The Penn State Board of Trustees will meet at 1:30 p.m. today at the Penn Stater Conference Center and Hotelto discuss ways to tackle student debt, receive an update on enrollment numbers and hear an update on the athletics integrity agreement.
Student Trustee Peter Khoury and Marianne Alexander, the chair of the Committee on Academic Affairs and Student Life, will address the board to give a report on student aid. Khoury said he hopes there will be a discussion on the topic during the board meeting.
Khoury is the vice chair of the Committee on Academic Affairs and Student Life .
Other members are trustees Ryan McCombie, Samuel Hayes, Ronald Tomalis and Adam Taliaferro.
Khoury said the committee discussed student debt, financial aid and financial literacy during its meeting Thursday.
He said one of the most important points is looking at the topic of financial literacy. He said looking into how Penn State students are making financial decisions will help the committee understand how it can help students — in terms of providing resources that they need to make sound financial decisions, and ultimately, to decrease the default rate.
In order to do these things, Khoury has been looking to students for help, Ryan Brown, president of the Penn State Student Black Caucus, said.
Brown said Khoury has met with numerous organizations on campus as well as members of the Caucus in order to speak up for the student body at Penn State.
During today’s meeting, the board will also hear an update on current Penn State enrollment at University Park and the Commonwealth Campuses as well as an update on the number of applicants for the upcoming academic year, Khoury said.
In addition to the reports from each of the six standing committees — the Committee on Academic Affairs and Student Life, the Committee on Audit and Risk, the Committee on Finance, Business and Capital Planning, the Committee on Governance and Long-Range Planning, the Committee on Legal and Compliance and the Committee on Outreach, Development and Community Relations — Penn State President Rodney Erickson will also give a report.
According to the agenda, public comment will also be a part of today’s meeting, beginning at 3:15 p.m.
