Making gifts ranging from several hundred dollars to the maximum $100,000, Penn State donors are taking advantage of benefits afforded by the recently passed Pension Protection Act of 2006. The act allows donors to make tax-free withdrawals from a traditional or Roth Individual Retirement Account (IRA) directly to a qualified charity. Distribution amounts are not included in the donor's gross income and do not factor into any charitable deduction that otherwise would apply to the donor, but will count toward the donor's minimum required distribution. Penn State alumnus Hal Marcus, who with his wife, Inge Marcus, have been benefactors of the College of Engineering, urged other donors to consider the opportunities presented by the Pension Protection Act in making their gifts. "This new legislation has given us one more creative way to give, and we encourage others who may be eligible to use their IRA fund to support Penn State in this way."
Every year as fans clamor to get tickets to big football games, unscrupulous entrepreneurs crop up to take advantage of those who are willing to spend more than face value to see their favorite teams play. The danger for the fans goes beyond shelling out big bucks, though. In recent years, it has become increasingly common for scalpers to sell counterfeit tickets. With No. 4 Michigan set to visit Penn State in a highly touted Big Ten matchup this weekend, Tom Sowerby, University Police supervisor, is concerned that fans will encounter problems with counterfeit tickets once again. "I think it is very likely that we will see counterfeit tickets for this game, especially since the ring leader of a group that was arrested for selling counterfeit tickets for Penn State's game at Notre Dame a few weeks ago was arrested here for the same offense in 1997," he said.
As part of Teaching India, the campus will be hosting several music programs in October.
On October 19 at 12 noon in the dining area of the Student Community Center, Amzad Rahman will performance and discuss the "Evolution of the Music of India from Ancient to Present Times." Joining Rahman will be Anupama Kytham and Dr. Shenaz Choudhury, adjunct mathematics instructor at the campus.
Join us in the Traina Room of the Student Community Center at 12:15 p.m. on Monday, October 9th for the first Brown Bag Lunch Speaker Series for Teaching India 2006.
Dr.
Penn State's presence in the Pittsburgh suburb of McKeesport will be taking on a new name: Penn State Allegheny.
Approved September 15 by the University's Board of Trustees, the name change is intended to support the campus' regional presence, facilitate an expanded vision and evolving mission for the campus and raise general awareness of the campus.
The new moniker also is expected to give a sense of ownership to campus alumni and Penn Staters living in Allegheny County, and reinforce the campus' position as the only Penn State location in the county
Penn State McKeesport Professor of Mathematics, Zhibo Chen, and his former student, Tian Liang, have coauthored an article that has been accepted by the College Mathematics Journal. The article, "Converse of Viviani's Theorem, " is scheduled for November, 2006 publication.
Orientation 2006 for new first-year students began on September 3, 2006, and consisted of a full week of fun activities and informative workshops. Students and their families learned about the many resources available on campus, and had the opportunity to meet the faculty, staff, and students of Penn State McKeesport.
Thanks to the support of generous alumni and friends, Penn State McKeesport raised $430,894 in gifts during the 2005-06 fiscal year, which ended on June 30. Donors contributed $148,271 for scholarship support, $167,916 for outreach programs and special projects, $95,092 for buildings and equipment, and $19,615 in general support.
Penn State always does well in the rankings that are designed to help parents and students sift through the thousands of colleges and universities in this country to decide which will help them spend their money wisely. Once again this year, Penn State also has been recognized for the job it does in preparing its students to benefit the nation. Up three spots from last year, Penn State now is ranked No. 3 in the nation behind only Massachusetts Institute of Technology (first) and University of California, Berkeley (second) by Washington Monthly, a political, inside-the-beltway publication. The magazine ranks institutions as engines of social mobility; as producers of academic minds and scientific research that advance knowledge and drive economic growth; and as forces to inculcate and encourage an ethic of service.