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Ford's Focus
 This is another packed issue with a lot of important information. I want to draw your attention to a few specific things, including the section the OPP Town Hall event scheduled for later this month. In addition, I'd like to thank all of you for the part you played in our annual load reduction test on June 25. We managed to reduce our electricity usage during the test hour by 31%. The 49th Annual Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts begins this week. It'll be a busy week on campus and in town.
I hope you all had a safe and happy Independence Day and enjoyed time with family and friends.
Best,
Ford
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Welcomes
 Adam Kost accepted a position as an electrician. His first day was June 29. Hometown: Tyrone, Pa.
Hobbies: Watching baseball, boating
Sheri Lucas accepted a position as a real estate specialist. Her first day was July 1.
 Erin Thomas accepted a position as an administrative support assistant with Design & Construction Project Management. Her first day was June 22.Hometown: Bellefonte, Pa.
Hobbies: Spending time with family and friends
**If your picture was not included, we would be glad to include it in a future edition. Please contact Susan Bedsworth to set up a time to have your photo taken.
Farewells
Blair Malcom, facilities engineer, is leaving the University. His last day is July 7.
Alan Witmer, facilities supervisor, has accepted a facility coordinator position with a different unit. His last day was July 3.
Facility Coordinator Updates
Brad Smith who is the facility coordinator for the College of Ag will also be the contact as the facility coordinator for the Arboretum.
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 Al Matyasovsky retired from Penn State on June 30 after an extraordinary and pioneering career. He will be sorely missed, and we are publishing here a farewell message he asked that we share.I want to thank everyone for their support of our waste management programs at Penn State. Our efforts have been recognized nationally, and it is the faculty, staff, students, and tech service personnel who deserve credit for this honor.
By asking good questions and pitching in, you have created a waste program that is trending in the right direction. Because of your support, we can finally see light at the end of the zero waste tunnel. Please continue your support of Penn State's waste programs when I depart.
The Central Support Services team is a wonderful group of Penn State employees, and I have enjoyed working with these fine men and women, every day. These phenomenal leaders of labor, equipment, and solid waste are difference makers. Kudos to all of you.
Having grown up in meager beginnings, I must recognize my parents who never used the lack of money as an excuse to fail, but rather said that being poor had nothing to do with who you are as a person. Study hard, respect everyone, and strive to do your best, no matter what the task, and you will do fine. They were right.
Thank you, Mom and Dad, for everything.
The roots of my childhood and my wife Sharon and my children, Michael, Allison, and Jennifer have enriched my life beyond measure and, with their support, I look forward to the next chapter.
I hope to continue learning about Sustainable Development and to install programs that not only help the environment, but people as well.
God bless all of you who have support me/our efforts, and have given me a chance to grow personally and professionally.
As my Mother often said, "Not bad for a kid from the patch."
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| | Kelly Gilham presented Al with a Nittany Lion sculpture on June 29 to honor his 29-year membership in the EBA. |
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Beautiful Landscapes
Dawn Laubach from ARL wrote in to OPP to offer thanks to Brian Phiel and the landscape crew for the landscaping work in front of the Garfield Thomas Water Tunnel (GTWT). "I wanted to thank you and your team for the excellent job you did on the landscaping in front of the GTWT. I have received several comments on how nice it looks. I also appreciate your timely response given the short notice I had given. You and your team helped to make our meeting a success!" |
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Jii Khoo, senior manager of ITS, honored 21 individuals for their role in the implementation of the Abacus Phase II project. "The team, a joint business and ITS effort, has worked diligently to successfully implement the Abacus Phase II project. Not only was the project on time, within budget and completed the business requirements, they worked very well together as a team and were able to successfully change some of our business processes.
"The Go Live for Abacus Phase II was wildly successful. It is a tribute to the pre-planning and the persistent focus on product/applications testing and quality assurance."
The honorees include:
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Since the attic has run low on items, we've decided to transition this column to something new. The new column will be called "Tools of the Trade" and will share unique tools that employees in OPP use on the job. We'll still be accepting guesses, since those outside of a specific work area may or may not know what a specific tool is called or what it is used for.
