SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — Penn State University President Eric J. Barron said Thursday that he wants the school to be a leader in Pennsylvania’s economic development, in part by strengthening its links to the business community.
“I want to brag about driving the economy,” Barron, who took office on May 12, 2014, told about 100 business leaders gathered at Penn State Schuylkill for the Business Executive Formal Luncheon of the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce.
To that end, Barron announced that he has formed the Invent Penn State program for forming partnerships with businesses in the communities where Penn State campuses are located.
“We value and we incentivize your efforts,” Barron said. “It’s all about partnerships. The notion of having it Penn State branded works very well. A university is a place that creates knowledge, innovates and passes it on.”
Barron’s speech marked the highlight of the 90-minute luncheon and spotlighted what Barron, a former president of Florida State University, wants to achieve while leading Penn State.
He said the university, which already has a $16 billion economic impact on Pennsylvania, will open seven of the Invent Penn State centers, one at the main University Park campus in Centre County and six at other campuses, this year. He said the university plans to open six more next year, and that he hopes Penn State Schuylkill will be the site of one of them.
“We have a community here that is known for its strong work ethic,” he said.
Chamber Executive Director Robert S. Carl Jr. said his organization supports that goal.
“We will work ... to make sure we are one of those sites,” Carl said. “There are very strong leaders in this community ... who want to work with you.”
Such local support has been crucial for Penn State Schuylkill’s success, according to Chancellor Kelly Austin.
“Our campus’ history is truly built on the support” of local people, Austin said.
Barron believes Invent Penn State will increase the university’s visibility, provide a platform for business plans and help build ecosystems between the campuses and their communities.
“We should be thinking about what it takes to operate in this space,” he said. “I want students and faculty to go into the community.”
In addition, Invest Penn State will showcase the university’s emphasis on research and should make it easier to market ideas, according to Barron.
He said the school should encourage all students to learn about business and that, from now on, all will have a chance to have a minor in business regardless of their major.
Barron, the university’s 18th president, compared Penn State to Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, which is a bulwark of the Silicon Valley’s technology-driven economy. He said that because it is a public school operating with public money, unlike Stanford, Penn State cannot afford failures, but the lower cost of living in the Keystone State can be an incentive for aspiring entrepreneurs.
“We’re not so expensive as Silicon Valley,” Barron said.
Penn State also will host its first intellectual property fair in September, according to Barron.
“That should be a lot of fun,” he said.
An additional goal Barron said he wants to promote is to make sure the university and its alumni prosper.
“(I want) to make sure every one of our alumni see that Penn State helped make them successful,” he said.