July 09, 2015
Board of Governors recognizes Shippensburg student-athlete who earned NCAA鈥檚 top academic award
Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu
Harrisburg 鈥� Nearly 470,000 student-athletes participated last year in sports for which the
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) holds championship tournaments and
events. Among all of those, two were selected to receive the Walter Byers Scholarship,
considered the NCAA鈥檚 top academic honor.
One of those recipients was Lucy Kauffman, who graduated in May with a degree in biology
from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania and who will enroll this fall in the
Doctor of Optometry program at Salus University in Elkins Park.
Kauffman, an outstanding field hockey player for the Red Raiders, was just the eighth
Division II athlete to receive the prestigious award in its 27-year history. The other
2015 winner was a male member of the swim team at the University of Auburn.
The Board of Governors of Pennsylvania鈥檚 State System of Higher Education recognized
Kauffman today for her academic and athletic success while at Shippensburg. It passed
along similar accolades to student-athletes from Millersville, California, Clarion
and Kutztown Universities of Pennsylvania, all of whom were national champions in
their respective sports during the 2014-15 academic year.
鈥淭he caliber of students-athletes who attend our universities is second to none,鈥�
said Board Chairman Guido M. Pichini. 鈥淚t is especially gratifying to be able to recognize
excellence among our student population, both for their performance in the classroom
and on the field of athletic competition.鈥�
In addition to Kauffman, the Board also recognized:
鈥he Millersville University of Pennsylvania field hockey team, which captured its
first national championship last fall. State System universities have dominated the
sport, capturing 22 of the last 25 NCAA Division II national championships.
鈥he California University of Pennsylvania women鈥檚 basketball team, which won its
second national championship in March, and also was awarded the 鈥淭ogether We R鈥� award
from Russell Athletics.
鈥larion University of Pennsylvania鈥檚 Kristin Day and Collin Vest, who each won their
second national championships in diving this year. Day also was named Academic All-America
of the Year for the second year in a row.
鈥utztown University of Pennsylvania鈥檚 Ziad Haddad, who also won his second consecutive
national championship in wrestling, after being ranked the top heavyweight in Division
II for the entirely of his last two seasons.
Board of Governors extends contracts of chancellor, 11 university presidents
The Board of Governors of Pennsylvania鈥檚 State System of Higher Education today extended
the contracts of Chancellor Frank T. Brogan and 11 university presidents. The extensions
run through June 30, 2018.
Presidents receiving one-year extensions to their contracts were David L. Soltz, Bloomsburg
University of Pennsylvania; Karen M. Whitney, Clarion University of Pennsylvania;
Marcia G. Welsh, East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania; Julie E. Wollman, Edinboro
University of Pennsylvania; Michael A. Driscoll, Indiana University of Pennsylvania;
Michael Fiorentino Jr., Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania; Francis L. Hendricks,
Mansfield University of Pennsylvania; John M. Anderson, Millersville University of
Pennsylvania; George F. 鈥淛ody鈥� Harpster, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania;
Cheryl J. Norton, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania; and Greg R. Weisenstein,
West Chester University of Pennsylvania.
鈥淐hancellor Brogan and the university presidents have proven to be outstanding leaders
for the universities and the State System,鈥� said Board of Governors Chairman Guido
M. Pichini. 鈥淭heir leadership in support of the Board and the Councils of Trustees
is key to the success of each of the institutions and all of our students.鈥�
The State System chancellor and the university presidents are hired under an initial
three-year 鈥渞olling contract,鈥� which is subject to annual review. As a result of that
performance-based review, the chancellor鈥檚 and presidents鈥� contracts each can be extended
by a year.
California and Cheyney Universities of Pennsylvania are being led by interim presidents,
who usually serve until a permanent president is hired and are not eligible to be
considered for an extension. Kenneth M. Hawkinson began his tenure as president of
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania on July 1.
Board of Governors re-elects Pichini chair; Conley, Maser,elected vice chairs
The Board of Governors re-elected Guido M. Pichini to a fifth consecutive term as
its chairman. Marie Conley of Harrisburg and David M. Maser of Philadelphia were elected
vice chairs.
Mr. Pichini is president of WSK & Associates and its related companies of Wyomissing.
He is in his third term on the Board of Governors and also is a member and former
chair of the Council of Trustees at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania and the former
chair of the Pennsylvania Association of Councils of Trustees (PACT), the statewide
organization that comprises the trustees from all 14 State System universities.
Mr. Pichini earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in education/political science, and completed
graduate studies in public administration at Kutztown. He also graduated from Wilson
College with certification in the minor judiciary, attaining the highest grade in
the history of Pennsylvania. He served two terms as a councilman in the Borough of
Wyomissing Hills and four terms as mayor, and is a member of the Pennsylvania Workforce
Investment Board.
Ms. Conley is a consultant focusing on engagement strategies and fund development
for a variety of clients through her company Conley Consulting, LLC. She works primarily
with the Paterno family to assist with a number of initiatives around the issue of
child sexual victimization. She previously was director of the Children鈥檚 Miracle
Network at Penn State Hershey Children鈥檚 Hospital. She is a 1994 graduate of Bloomsburg
University of Pennsylvania, with Bachelor of Arts degrees in speech communications
and political science, and served for a number of years on the university鈥檚 Council
of Trustees. She has been a member of the Board of Governors since 2002 and chairs
the Board鈥檚 Academic and Student Affairs Committee.
Mr. Maser is of counsel with Chimicles & Tikellis, which has offices in Haverford
and Wilmington, Del. He has worked in both law and government for 17 years and has
been involved with multiple presidential campaigns and numerous other federal, state
and local campaigns. He previously worked with the Major League Baseball Players鈥�
Association and as a government affairs specialist, representing numerous clients,
including Fortune 500 companies. He is a graduate of Temple University School of Law
and Pennsylvania State University, where he received a bachelor鈥檚 degree in marketing.
Pennsylvania鈥檚 State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher
education in the Commonwealth, with about 110,000 degree-seeking students and thousands
more who are enrolled in certificate and other career-development programs. Collectively,
the 14 universities that comprise the State System offer more than 2,300 degree and
certificate programs in more than 530 academic areas. Nearly 520,000 State System
university alumni live in Pennsylvania.
The State System universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg,
Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery
Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The universities also operate
branch campuses in Oil City (Clarion), Freeport and Punxsutawney (IUP), and Clearfield
(Lock Haven), and offer classes and programs at several regional centers, including
the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg and in Center City in Philadelphia.