This is the second in a series profiling one of the 86 candidates for the upcoming Board of Trustees election. Penn State alumni may vote online in the race between April 10 and May 3. The three winning candidates will be announced at the May 4 board meeting, and they will assume their new three-year terms on July 1.
No Commonwealth campus will be lost in the fray of the Board of Trustees election with Dr. Joanne DiRinaldo, Ed.D, running.
A State College native, Penn State alumna and daughter of the owner of Rinaldo’s, the 40-something barbershop that has served customers from fraternity brothers to Joe Paterno, she carried the pride in the legacy and tradition of the area with her to Penn State Kensington, where she was ready to share.
It was not long, however, until DiRinaldo noticed a disconnect between the consistency and streamlining of communication and attention that was given to the Commonwealth campuses versus University Park. As a member of the Penn State Advisory Board at Kensington Campus, she decided to take action so that she could guarantee every student equal representation.
“The key here is to make sure that we give students who are not able to afford living at University Park an equal opportunity to go to a reputable university as Penn State and be able to stay at home and do so,” DiRinaldo said.
“Some key issues that I think we should focus on are expanding scholarship opportunities for students, expanding internship programs, tap more into industry funding and establish more opportunities for undergraduate students doing research with faculty.”
Then there’s the issue of restructuring the board. DiRinaldo realizes this idea alone doesn’t set her apart from the pack of 86 but hopes that her plan will make No. 28 stand out on the ballot.
DiRinaldo has been endorsed by the Paterno Petition Group and said she is close with PSU-ReBOT.org, an organization working with Pennsylvania legislators to make amendments to the board’s charter so restructuring can become a reality.
“We need to have more elected alumni trustees,” she said. “I would like to see a reduction of current membership on the board, and term limits – 32 is way too many.”
Even in regards to restructuring the board, DiRinaldo emphasizes the importance of the Commonwealth campuses’ role.
“I would like to see diversity in representation among all campuses and colleges,” she said. “Realign the balance of power by redefining representation and the way people are elected, less appointees by the governor. There needs to be revisions of bylaws and standing orders.”
An unavoidable topic during this year’s election, the actions taken by the current board in November affected DiRinaldo – she said that due process should have run its course – but she is not one of the many whom are demanding that every member of the current board step down.
“I was not sitting in the room the day that these people had to make a decision and I do not feel that I can adequately judge what went on behind closed doors for them to come to a unanimous decision,” she said.
However, “The hastened decision for them to terminate Spanier and Paterno was not done appropriately.”
Now semi-retired and only sitting on one other board – a Penn State one – DiRinaldo said that the kind of time she could devote to the board is what it needs.
“Because of the events that have occurred and because of the damage that has been caused to our university, I feel very emphatically that we need to have board members who actually have time to devote to the board,” she said.
“A candidate that has a full-time job, a family and whom sits on many other boards – that’s going to be a disservice.”
Related coverage:
