Rep. Conklin to Hold Public Meeting on Reforms for Penn State Board of Trustees

State Rep. Scott Conklin will hold a public hearing in State College on July 17 to discuss reforms for the Penn State Board of Trustees.

Conklin will discuss his multi-bill reform package “designed to increase accountability and transparency among the (Board of Trustees),” according to a news release.

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the State College Borough Building. Tor Michaels, Rep. Conklin’s chief of staff, says the meeting will be an opportunity for members of the public to have their say and hopefully gain more public support.

“The public has had a chance to take a look at it and talk about it now and we’d like to hear some input from the residents of State College and surrounding communities concerning the reform package,” Michaels said. “We’ve only gotten positive feedback on the package so far from the public. We’re looking for a constructive dialogue here.”

Conklin introduced a package of reform measures earlier this year based upon former Auditor General Jack Wagner’s recommendations. The legislation would reduce the size of the board to 22 members and make the state’s Right-to-Know Law applicable to Penn State, among other measures. The bill is currently stuck in committee, but Michaels says his office is hopeful this meeting will generate enough support to push it through.

The Board of Trustees reduced the size of the board from 32 to 30 at their last meeting, among other changes.

“We sent a letter out to all the trustees inviting them to come. If any of them attend, we’ll put them up on the dais,” Michael said. “We believe this is something that needs to be done this year. We’re hoping that we have a very constructive dialogue on the 17th to bolster our case that these bills must move forward.”