Asso ciation. The recipient of this award will be honored for out standing teaching in conjunction with providing encouragement and incentive for teaching excel lence at Penn State. Centre County Centre County tourism to get boost from state The Centre County Lion Coun try Visitors and Convention Bureau has been allocated $85,445 from the state Tourist Promotion Agency matching fund program, state Rep. Lynn Herman, R-Centre, announced in a news release. A total of $8.4 million was allo cated to 50 tourism agencies throughout the state. “Tourism is a vital ingredient in our region’s recipe for eco nomic success,” Herman said in a news release. “These funds will help the Centre County and Lion Country Visitors and Convention Bureau aggressively promote our area as a place to visit, work and do business. “In Centre County’s case, the state provides $2 for each dollar of local funding,” Herman said in the release. More than 334,000 Pennsylva nians are employed in travel and tourism, making it the second leading industry in the state. Money to facilitate natural gas buses Natural gas has hit the Centre Region, as the Centre Area Transportation Authority was recently awarded a $483,000 grant under the Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant Program. State Rep. Mike Hanna, D- Clinton/Centre, said in a news release that CAT A will use the grant to complete the installation of two compressor packages to be used in providing natural gas for transit buses. “Many people believe that alternative fuels are the way of the future in terms of powering engines,” Hanna said. “This grant will provide additional public transit for Centre County, in addition to establishing a nat ural gas dispensing station in State College.” The funding will also be used to purchase two 1998 com pressed-natural-gas buses. More than sports planned for Bryce Jordan Center By KAREN SHIMKO Collegian Arts Writer People will not just be cheering for basketball at the new Bryce Jordan Center. They will be cheer ing for music, concerts and more. According to Robb Larson, pro motion and marketing manager of the center, the facility is capable of offering much more. The center, which is scheduled to open with the Big Ten’s basketball season in January, will seat approximately 15,000 people. Circuses, ice shows, professional wrestling, the Harlem Globetrot ters, professional sports exhibi tions, trade shows, conventions, commencements, lectures, and concerts are some of the activities planned, Larson said. Larson said he wants the center to host a variety of concerts that will appeal to a lot of people For instance, he said he would like to have adult, contemporary, country, Energy marks Spanier's hop to the top By PAULA SHAKI Collegian Staff Writer Growing up in an apartment building on the south side of Chicago, Graham Spanier never dreamed he would one day be the president of Penn State University. The 47-year-old University president has made the climb to top administrator faster than most but this is no surprise. Those who have seen Spanier in action know he never stops moving. He is con stantly on the run, whether he is on his way to a meeting, greeting students in the dorms or chatting with people on the street. From the time he was a young boy, he worked one or two jobs so he could save enough to go to college. “I was the first person in my family net work to go to college,” said Spanier, sitting with his legs crossed casually in a off-white wing chair in the president’s office. “I grew up with a very strong work ethic, and I did not have a normal childhood because I worked so much.” But Spanier’s childhood may have con tributed to his strong commitment to his work and his strong sense of values. Almost every time Spanier addresses the University, he speaks about his family and how it has influenced his values. “I grew up in a family that didn’t have very much,” he said, his eyes thoughtfully surveying his roomy office. “In a sense, everybody was starting from scratch.” University President Graham Spanier chats with Ethan Kasales, and wife of marketing instructor Andrew Bergstein. The Kasales 11 months, and his mother Barbara Kasales, a University alumni heard Spanier address the graduate faculty Tuesday. Another USG senator resigns; seven seats now left vacant By BETH YOUNG Collegian Staff Writer Another Undergraduate Student Government Senate seat was vacant at the senate meeting Tues day night as another senator resigned from her position and another threatened to quit. Former Pollock/Nittany Senator Tara Benedict was the latest sena tor to step down in a string of res ignations. In her resignation letter, Bene dict cited academic reasons and time constraints as her reasons for leaving. Benedict said, in a later inter view, she may continue to work within USG once she solves the time conflicts that are causing her alternative, and pop musical pro ductions. Because State College is in the middle of 11 major arenas, includ ing Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., New York City and Philadelphia, it’s easy for performers to work in a trip to the center, Larson said. Rec Hall has a capacity of about 7,000, but with room for 16,000, the center leaves room for many larg er activities other than sports. “A lot of girls don’t like sports and if they had something like con certs and other activities I definite ly think they will go,” said Mistie Weaver (freshman-administration of justice). But the type of event isn’t the only reason to go to the center. “I never went to concerts but I’ll go now since it’s close,” said Ryan Shaughnessy (freshman-profes sional golf management), who lives in Pinchot Hall. And Sarah Carberry said that the location will offer sporting teams Spanier, who grew up on the top floor of a three-story apartment building, with his aunt, cousins and grandmother occupying the other two floors, worked quickly to rise out of that third-floor apartment into the plush offices of top administrators. “The work ethic has served me well, because to be successful in university administration doesn’t quite have to do with how smart you are, but with how hard you work and how well you can manage,” Spanier said as he shifted his foot back and forth. And Spanier manages to keep going and going. Those who work with him say he is a hard man to keep up with. “I’ve had to learn to walk faster since I started working with him,” said Carol Her rmann, senior vice president for adminis tration, who works with Spanier every day. “He’s very high energy and it’s fun to work with someone like that.” Even with his fast pace, Spanier manages to take time out for his family. But he said very few people agree that wanting to spend an evening with his family is a legit imate reason for not showing up at an event. Instead, he tries to include his fami ly in all University events. “Their whole lives, as long as my kids can remember, I’ve been at least a vice president, so they’re very familiar with the kind of setting they find themselves in now,” Spanier said, gesturing with his hands around the office. "Despite the resignations, we're getting the most done now than