UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., Nov. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Penn State Board of Trustees Chairman Karen Peetz, upon authorization by the board, today (November 16) appointed members of the Trustee Presidential Selection Council, which will oversee the search process for the next president of Penn State.

The council consists of 12 Trustees and the chair of For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students.

Trustee members are:

-- Marianne E. Alexander, President Emerita, Public Leadership Education Network

-- James S. Broadhurst, Chairman, Eat'n Park Hospitality Group, Inc.

-- Mark H. Dambly, President, Pennrose Properties, LLC

-- Keith W. Eckel, Sole Proprietor and President, Fred W. Eckel Sons Farms, Inc.

-- Kenneth C. Frazier, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Merck & Co., Inc.

-- Edward R. Hintz, Jr., President, Hintz Capital Management, Inc.

-- Peter A. Khoury, Graduate Student, Penn State

-- Ira M. Lubert, Chairman and Co-Founder, Independence Capital Partners and Lubert Adler Partners, LP

-- Keith E. Masser, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sterman Masser, Inc.

-- Karen B. Peetz, Vice Chairman, CEO of Financial Markets and Treasury Services, Bank of New York Mellon

-- Paul H. Silvis, Head Coach, SilcoTek

-- Linda B. Strumpf, retired Chief Investment Officer, The Helmsley Charitable Trust

The chair of For the Future is Peter G. Tombros, former executive at Pfizer Inc. in New York and also CEO of Enzon. He currently serves as professor and executive-in-residence in Penn State's Science BS/MBA Program.

"The selection of our next president is one of the most important decisions we, as a university, will make," said Peetz.  "Consequently, the Presidential Selection Council will rely heavily on all parts of our community and constituent representatives, including faculty, academic and administrative leadership, staff, students, and alumni as members of the University Presidential Search and Screen Committee."  

Members of the University Presidential Search and Screen Committee are expected to be named by early January. 

Current University President Rodney Erickson announced he would retire on June 30, 2014, or before, if the search is successfully concluded before that date.

For more information on ongoing efforts and actions of the University, visit progress.psu.edu online.  For more information on the Board of Trustees, including agendas, meeting minutes and other information, visit www.psu.edu/trustees.

About The Pennsylvania State University

The Pennsylvania State University is a state-related, land-grant university located in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as an agricultural college, Penn State received university status in 1953. Penn State has 24 campuses throughout Pennsylvania, including undergraduate locations as well as special-mission campuses such as the College of Medicine in Hershey and the Penn State Law School. The Penn State World Campus is the University's online distance education component. In total, Penn State serves more than 95,000 students. The University awards more associate, bachelor's and graduate degrees than any other institution in the Commonwealth, and has a research enterprise in excess of $800 million. Its mission is to improve the lives of the people of Pennsylvania, the nation and the world through integrated, high-quality programs in teaching, research and service.

SOURCE Pennsylvania State University