nlc newsletter (fall 2014)

NLC Membership Exclusive: From CANVAS TO digital

Innovative iPad program >>> Tech tools help doctors >>> Team seeks the ‘smartest number’INSIDE:

NLCNewsletter-FALL2014.indd 1 12/16/14 5:02 PM

Nittany Lion Club Newsletter

2 31 Sports ONETEAM

Inside this Issue

Service drives ticket technology ..... 4Renewal deadline nears ..................5Endowment Dinner changes...........5Innovative iPad plan .................... 6-7Sports medicine immediacy ...........8Heart monitors, common sense .....9Endowment Dinner photos ..... 10-11Building Bridge to Future ..............12Gift List ...........................................13Q&A: Guy Gadowsky ......................14By the Numbers ............................15Serving young broadcasters ... 16-17Compliance Corner .......................18Athletics on Twitter .......................19

Art by former Nittany Lion Matt Rice will be delivered to NLC members as part of a two-part postcard renewal process series — an exclusive member benefit. Story, Page 13.

DID YOU KNOW?

Average per-game attendance

increase for football games at Beaver Stadium in 2014. The team drew an average of 101,623—up 5% from the average of 96,578 in 2013. Penn State fans have kept the Nittany Lions among the top five nationally in average home attendance every season since 1991.

5,036

About the Newsletter

Volume 35, No. 2January 2014

U.Ed. ICA-15-28

The Nittany Lion Club Newsletter is a quarterly publication sent to all Nittany Lion Club

members. The newsletter is published by the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Nittany Lion Club Web Sitewww.nittanylionclub.com

Athletics Web Sitewww.gopsusports.com

Executive EditorsMark Wharton, Nicole Potoczny

ContributorsPenn State Athletic Communications,

Steve Sampsell

PENN STATE ATHLETICSMission Statement

Consistent with the University’s mission, the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics offers

students exemplary programs that develop scholarship, sportsmanship and leadership

within the educational and social environments of the Pennsylvania State University.

STARTING SHOT

On THE COVER

Coach James Franklin addresses members of the football team in the Beaver Stadium locker room after the victory against Indiana, which made the team bowl eligible. (Photo by Mark Selders)

Combined team GPA of the women’s soccer

team, which earned National Soccer Coaches Association of America Team Academic Award for the seventh time in the past eight years.

3.26

www.NittanyLionClub.com

3NLC: Supporting Student-Athletes

It’s that time again, and it’s a special time.

It’s time for Nittany Lion Club membership renewals. It’s time for our members to display their strong support for our coaches and student-athletes—the folks who display their commitment to Penn State every time they practice or compete.

We appreciate the many Nittany Lion Club members who took advantage of the early renewal deadline, and those who completed their renewals online. With technology a focus of this issue, you’ll see it’s impact in a variety

of ways across the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. For us, online renewals make things more efficient.

Also, this year’s timeline allows members to renew their memberships and complete their football ticket purchases for 2015 at the same time. By early December, more than 45 percent of our season tickets had been renewed in that manner—a much higher rate at that time compared to previous years.

Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour has been a champion for our student-athletes since her

arrival and our NLC members clearly have the same mentality. Thanks so much for your support. We appreciate all you do.

Likewise, we welcome the newest member of the Penn State family, Deputy Director of Athletics/Chief Operating Officer Phil Esten.

It’s that time of year—an exciting time for us and we hope for you as well.For the Glory!

Mark T. Wharton

nlc notebook NLC Important Dates

Feb. 1, 2015Renewal Deadline

(Renew online for 3 additional points.)

Feb. 1, 2015Season Football Ticket

Renewal Deadline(New this year.)

