Penn State president's contract extended to 2015

Penn State president's contract extended to 2015

Credit: Annemarie Mountz Penn State President Graham B. Spanier talks with students in the Findlay Commons dining hall at University Park during Welcome Week activities.

University Park, Pa. -- Penn State's Board of Trustees has agreed with President Graham Spanier on a three-year extension of his existing contract, keeping him at the helm of one of the nation's leading research universities until 2015. Spanier's contract extension will take him one year beyond Penn State's recently announced $2-billion capital campaign, scheduled to conclude in 2014, which focuses on providing greater opportunities for Penn State students.

With this extended contract, Spanier would become the second-longest serving Penn State president in the school's 155-year history, tied with Ralph Hetzel, who served from 1927-1947. The longest serving president in the University's history is eighth president George Atherton, who had a 24-year tenure. Spanier was named Penn State's 16th president in 1995, and is currently one of the senior university presidents in the nation.

"Graham Spanier has done a tremendous job leading Penn State and exceeding the very high expectations we have set for the president of this great student-centered University," said Steve Garban, chairman of the Board of Trustees. "It takes a talented individual to balance the many complexities of this enterprise, and Graham has moved Penn State forward in every area. He has the full support of our board."

Garban indicated that as a world-class research university and a member of the Big Ten, Penn State is a leader both nationally and internationally. Its 24 campuses, including an academic health center and medical college and a law school, make it one of the most comprehensive universities in the world. Spanier oversees a budget of nearly $4 billion, an enrollment of more than 94,000 students and nearly 46,000 employees. Applications for admission are expected to exceed 115,000 this year.

With the assistance of a higher education compensation expert, the board set the terms of the new contract with a salary of $700,000. The new contract is effective July 1.

"This is a wonderful vote of confidence and support from the board," Spanier said. "I have always said that this is the greatest job in American higher education and I plan to continue to give my absolute best to Penn State, its students and our faculty and staff. I'm deeply committed to advancing our University even further."
Since 1995, when Spanier came on board, research expenditures have more than doubled from $344 million to more than $765 million last year, and the University's endowment has grown from $364 million to $1.4 billion. Under his leadership, Penn State embarked on its largest capital construction program, creating some of the University's newest signature buildings.

Garban also said that Penn State's last successful capital campaign, overseen by Spanier and completed in 2003, garnered nearly $1.4 billion for the University. During his tenure, student scholarships at Penn State have increased from $15.7 million distributed to 6,148 recipients in 1995 to $61.3 million provided to 16,871 students in 2009.

"We are pleased that Graham will be here through our recently launched $2-billion campaign, the largest in the University's history," Garban said. "The stability Graham has provided to Penn State over the past 15 years and for the next five years is incredible. It's something that just doesn't happen frequently in higher education — or anywhere — anymore. Graham has led us through so many exciting positive changes and pushed for Penn State to be the best at every level. His longstanding tenure and his outstanding leadership have really been keys to our success."

During Spanier's tenure, Penn State's Schreyer Honors College, several research consortia and the School of International Affairs were created; the World Campus, College of Information Sciences and Technology, and the dual-campus law school were launched; the Penn State Cancer Institute and the Penn State Arboretum came into existence, and the Penn State Children's Hospital is set to open in 2012.

Spanier, who has been described as one of the most influential college presidents of our time, was the first university president honored with the Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for Leadership Excellence sponsored by the American Council on Education and TIAA-CREF. He has served as chair of the Association of American Universities, the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities, and the NCAA Division I Board of Directors. He serves as chair of the National Security Higher Education Advisory Board and is a member of the National Counterintelligence Working Group, the Board of Advisers of the Naval Postgraduate School and Naval War College, and the board of Junior Achievement Worldwide.

His prior positions include chancellor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Oregon State University, and vice provost for undergraduate studies at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He previously served Penn State from 1973-1982 as a member of the faculty and in three administrative positions in the College of Health and Human Development.