With all the talk of Barry in the Lasch thread it seems appropriate to remind everyone that the ballot nominations for the 2021 election will end next week on February 25th. If you haven't already done so it's not too late to nominate:
Barry J Fenchak. Class of 1984
Per the usual, Barry has continued to attend BOT meetings and report on their activities. You can follow the points of interest from the latest BOT meeting on Barry's Twitter account at:
If you don't have a link to nominate Barry, go to his link to order to request a nomination ballot.
forms.office.com
Remember, this isn't the election. The nomination ballot merely puts a person name on the actual election ballot making it nearly impossible for a write-in to win a seat.
Barry may not succeed in making change, but you can be sure he'll try.
Barry J Fenchak. Class of 1984
Per the usual, Barry has continued to attend BOT meetings and report on their activities. You can follow the points of interest from the latest BOT meeting on Barry's Twitter account at:
If you don't have a link to nominate Barry, go to his link to order to request a nomination ballot.
Microsoft Forms
Remember, this isn't the election. The nomination ballot merely puts a person name on the actual election ballot making it nearly impossible for a write-in to win a seat.
Barry may not succeed in making change, but you can be sure he'll try.
NOMINATE JAMES R BOGNET, Class of 1997
Jim is a fighter. Jim will be a strong voice for reform at Penn State. Will fight against the OG PSU Board Members, honor Penn State's heritage, and relentlessly go after corruption.
To nominate Jim:
Check for nomination email from PSU, sent from: psuelections@eballot.com
Or Click This Link to Request Nomination Form: https://trustees.psu.edu/2021election/
ENTER Jim's full name and Class year in form: JAMES R BOGNET, Class of 1997
Drop Jim a note at Bognet4PSU@gmail.com with any questions
Jim is a fighter. Jim will be a strong voice for reform at Penn State. Will fight against the OG PSU Board Members, honor Penn State's heritage, and relentlessly go after corruption.
To nominate Jim:
Check for nomination email from PSU, sent from: psuelections@eballot.com
Or Click This Link to Request Nomination Form: https://trustees.psu.edu/2021election/
ENTER Jim's full name and Class year in form: JAMES R BOGNET, Class of 1997
Drop Jim a note at Bognet4PSU@gmail.com with any questions
Some comments and responses:
The three alumni-elected trustees whose terms end on June 30 of this year are:
- Brandon Short
- Rob Tribeck
- Laurie Stanell
I'm told that Short and Stanell are definitely seeking nominations so that they can run again. I've gotten conflicting reports as to whether or not Rob is running. I did try to contact Rob directly to see if he was running, but I may have had an old e-mail address for him, as I never heard back from him.
Steven Wagman, who is currently on the board as the Immediate Past President of the Alumni Association (his term also ends on June 30) is reportedly working to get nominations so that he can run for an alumni-elected spot on the BOT.
Alvin F. De Levie '73, who ran three years ago, is also attempting to get nominations to run this year.
Bridget McCarthy Lasda '02 has not previously run, but she's also been working to get nominations for a run.
I had heard through the grapevine that Barry was interested. I had not heard that James R. Bognet was seeking nominations, but I don't doubt @LionDeNittany.
Based on the above, it's possible that there will be the first competitive race in several years.
As for the BOT and the alumni-elected trustees, I understand the frustration that many folks have in what has taken place since 2011. It took a few years for PSU alumni to overhaul the alumni-elected trustees. And just when they were getting close to being able to make a difference, BOT Chair Keith Masser forced through a change in the composition of the BOT, which made it more difficult for the alumni-elected trustees to accomplish much. It did not help that Masser, then Ira Lupert (who recently resigned from the BOT), and then Mark Dambly served as the respective Chairs of the BOT, as each of them made no effort to treat all trustees equally.
The current BOT, with Matthew Schuyler as the Chair, is the best functioning BOT since PSU alumni took a renewed interest in the process. Schuyler is the first Chair that has treated the alumni-elected trustees with respect, and placed them on committees more aligned to their interests and areas of expertise. Two of the alumni-elected trustees are Chairs of BOT committees, and two are Chairs of sub-committees. As a result of the more even-handed administration of the BOT by the Chair, the alumni-elected trustees are working jointly with many of the other trustees to accomplish some of the things that need to be addressed by PSU.