we've been getting done all year." Bill Rothwell USG Senate President to leave the organization. She said many issues are still unsolved that she would like to work on. Although senate now has a total of seven potentially eight vacancies, it continues to work on projects and is functioning well, said USG Senate President Bill Rothwell. “Despite the resignations, we’re Wakefield’s discontent with the getting the most done now than senate became apparent at Tues we’ve been getting done all year,” day night’s senate meeting when he and fans alike a better environ ment. “I think it’s a great location, and I think it wiil make the basketball team better because of the new atmosphere,” said Carberry (junior-advertising). Larson said the center can con struct itself to fit various functions with curtains and side stages. It also has conference rooms and an auxiliary gym, which will be avail able for use for any group or orga nization, Larson said. “We can compete on a level now that we previously didn’t have,” said Mark Shulman, president of the University Concert Committee. “The effect can’t be measured.” Shulman said the center will have more concerts because of its larger capacity, although some of those concerts may apply more to the community than college stu dents. Some promoters may want to book larger, less college-orient- Not only do he and his wife, Sandra, have an 11-year-old daughter, Hadley, and 14- year-old son, Brian, to take care of, but Spanier often acts as a father figure to many at the University. As he hurriedly rushed across his office to retrieve a 20-year-old picture of himself dressed up with Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls attached to his costume, Spanier chat ted about why he enjoyed working with children so much. “It started when I was an assistant pro fessor at Penn State and I used to visit the preschools in human development as ‘Gra ham the Clown,’ ” he recalled with a sheep ish smile. Susan McHale, professor of human development, who met Spanier and was Brian’s first baby sitter when she came to the University in 1980, said he has always been a little eccentric. “We used to go to parties at his house and he would take out his favorite book, the Guinness Book of World Records, and read out his favorite entries,” McHale said. “We would laugh and hiss and boo and he would still read on.” But many would argue that Spanier never stopped being “Graham the Clown.” He likes to open his speeches with a joke, and when he speaks to a student or faculty member, usually both are laughing. These days, Spanier continues to enter tain crowds of college students and adults with card and coin tricks or by demonstrat Rothwell said. “We’re at a point where things are going really well.” In addition to Benedict’s resigna tion, Town Senator Steve Wake field said he is also considering resigning from the senate. Roth well said he has not received Wake field’s formal resignation. Construction equipment surrounds the Bryce Jordan Center. Officials hope the center’s completion will attract a variety of people and events. ed acts over typical University smaller-market fare, in order to take advantage of offered by UCC. the size of the new facility. But UCC hasn’t slated any concerts cost is another big factor. for the center yet, Shulman said, Shulman said ticket prices may adding that the organization be higher for concerts from larger intends on scheduling events for markets than for concerts from the future. resigned from his position as chair man of the Legislation Appropria tions Review Committee. Wakefield resigned as LARC chairman following a dispute over whether a piece of legislation should be allowed to be voted on. LARC is responsible for reviewing legislation before it reaches the senate floor. After a piece of legislation that did not go through LARC was brought to a vote from the senate floor, Wakefield resigned, saying he saw no need for a LARC chair man or the committee itself if the rules were not going to be fol lowed. “There’s a principle involved here there are rules,” Wakefield said. “Where does it stop?” Thursday, Oct. 12, 1995 Personality Profile Name: Graham Spanier Age: 47 What he does: He is the University presi dent. Unique facts: He used to visit nursery schools as Graham the Clown. He has a pilot’s license and he also is a magician. Quote: “Your characteristics and what you can bring to a job has to match up well with what the university needs and the kind of university it is, and I always felt for me this was the ideal match.” ing his juggling abilities that may be helpful in his position. And his pilot’s license, which he acquired when he last worked at the University from 1973 to 1982, could also serve him well in guiding the University in the right direc tion during the next five years. But he is not only a leader, he is also a listener. “I have my antenna up,” Spanier said as he looked into the crowd of graduate facul ty he addressed Tuesday. “I’m trying to lis ten to what people have to say about Penn State.” Following speeches, Spanier likes to stay after and talk to students and faculty. “It’s a major part of my job,” Spanier said, pushing the chairs in his office. “I like spending time with them to learn what it’s like to be a typical student. I like popping into residence halls and just sitting down at a table with a student at an event and get ting to know them.” Spanier said he feels the more in touch he is with what student life is like on cam pus, the better a job he can do leading the University. Spanier can balance so much because he is very organized and focused, McHale said. “It’s not ambition he doesn’t want to be famous,” McHale said. “He does his best for the institution but not because it’s in Graham Spanier’s best interest.” But most people don’t grow up wanting to become a university president. For Spanier that realization didn’t come until he was in his third administrative position. And being the University president takes enormous amounts of energy. Spanier seems to fit that mold. After leaving Penn State, he was vice provost for undergradu ate studies at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Oregon State University and chancellor of Univer sity of Nebraska-Lincoln. Spanier’s longtime friend of ten years, Susan Squier, Brill professor for English and women’s studies, said she doesn’t think he will ever stop moving. “The Energizer bunny has less energy than Graham does.” Some senators called Wakefield’s behavior unnecessary, saying rules should not come before getting tasks accomplished that will bene fit the students. “As far as I’m concerned, if our LARC chair is going to act like that, he doesn’t deserve to be LARC chair,” said Town Senator Mark Shepanski. Town Senator Bob Thomas was elected the new LARC chairman. Applications for the positions are being accepted by the senate until Oct. 13, said Senate Appointments and Review Board Chairman Mark Sosnowsky. The new senators will be chosen through an open applica tion and interview process. The seven positions are open to all stu dents. currently
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