The item in the June 21 issue of News & Views was a book clamp used on elevator cables.
Item from the June 21 edition:
The next "Tools of the Trade" item is below.
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 The Office of Physical Plant is now on Twitter! We're excited to connect with faculty, staff and students. We'll be sharing information about what OPP does, our various programs such as möbius, keeping people up to date about construction and other alerts on campus and looking to answer questions and address concerns from those on campus.
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Penn State's Millennium Science Complex was recently featured on the back cover of the June issue of Dwell, a magazine focused on design and architecture. The story, which gives insight to the unique details of the building design, was written by Diane Budds with photo by Jeremy Bittermann.
"The plaza between two wings of the Millennium Science Complex by Rafael Viñoly Architects looks like a lush oasis, but appearances deceive: it's actually a carefully orchestrated space designed to limit noise and vibration transmission to the high-tech laboratories located beneath it. Winding paths discourage runners. Skateboarders and cyclists can't ride over the fine gravel surfaces easily, but the permeable material allows for rainwater retention. Hilly plots peppered with native plants further insulate the rooms below. Aside from the performance requirements, the garden rewards visitors with a striking landscape."
You can check out the article on Dwell's website. |
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The annual load reduction test that took place on June 25 was once again a success. University Park reduced its electricity consumption by an impressive 31 percent during the hour of the test. Central electricity metering during the test averaged 22 megawatts, compared to the peak usage of 32MW on a day that was cooler than normal for late June.
The Emergency Demand Response program demonstrates the University's capability to reduce its usage during a regional power emergency . Penn State has committed to being able to reduce its load to 28MW if necessary to avoid a blackout. The reduction to 22MW was the University's second-best performance ever, just behind last year's reduction to 21MW.
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Did you miss out on the OPP t-shirts that were given out at the Spring Celebration? Don't miss out on getting this year's shirt.
Any employee that did not receive an OPP t-shirt and would like one can contact Jeanne Higgins for pick-up or delivery. Sizes available include small through 5XL. Jeanne will order more of a specific size if needed. Jeanne can be reach via email at jlw54@psu.edu or by phone at 814-865-4402.
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Each edition of News & Views will include an interesting Penn State factoid. Some will be about OPP, while others will be about different parts of the University. Know an
interesting tidbit? Send it to newsviews@psu.edu. As long as we can verify its authenticity, we will share it.
Living at Penn State
Did you know the average living space here at University Park is 52 years old? North and South Halls have both been renovated in recent years, but major upgrades as part of the first phase of a 13-year, long-term building plan are in the works for East Halls. In addition to a new residence hall, one of the existing buildings will be renovated and will boast air conditioning, kitchens, seminar rooms, study lounges, music rooms and meditation rooms.
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All employees are invited to an OPP Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday, July 28, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in 100 Thomas building. Provost Nick Jones and Senior Vice President David Gray have offered to meet specifically with OPP employees in a similar forum to the first University Town Hall Meeting that took place on June 2.
This is a unique opportunity to engage more deeply, as Nick Jones urged in the first public meeting, "to share your thoughts, concerns, issues; ask questions, make suggestions, have input; and find out thing you didn't know about what is going on around the University with us directly."
All day-shift employees are encouraged to attend in person. A live stream of the meeting will also be provided and the URL will be posted before the event, as well as a link to the archived video on the OPP home page a few days after the event.
Since this session is being held on a regular business day, employees are encouraged to park in their assigned parking area and then walk or use the Campus Shuttle or Loop bus services. For those unable to walk or use these services, limited parking will be available in the Eisenhower and East Parking Decks.
Topics at the first meeting included child care, employee benefits and University investments ( a video is available). If you have questions or topics that you would like for Nick and David to consider in advance, please send them to opptownhall@psu.edu. They will do their best to respond to as many of the items submitted as possible, and there will be an opportunity to submit questions on index cards the day of the event.
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The Class of 2013 class gift was put into place on Tuesday, June 30. The "We Are" sculpture was designed and constructed by Jonathan Cramer, '94, B.F.A., Art, who is also a State High graduate.
