Members toured the renovated and expanded building and welcomed a new member.
Newest trustee Anthony H. Amadio.
Before getting down to business at its March 7 quarterly meeting, members of Cal U’s Council of Trustees toured a renovated and expanded Coover Hall, which is scheduled to open for the fall semester.
Funded by the state Department of General Services, the two-year, $11 million project included a total life-cycle renovation, plus a two-story, 4,200-square-foot addition.
It will house the Department of Applied Engineering and Technology, as well as classes in art and design.
At the meeting, chairwoman Annette Ganassi introduced new trustee Anthony H. Amadio ’73, who recently was appointed by Gov. Tom Wolf.
This is the second consecutive meeting with a new trustee at the table: Stephen M. DeFrank ’92 attended his first quarterly council meeting in December. He is now Cal U’s representative at PACT, the Pennsylvania Association of Councils of Trustees.
Amadio is seeking his fourth term as Beaver County commissioner. A retired teacher and former township supervisor, he is a lifelong Beaver County resident whose children, Tony Amadio ’94 and Amy Fredericks ’03, also are Cal U alumni.
“I have to give so much credit to Cal U, because without my degree from here I would not be where I am today,” Amadio said.
In her report to the trustees, University President Geraldine M. Jones praised the exemplary work of the Facilities Management and Student Affairs staffs during the Feb. 20 power outage on campus.
The Facilities Management team worked tirelessly to identify the problem and make repairs, she said, while the Student Affairs staff went above and beyond to keep Cal U’s students safe and comfortable when the power went out.
“You can tell a lot about the character of a community by watching how it responds to unexpected circumstances,” she told the trustees. “I saw dedication, collaboration and a tremendous amount of hard work.”
In other business:
Dr. Bruce Barnhart, provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs, received approval to forward proposals for two academic programs to the Office of the Chancellor. Cal U is seeking to convert the Arabic Language and Linguistics program from a concentration within the M.A. in Social Science to a master’s degree program, and to offer a Master of Science in Accountancy.
In his enrollment update, Barnhart reported some positive trends, despite a decrease in overall headcount of more than 6 percent compared to spring 2018. The number of new first-year students taking on-campus courses is rising, he said, and enrollment by military students increased by about 1.6 percent compared to last spring.
Cal U’s headcount ranks seventh among the 14 State System universities. Registration for Summer College sessions began Feb. 18.
Robert Thorn, vice president for Administration and Finance, received approval for an updated five-year capital spending plan that prioritizes construction of a new science building to replace Frich and New Science halls.
The capital spending plan, which must be approved annually, sets the new building’s cost at more than $44 million. Like Coover Hall, the science center will be constructed with state funds.
Dr. Nancy Pinardi, vice president for Student Affairs, introduced Becky McMillen and Lindsay Mongell of University Conference Services.
Their presentation focused on the Convocation Center, highlighting the professional development opportunities available to Cal U students. In addition to work-study opportunities and graduate assistantships, students in programs such as commercial music technology, sport management and tourism gain hands-on experience at the Convocation Center.
Since 2011, more than 425,000 visitors have come through the building’s doors.
Tony Mauro, vice president for University Development and Alumni Relations, reported that his office has raised more than $3.5 million in donations, which includes more than $2 million in cash donations, so far in fiscal year 2018-2019.
Both of these totals are the second highest in the past seven years.
Christine Kindl, vice president for Communications and Marketing, teamed up with Keli Henderson, director of Marketing, and Greg Sofranko, director of Creative Services, to introduce an updated visual identity for the University and Vulcans athletic programs.
The Cal U community enthusiastically welcomed new University and athletics logos at a Logo Reveal Rally on Feb. 21 – the most recent milestone in Cal U’s ongoing re-branding project.
The Council of Trustees is scheduled to meet again June 5.