BARRY FENCHAK FOR PENN STATE TRUSTEE

Responsible governance. For a change.

Responsible governance. For a change.

I have, for years, put forward thorough, intelligent, and workable solutions to address Penn State’s issues.  Those who know me are aware of my positions regarding Penn State, and of my resolute and unwavering commitment to serve for the benefit of all stakeholders of the University. Those who would like to find out more about me, please keep reading. Or contact me directly, I will reply. Always.

Key Issues

  • Penn State NEEDS responsible stewardship provided by those who are committed to serving the University as fiduciaries, not those committed to serving themselves.
  • Penn State NEEDS smart stewards who have invested the time and the effort necessary to understand the issues facing the University.
  • Penn State NEEDS talented stewards who have the skills and abilities to develop proposals that address key University challenges.
  • Penn State NEEDS outspoken stewards who have the commitment and the tenacity to challenge an ingrained and dysfunctional status-quo.

Penn State deserves better, and Penn State Alumni DESERVE the opportunity to support someone who will provide those skills and abilities and commitments.

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Together we’re going to make some changes at Penn State.

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In Barry’s Opinion…

The Penn State Endowment

What good things could Penn State do with an extra $1.2 Billion? Over the last few years, the fees paid out to Penn State’s Investment Advisers have increased from approximately $11 Million per year, to nearly $75 Million per year. It is not unusual, in fact it is quite common, for large investment accounts to contract with Investment Advisors to oversee the management of those investments. In doing so,…

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by barryfenchak4trustee

What can Penn State Athletics do in response to the recent SCOTUS rulings? An opportunity to re-awaken the Grand Experiment

There has been an abundance of confusion regarding the recent ruling by the Supreme Court in the case against the NCAA. This ruling has often been conflated with the “Names Image and Likeness” (NIL) legislation that now allows student-athletes to profit from the use of their notoriety as athletes. But what the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) case dealt with is something different. What the SCOTUS ruling did was eliminate existing…

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by barryfenchak4trustee

Penn State Admi$$ion$: The Changing Admissions Landscape in a Post-COVID Era

Last year, Penn State University President Eric Barron announced that standardized test scores (aka, the SAT Test) would not be required in admissions applications. The rationale behind that change was reasonable: due to COVID restrictions, the SAT Board drastically scaled back the opportunities for high school students to take the SAT, and many students might not have had the opportunity to provide standardized test scores for the 2020 admissions…

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by barryfenchak4trustee

Penn State Athletics: Seven Years of Sandy Barbour, Part II – Academics

PSU Athletics: In-classroom success under Sandy Barbour Sandy Barbour has now been at the helm of Penn State Athletics for seven academic years. Her fiscal, managerial, and fund-raising shortcomings – both at Penn State and at her previous position at California – are well documented. But how has Barbour done in leading her organization to, as she likes to phrase it, “Comprehensive Excellence” in the classroom? (For links to…

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by barryfenchak4trustee

Saying good bye to Ira Lubert, and a ponderance.

Long-time PSU Trustee Ira Lubert resigned on December 7th, 2020 – the same day as Pearl Harbor Day, appropriately enough given Ira Lubert’s track record as the implementer of His “Sneak Attack” Sandusky Claimant settlements. In actuality, Lubert didn’t really “resign”, he was “termed out”. Penn State Trustees have a 12 year term limit. Lubert actually sat on the Board for 15 years – but was granted extra time…

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by barryfenchak4trustee

NIL is coming, is Penn State Ready?

The Changing Landscape of NCAA Control: Names Image and Likeness Photo courtesy: @GoPSUsports.com 30 August 2014 “Names, Image, and Likeness”. What it is, and what it isn’t: In recent months, the topic of “Names, Image, and Likeness” (NIL) has been buzzing, some would say ricocheting, through the orbit of collegiate athletics. NIL is NOT “Universities paying student-athletes”. NIL refers to the marketing of a student-athlete’s “Name, Image, and Likeness”…

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by barryfenchak4trustee

How Engaged are Penn State Trustees?

As many are aware, Penn State has a 38-member Board of Trustees. Penn State’s Board is approximately three times the size of the average board of Big Ten Universities. Why? Many governance experts – including former PA Auditor General Eugene DePasquale and PA Congressman John Yudichak – have stated that the size of the Board makes it unwieldy, and lends to Trustees being disengaged. They called for reform to…

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by barryfenchak4trustee

About Barry

Barry J Fenchak – Chemical Engineering ’84, MBA ‘91

I was born in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania but came to State College at 17 years of age, and have lived in the Park Forest neighborhood ever since. I am a two-time Penn State graduate and the son, husband, brother, brother-in-law, and father of Penn State alumni. My wife and I have raised our family in Happy Valley. You can’t get much more Penn State than me.

After completing my Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering at Penn State/Main Campus in 1984, I worked in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry as a Process/Production Engineer and Production Manager. At the same time I enrolled in the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program at Smeal College of Business.

After completing my MBA degree in 1991, I opened an Investment Management and Financial Advisory practice in State College. I am a licensed Registered Investment Advisor and Securities Principal, and work with individuals, families, and businesses to develop, implement, and manage investment and financial strategies to secure their financial well-being.

From 1998-2018 I served as an Adjunct Professor at Penn State, teaching undergraduate courses in personal and corporate finance (FIN 108 and 301), as well as accounting principles (ACCT 211).

Position Statement

Penn State University is a complex and dynamic institution, operating in a challenging environment.  My priorities are congruent with taking on the greatest challenges facing our University.

Dedication to furthering the University’s core missions: 

  • Providing a quality affordable education, and sponsoring meaningful and beneficial research.
  • Fiscal responsibility and oversight of the University’s assets and resources.
  • Engaged and active advocacy as a steward for the University and its stakeholders.

Among Penn State’s greatest current challenges and shortcomings are:

  1. The highest in-state tuition of any public university in the nation. This issue has not arisen out of accident or happenstance.
  2. The plummeting of Penn State’s academic standing in the Big Ten – from 4th place to 10th place, and dropping. These issues are not unrelated…. And they must be addressed.
  3. The suffocating costs of administrative waste and largess, being loaded onto the backs of our Students and their Families. These issues are not unrelated…. And they must be addressed.
  4. Drastic declines in the in-state student composition of the Penn State University Park student body. These issues are not unrelated…. And they must be addressed.
  5. The most dysfunctional and the least accountable board of governance among the Big Ten’s public institutions.  A 38 member board which focuses it’s only efforts on in-fighting, self-service, and posturing, rather than serving as Responsible Stewards of the University. These issues are not unrelated…. And they must be addressed.

    I care deeply for my Alma Mater, and there is no one more qualified and committed than I, to take on that responsibility.