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Penn State and Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry form alliance
Penn State and the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry established a program partnership during the 1997 Pennsylvania Business Leadership Conference held in Hershey. Participants included (seated, at left) Dr. James H. Ryan, vice president for Outreach and Cooperative Extension at Penn State, and Floyd Warner, president of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry; and standing, from left: Geoff Davis, director, Chamber Education Foundation; Jewell Lester, Chamber member; John McKissick, Penn State Management Development Programs and Services; Dr. Jeri Childers, Penn State Outreach Office of Program Planning; Christine Arbutina, Penn State Outreach Office of Client Development; Dr. Shirley Hendrick, associate dean for continuing and distance education in The Mary Jean and Frank P. Smeal College of Business Administration; Gregg Robertson, Chamber member; Dr. Patricia A. Book, associate vice president for outreach and executive director, Division of Continuing Education; Patrick Mazzola, AllHealth; Melinda Stearns, Penn State Outreach Office of Client Development; Don Orr, Air Products; Christy Spoa, Ellwood City Save-a-Lot; and Gary Langmuir, Wohlsen Construction.
“This program partnership with the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry is another major step in Penn State’s plan to enhance outreach programming for Pennsylvanians.” Dr. James H. Ryan	Penn State and the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry have formed a program partnership to develop and deliver educational programs and products designed to improve Pennsylvania’s business climate while increasing the competitive edge for the Commonwealth’s businesses.   The announcement allows two leading state organizations to synergistically focus their separate strengths on similar goals. The University is committed to expanding programs that benefit Pennsylvania citizens. The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, located in Harrisburg, champions the issues of concern to more than 300,000 businesses in the Commonwealth and focuses on creating an improved business climate in the state.   The two organizations signed a memorandum of understanding formalizing their program partnership during the 1997 Pennsylvania Business Leadership Conference: Leadership Strategies and Techniques for Moving Your Organization Forward held in the fall in Hershey. The one-day conference was sponsored by Bell Atlantic and Pennsylvania Power and Light Co., along with Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P., Harvard Business School Press and Penn State’s Management Development Programs and Services.   “This program partnership is another major step in Penn State’s plan to enhance outreach programming for Pennsylvanians,” Dr. James H. Ryan, vice president for Outreach and Cooperative Extension, said. “Today, land-grant universities like Penn State are facing increasing requests to assist in addressing issues of economic and community development and quality of life matters of concern to all citizens. Most frequently, these opportunities are best realized in collaboration with other leading organizations and associations. We view this alliance with the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry as a way to enable us to enhance our efforts to provide education and training for both chamber members and other citizens of the Commonwealth.”   Floyd Warner, president of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, said, “As we advance the cause of Pennsylvania’s businesses, we have found educational products and services to have a profound impact on helping achieve dramatic results. With knowledge increasingly becoming the key commodity to innovation and growth, a partnership with a world-class provider such as Penn State helps all Pennsylvanians win.”   The goals of the program partnership include working collaboratively to develop local and statewide information sharing and resource networks for Penn State, the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry and local chamber members; developing new needs-based program opportunities each year; sharing responsibilities for program marketing, development and delivery; and supporting the Commonwealth’s goals for economic and community development.   The two organizations also are interested in finding innovative ways to distribute their programs and products through print, interactive videoconferencing, the World Wide Web and distance learning technologies, including the Penn State World Campus.