Trustees eye more private contributions

By DARYL LANG
Collegian Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN -- Penn State is hoping the likes of Larry King, Joe Paterno and Gov. Tom Ridge can help draw in more money for the university.

Funding, in the form of state appropriations and private donations, was a hot topic at the Penn State Board of Trustees Meeting at Penn State Harrisburg yesterday.

Edward Hintz, vice chair of the board of trustees, described plans to launch A Grand Destiny: The Penn State Campaign, a glitzy effort to attract philanthropic gifts.

The campaign will be officially announced April 23 in connection with a weekend of festivities including the Blue-White football game, the groundbreaking of the new Hintz Alumni Center, a swing concert featuring Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and talk show host Larry King interviewing Joe Paterno in Eisenhower Auditorium.

Hintz served as vice chair of Penn State's only previous capital campaign, which concluded in 1990 after raising $352 million, according to a press release.

The goals of the new campaign will be announced during the kick-off weekend, when 1,600 potential donors will visit the campus, Hintz told the board.

"We just have to have the right people there and treat them very, very well," said Hintz, who is the volunteer campaign chair.

In addition to private donations, Penn State President Graham Spanier spoke about the need for more money from the state and displayed an array of statistics about appropriations.

Of all the states, Pennsylvania ranks 44th in the percentage of tax revenue designated for higher education, Spanier said. And in Pennsylvania, Penn State receives less state money per student than other state-related schools like Temple University and the University of Pittsburgh.

Spanier expressed disappointment in February when Gov. Ridge proposed an appropriation of $306.5 million for Penn State in 1999-2000, less than the $321 million the university wants. Spanier spent two days last month answering questions from state legislators to justify the requested increases.

After Spanier's presentation, trustee Edward Zemprelli, a retired state senator, made a forceful point that Pennsylvanians, and especially Penn State alumni, should tell state lawmakers the university deserves more money.

"Don't give me lip service. Get off your (butt) and go see your legislator," Zemprelli said. "It's not a tough thing to do."

In response, Paul Tufano, Gov. Ridge's representative to the board, defended the governor's budget proposal and said it was a challenge to appropriate funds without raising taxes.

"You do have a finite pot," Tufano said. "We're trying our darndest to get that pot bigger."