Finance & Business: 2007 Retreat

2007 F&B Spring Retreat

This year’s retreat featured Keynote Speaker Cynthia Cooper. Ms. Cooper was vice president of Internal Audit at WorldCom and one of Time Magazine’s Persons of the year in 2002. In her speech, Ms. Cooper discussed her secret investigation of the telecommunications giant which uncovered $3.8 billion in fraudulent accounting and the importance of integrity and ethics in business. During her visit to the University, Ms. Cooper also met with students from the Smeal College of Business to talk about her experiences. View photos of Ms. Cooper’s visit.

President Graham Spanier was a special guest speaker and spent time answering the participants questions. Featured presenters this year included three F&B Key Initiative Managers: Gary Langsdale, Enterprise Risk Management; Steve Maruszewski, Environmental Stewardship; and Gail Hurley, Focus on People.

View Key Initiative Powerpoints:

View Gary Shultz' powerpoint.

(Internet Explorer 6.0 users, click here.)

gary welcomes people to the retreat

Gary Schultz welcomes attendees to the retreat.

cynthia at podium

Ms. Cooper addressed the nearly 300 attendees for 90 minutes,
laying out the history of the WorldCom situation and answering questions.

gary welcomes people to the retreat

Attendees stretch halfway through the keynote, following Ms. Cooper’s instructions.

dan asks some questions

Dan Heist, director of the Office of Internal Audit, asks Ms. Cooper a
question at the end of the keynote.

cynthia answers questions

Attendees listen to Ms. Cooper’s comments following the keynote.

vrrrrrrmmmmmm!! electric saw!

Environmental Risk Management Key Initiative Manager, Gary Langsdale,
revs up the crowd with a chain saw.

gail presents

Focus on People (FOP) Key Initiative Manager, Gail Hurley, updates
attendees on the FOP projects.

President Spanier addresses the crowd

President Spanier talks to the attendees about the University’s activities
and challenges for the upcoming year.

gary has a Q and A session

Gary Schultz answers attendee’s questions during the luncheon.

cynthia meets smeal

Ms. Cooper met with accounting students from the Smeal College
of Business the evening prior to the F&B Spring Retreat.

HEADLINES & UPDATES
F&B Strategic Plan is Complete and Available Online
In June, the 2008-2013 F&B Strategic Plan was published and the full document is viewable online. Heading into the next five years, the plan covers many important areas such as F&B’s framework, guiding principles, and key initiatives.

The plan can also be downloaded in PDF format.
Budget Office Announced its Biggest Loser
Steve Neeper shed almost 22 lbs. over eight weeks to become the University Budget Office’s “Biggest Loser.”
Amaechi, QS/QP Awards Headline Annual Spring Retreat
This year’s F&B Spring Retreat featured a talk from keynote speaker John Amaechi, four new Quality Service, Quality People Awards , and thorough discussions regarding F&B’s key initiatives.
Penn State Continues Commitment to Green Construction
Penn State is building one of the greenest law schools in the country. Penn State Dickinson School of Law’s two locations will feature modern green building methods that will aim to conserve resources and promote environmental awareness.
F&B Improvements Noted in Latest Diversity Climate Survey Results
As part of its Diversity Key Initiative, Finance and Business is continually developing new ways to improve the diversity climate in its units and maintain each office’s progress. A major step in that improvement is the 2007 Diversity Climate Survey.
New Videoconferencing Program Saves Time and Money
Thanks to a videoconferencing program, meetings at Penn State don’t have to be a long drive or walk away anymore. You can sign on to Adobe Connect and experience your meetings without leaving the office.
Ask and Learn…There are No Dumb Questions
One way to get answers is to ask questions. The short film “No Dumb Questions” sits in on three sisters and listens to their probing questions about their Uncle Bill’s transformation into a woman.
Employee Ethics and Compliance Hotline
Address your concerns about workplace issues anonymously with the Ethics and Compliance Hotline. This service will assist you with problems including financial matters such as fraud, theft, conflict of interest, and other violations of University policy, including research compliance matters, discrimination, athletics-compliance issues, and more. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-800-560-1637.
Finance & Business Senior Leadership Signs Commitment Statement on Diversity. (pdf)
F&B Newsletter
View current and past issues online.
Help F&B Save Money
Have you ever looked around at work and thought, "If I were the boss, I'd do things differently. We could save a lot of time and money if only we'd...." Well, the F&B Expenditures Team wants to hear your ideas for changes that will result in saved time, resources, or money. Send your suggestions to expenditures@psu.edu.
F&B Approves Statement on Acts of Intolerance
As part of its Key Initiative to Foster Diversity, Finance & Business has adopted a Statement on Acts of Intolerance, outlining behavior and actions that are deemed inappropriate and harmful in the workplace. To view the Statement, visit the following page: FBIntolerancePolic(final).htm.
PENN STATE NEWS