The sculpture, which is made of mirror-polished stainless steel, stands 12 feet tall at its highest and weighs nearly 8,000 pounds.
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| Image: Susan Bedsworth
The sculpture is located on the corner of Curtin Road and University Drive. |
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In an effort to help us all stay healthy, we'll be sharing tips, stretches and workouts you can do at your desk or on your break. We would also love to hear from you! How do you get more movement into your day? Share by emailing newsviews@psu.edu, and with permission, we'll share your submissions in an upcoming edition of News & Views.
After sharing some great yoga poses you can do at your desk or on break, we decided to get some photos of people in OPP trying them out. Check out some of your coworkers below!
1. Seated Backbend
2. Seated Twist
3. Wrist Release
A big thank you to Mike Snider, Bruce Smith, Larry Murray and Corey Lucas for being good sports.
Disclaimer: Always talk with your doctor before starting a new fitness regimen.
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Dedicated to Diversity
What is your language? How does it sound? How is it different from the others around? How many friends can you make when you know...a dozen different ways to say "Hello!" Come find out - and bring along a friend - to the Bilingual reading corner. Let the adventures begin!
- Where: Barnes & Noble, State College, Pa.
- When: Saturdays, 11:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.
- Dates:
- July 18: German & Chinese story time with Hyoun-A Joo & Fengyang Ma
- August 15: Spanish story time with Lauren Perrotti
- Sept. 19: Russian Story time with Olesya V. Kisselev & Irina Mikaelian
- Oct. 17: Spanish & Italian story time with Carla Fernandex & Federica Bulgarelli
- Nov. 21: Welsh story time with Elizabeth Pyatt
- Dec. 19: French story time with Melinda Fricke
Everyone is welcome no matter what language you speak! This even is open and free to the public.
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In each edition, we are including information and links to retirement information found both on the web and from Penn State's Office of Human Resources. Remember, regardless of your age it's always important to plan ahead for retirement.
Preparing for Retirement at 40
Retirement savings tips geared toward 20-somethings were shared in a previous issue of N ews & Views. This time we're shifting our focus to those of you in your 40s. The following information and excerpts were taken from a CNBC article, "40-plus? It's not too late to start saving."
"From a retirement-planning perspective, this is the decade where the rubber meets the road." Basically, if you haven't already starting thinking about your financial future, now is a really good time. What are some things you should start thinking about?
- Save up, stay healthy
- Make sure you're contributing the max you can to your 401(k) and other accounts, such as traditional IRAs. If you can manage additional savings, consider a Roth IRA.
- If you receive unexpected income, such as an inheritance, save them.
- If you can't put extra aside right now, minimize future expenses by taking care of your health. Lose weight, stop smoking, and exercise!
- Invest in yourself
- Your highest income-earning years are probably still ahead of you so continue investing in yourself by taking training programs or classes to keep your skills up to date.
- Make sure to protect your nest egg with the right amounts and right types of insurance, such as health, life, auto and homeowner's coverage, to protect you and your family if the need arises.
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The Shoemobile will be back to visit OPP on July 13-14. Don't miss out on the chance to check out 100 different styles from more than 40 industry leading brand names. Get free socks with every purchase!
- Monday, July 13 - 12 - 6 p.m.
- Tuesday, July 14 - 6 a.m. - 2 p.m.
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Have something to sell? Let us know! E-mail Susan Bedsworth with your item(s), details, contact information
 and photos. We will include it in the next edition of News & Views. And don't forget about OPP's Yammer Group "Up for Grabs." Just sign in with your University ID and password to post your item.
Lion Surplus
Lion Surplus handles the removal of University-owned equipment in environmentally responsible ways, such as sales, bids and auctions. Their store, located at the corner of Services Rd. and Big Hollow Rd., is open to students, faculty, staff and the public. The inventory changes daily, but the store routinely has gently used furniture, computers and other electronics, scientific equipment, and much more.
Follow Lion Surplus on Facebook to keep up to date on inventory and special events.
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Contact Us
If you have any comments or suggestions for News & Views, contact Susan Bedsworth by e-mail or at 863-9620.
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You can find a list of carpoolers and regional bus services through the 