March 2015Opportunity to Relocate

Current Seats

www.nittanylionclub.com

a Guide for DonorsHOW TO RENEW

5,000 New Members /

20,000 Member Renewals

EASY ways to give

GIVE what you can

INCREASE support for our

student-athletes

CHOOSE your benefit

level

GOALS

Tax InformationContributions to the Nittany Lion Club are 80% tax deductible, according to Internal Revenue Service

Code Section 170 (I), when the gift results in the right to purchase football, basketball or hockey tickets. Only the individual or company paying for the priority is eligible for the tax deduction. The

value of your benefits can be found by visiting our website. As with any charitable gift, please consult with your tax adviser to determine your deduction.

Check: •Makecheckspayableto“PennStateUniversity”•PleaseincludeyourNLCaccountnumberonthememoline•SendcheckstoNittanyLionClub,157BryceJordanCenter, UniversityPark,PA16802

Corporate Matching Gifts/Stock or Fund Transfers: •ContacttheNittanyLionClubat1-814-865-9462

Credit Card: •LogintoyourNLCTicketingAccountbyvisiting

www.nittanylionclub.com•Followthescreenpromptstorenewyourmembership•Receive3additionalNLCpointsbymakinganonlinegift

WAYS TO GIVE

80%TAX DEDUCTIBLE

HOW TO PAY YOUR TICKET INVOICE ONLINE

HOW TO RENEW: www.NITTANYLIONCLUB.COM

TO

Consider the Next Level

Lion Backer ($100-399)

Lion Loyalty ($400-999)

*#’s are based on total membership

8,100 members$1.4million

+4,050 members

50%

If ½ of Lion Backer members increased to the next giving level we could provide an additional $1.62 million to support

our student-athletes and shape our future leaders

10,000 million$1.1$110x =Members more ways to impact student-athlete support

more110

SupportingPennStateStudent-Athletes

Give $110 more! Nittany Lion student-athletes have vowed to give 110% in the classroom and in competition. We respectfully ask that you consider giving an extra $110 in 2015 as we continue to foster the success of our student-athletes, teams and programs at Penn State. Three (3) NLC points (1 point = $50) and a special recognition gift will be sent to those who participate.

GIVE WHAT YOU CAN

10 + POINTS

Total possible renewal NLC points:

Receive 2 NLC points for every $100

MAXIMIZE YOUR POINTS

Early Renewal by Nov. 1, 2014

POINTS

5

Gifts made online

POINTS

3

NLC renewal points

POINTS2

-2015-

Renewal Campaign®

NLC membership

Log into your Nittany Lion Club accountGo to www.NittanyLionClub.com

HOW YOU MAKE AN IMPACT

LEXI CARROLL WOMEN’SGYMNASTICS TAYLOR SKERPONBASEBALL“I am so lucky and thankful to attend such anamazingUniversity!Withoutyourgenerousgift,my dream of graduating from an institution with such high athletic and academic standards would havenevercometrue.”

“Thankyouverymuchfornotonlyallowingme to receive such a quality education, but also for providing me with the opportunity to live out one of my childhood dreams. None of this would havebeenpossiblewithoutyourcontributions.”

ALL-AMERICAN$20,000+

LION’S PRIDE$10,000-19,999

LION’S CIRCLE$5,000-9,999

HONORARY COACH

$2,500-4,999

HONORARY CAPTAIN

$1,000-2,499

LION LOYALTY$400-999

LION BACKER$100-399

Membership Levels

BENEFITS:1. At all levels of membership you have benefits to ticket priority.

2. At many giving levels, premium parking is a benefit of membership.

ADMIT ONE


Penn State Athletics Accoun

Donor InformationWho’s the donation for? * Please select

On Behalf of SomeoneMyself

39%

My Penn State Account MaI have an account.

NLC/Athletics Acct.# or Email

Password

Enter your donation amount below.

$ (No minimum amount)

RENEW NOW

ViewBenefitsLast Year Donor Level & Gift amount

checkout

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Donation Fund DesignationNittanyLionClubLeviLambFund-AthleticsFootballExcellenceOther Athletics Designation

Survey QuestionsPleaseanswerthefollowingquestions:

$Total Amount

add to cart

USDTotal Amount

submit orderprevious step

YoushouldreceiveYOURORDERCONFIRMATION immediately upon submitting your order.

step 1: payment information

Payment Option:

Select your payment method.