The three alumni-elected trustees whose terms end on June 30 of this year are:
- Brandon Short
- Rob Tribeck
- Laurie Stanell
I'm told that Short and Stanell are definitely seeking nominations so that they can run again. I've gotten conflicting reports as to whether or not Rob is running. I did try to contact Rob directly to see if he was running, but I may have had an old e-mail address for him, as I never heard back from him.
Steven Wagman, who is currently on the board as the Immediate Past President of the Alumni Association (his term also ends on June 30) is reportedly working to get nominations so that he can run for an alumni-elected spot on the BOT.
Alvin F. De Levie '73, who ran three years ago, is also attempting to get nominations to run this year.
Bridget McCarthy Lasda '02 has not previously run, but she's also been working to get nominations for a run.
I had heard through the grapevine that Barry was interested. I had not heard that James R. Bognet was seeking nominations, but I don't doubt @LionDeNittany.
Based on the above, it's possible that there will be the first competitive race in several years.
As for the BOT and the alumni-elected trustees, I understand the frustration that many folks have in what has taken place since 2011. It took a few years for PSU alumni to overhaul the alumni-elected trustees. And just when they were getting close to being able to make a difference, BOT Chair Keith Masser forced through a change in the composition of the BOT, which made it more difficult for the alumni-elected trustees to accomplish much. It did not help that Masser, then Ira Lupert (who recently resigned from the BOT), and then Mark Dambly served as the respective Chairs of the BOT, as each of them made no effort to treat all trustees equally.
The current BOT, with Matthew Schuyler as the Chair, is the best functioning BOT since PSU alumni took a renewed interest in the process. Schuyler is the first Chair that has treated the alumni-elected trustees with respect, and placed them on committees more aligned to their interests and areas of expertise. Two of the alumni-elected trustees are Chairs of BOT committees, and two are Chairs of sub-committees. As a result of the more even-handed administration of the BOT by the Chair, the alumni-elected trustees are working jointly with many of the other trustees to accomplish some of the things that need to be addressed by PSU.
You seem to be reading more into my statement than what I was indicating. I was merely noting that I had heard from several people that Barry was running.
I have no interest in verifying that with Barry, or in speaking with him about his positions.
My post was more of an overview of what I knew about candidates that were seeking to run. The only one I did attempt to speak with was Rob Tribeck, as I had heard conflicting stories about his plans, and I had conversed with him in the past.
Ah, okay. He was the only guy I found who might fit the bill (from PA, Penn Stater, etc.). I don't live in PA and am not familiar with the local political scene there. Did he win his seat? Obviously, his politics are not aligned with mine but LDN has always been a stand up guy (even if we disagree politically) so his endorsement carries some weight with me. Does he have a shot to win here?
No to the seat and I'm not sure about the second. He has 4 years of eligibility left if we need a middle aged kicker though! 🤣
That's a nice improvement. But I will say that the one thing I want out of the BOT is an apology. Not for Joe, though I think it's deserved. But for throwing the alums under the bus back in the day and blaming all of us for what happened. The impact of that has lingered, especially for those of us who live outside of happy Valley. I realize the current BOT is not those people. As we have sadly seen, a lot of schools have had this issue and it has little to do with alumni and fans--contrary to what the NCAA tried to say.
BTW, does anyone know if Mr. De Levie is related to the guy that used to run the Foreign Studies program back in the day? {I'm an alum--Cologne 1978--thus my interest.}
Brandon came here begging for votes. Not sure if he's been back. Does that count?
Football player = he'll likely win. I thought if we could at least get a BWI guy/gal on the board, we could all share in that luscious onion dip every once in a while...
Deadline for nominations is February 25, 2021. Please help Barry J Fenchak, class of 1984 get to 250 nominations. If you are interested in the status quo, don't vote for Barry. If you want to shake things up, Barry is your man!
Here is a copy of Barry's platform from his website: https://barryfenchak4trustee.wordpress.com/
I tried to find platforms for the three incumbents and anyone else but...
Platform for Responsible Governance at Penn State
barryfenchak4trustee
There are many issues and challenges facing Penn State – and higher education throughout the Country.
