Penn State's Board of Trustees meets in Washington, D.C., today and tomorrow, a change from its usual March meeting location. The board will decide room and board rates for the 2002-2003 academic year and hear reports on campus construction projects.

While the trustees sometimes meet at a Penn State campus other than University Park, this is the first time they will meet in the nation's capital, much less outside of the state.

The board will meet there because of Penn State's increasing prominence as a national university, university spokesman Bill Mahon said. During the meeting's two-day span, Penn State President Graham Spanier will report to the trustees on the connections between the university, Washington, D.C., and the federal government. Students who have worked in the city through a Penn State program also will give a presentation.