These are the greatest challenges facing Penn State today – and our Board of Trustees needs to act now – and needs to act decisively – to turn Penn State onto a path for future excellence.
1. Cost of Tuition.
Tuition costs can and must be reduced. A Cost Reduction Team will be formed with the clear objective of finding and implementing a set of thorough and specific cost reductions within the University to reduce tuition costs by at least 20%.
2 . Greater Control and Accountability of the Capital Budget.
A capital project review team will be created with the clear objective to review each project with regard to its’ ability to meet specific University Strategic Objectives. In addition, this team will be charged with considering any and all alternative means of achieving those objectives before approval of expenditures.
3. Responsiveness and Transparency of University Governance and University Administration.
A publicly available reporting system will be put in place that equals or exceeds those of our BigTen peers.
I tried to find platforms for the three incumbents and anyone else but...
Platform for Responsible Governance at Penn State
barryfenchak4trustee
There are many issues and challenges facing Penn State – and higher education throughout the Country.
These are the greatest challenges facing Penn State today – and our Board of Trustees needs to act now – and needs to act decisively – to turn Penn State onto a path for future excellence.
1. Cost of Tuition.
Tuition costs can and must be reduced. A Cost Reduction Team will be formed with the clear objective of finding and implementing a set of thorough and specific cost reductions within the University to reduce tuition costs by at least 20%.
2 . Greater Control and Accountability of the Capital Budget.
A capital project review team will be created with the clear objective to review each project with regard to its’ ability to meet specific University Strategic Objectives. In addition, this team will be charged with considering any and all alternative means of achieving those objectives before approval of expenditures.
3. Responsiveness and Transparency of University Governance and University Administration.
A publicly available reporting system will be put in place that equals or exceeds those of our BigTen peers.
Appears to be the case; just last night it would have been on this link (I checked my browser history)....
Says the page doesn't exist now.
That said, to show I'm a fair guy and willing to give someone a chance, I'm going to nominate both Barry and Jim Bognet.
Let me know if Barry or James are keeping tracks of nominations; I can provide receipt number if need be (I know Barry has asked for this in the past since he somehow never makes the ballot).
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I have a lot of more conservative political leanings. I am not into or supportive of what contemporary conservatism seems to mean and am not into people who peddle conspiracy theories. Anyone all in on Trump I can’t deal with. Barry and James seem to be all in on him, but I set that aside since the BOT, while political, is a different animal.
I’ve never seen Barry on the ballot. Does he get a readout of how many nominations he received?
The candidates for the 3 alumni-elected trustee slots this year are:
1. Steven B. Wagman, ’82, HHD, Blue Bell, Pennsylvania
2. Alvin F. de Levie, ’73, Lib, State College, Pennsylvania
3. Bridget M. Lasda, ’02, Edu, Stamford, Connecticut
4. Jim Bognet ’97, Bus, Hazleton, Pennsylvania
5. Laurie A. Stanell DMD, ’80, Sci, Pipersville, Pennsylvania
6. Brandon Short ’99, Bus, Fulham, London, United Kingdom
1. Steven B. Wagman, ’82, HHD, Blue Bell, Pennsylvania
2. Alvin F. de Levie, ’73, Lib, State College, Pennsylvania
3. Bridget M. Lasda, ’02, Edu, Stamford, Connecticut
4. Jim Bognet ’97, Bus, Hazleton, Pennsylvania
5. Laurie A. Stanell DMD, ’80, Sci, Pipersville, Pennsylvania
6. Brandon Short ’99, Bus, Fulham, London, United Kingdom
How does Barry never get nominated? There are some 400+ people who vote in the Ms. BWI Poll; I guess not all are alums but still. It should be a board mission to get him on the ballot (even if you don't want to vote for him). I noticed we were good enough to visit for some candidates in the past - none of these folks (that I know of) posted here this year for votes.
In their defense, it's pretty rare (since 2012) that candidates post on the board when they are simply trying to get nominated. Those that have posted in past years usually did so once alums could actually vote. I believe voting starts on April 10th this year, so we're over a month away from that threshold.
It will be interesting to see how this degree of a contested election plays out. In past years, a lot of the electioneering took place at the Blue-White game, or with candidates appearing before alumni chapter meetings -- options that are unlikely to be available to them this year.
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