SelectPaymentOption

I agree to the terms of use. All orders are subject to cre yourorder,pleasecontactcustomerserviceat800-648

1. Visit www.nittanylionclub.com and click on MYACCOUNT.

2. Log-inandclickCONTINUE. 3. Click on RENEW NOW.

4. Choose who the donation is for by clicking on the down arrow.

5. ClicktheNITTANYLIONCLUBLEVILAMBFUND-ATHLETICS to satisfy your ticket and parking benefits (Note: A Donation Designation Fund, other than NITTANY LION CLUB LEVI LAMB FUND, does NOT count towards your ticket and parking benefits if less than $10,000).

6. EnteryourdonationamountandclickAPPLYwhenapply button turns blue.

7. Your donation amount should appear and then click on ADD TO CART when it turns blue.

8. Checkout 9. Answer survey questions and click on SAVE (Note: if giving a designation other than NITTANY LION CLUB LEVI LAMB FUND-ATHLETICS be sure to answer the designation questions).

10. Proceedwithcheckoutandcreditcardinformation. 11. ChecktheTERMSOFUSEbox. 12. ClickonSUBMITORDER

AVAILABLE IN YOUR NLC ACCOUNT

•Paymentplansareavailable

•Indicateyourdesiretoparticipateinthespringseatselection.

•TicketinvoiceswillbeavailabletopayonlineasearlyasthemiddleofOctober,2015.FootballseasonticketinvoicesaredueFeb.1,2015.Youmayselectapaymentplan,to purchase your 2015 season tickets, when you are checking out to pay.

Welcome, Patrick!We would like to welcome our newest team member of the Nittany Lion Club and former student-athlete gymnast Patrick McLaughlin to his role as Assistant Director/Annual Fund. He is formerly from Philadelphia and will be on the road meeting our NLC members. Latest news online: www.GoPSUsports.com


4 31 Sports ONETEAM

Ticket technology a priority for serving customersHe’s responsible for hundreds

of thousands of ticket sales and related transactions every year, and Jeff Garner constantly discusses big-picture, overarching issues.

That’s his job.As assistant athletic director for

ticketing sales and service, Garner oversees all aspects of the ticket operation for Penn State’s 31-sport athletic program.

Still, he’s worried about just one thing every day—each customer’s Penn State ticket-buying experience.

Obviously, that’s not a little thing, and Garner and Penn State rely on technology and quality customer service skills as they strive to meet that goal. Every time someone deals with the ticket office, or part of the process related to buying tickets, Garner wants them to come away satisfied.

“We want to make the process as easy and intuitive as possible,” Garner said. “We want people to enjoy every aspect of the experience—and if that’s not the case we’ll improve.”

Penn State has been at the forefront of implementing technology for ticket-related matters in recent years. Most notable among the initiatives have been the Ticketmaster Account Manager interface, which allows Nittany Lion Club members and ticket holders to manage their account and ticket information, and Virtual Venue, which provides users with a real-life look at their seat-selection options in Beaver Stadium, Pegula Ice Arena and the Bryce

Jordan Center when they purchase or search for tickets.

Penn State’s strong relationship with Ticketmaster has been especially important in terms of customer service improvements and technological innovations for Nittany Lions fans.

“We are helping drive some of the changes and have been at the forefront of a lot of what happens there,” Garner said. “We have some alumni there (at Ticketmaster) who have helped make some unique functions possible.”

Along with technology, which allows for more online renewals for NLC memberships and ticket purchases, timing has been enhanced as well. Specifically, because members and ticket buyers can commit easier and sooner by utilizing online options, Penn State has moved up deadlines—such as Feb. 1, 2015, deadline for both NLC membership and season football

tickets—to enhance its overall ticket-sales approach.

“If we get that hard deadline and get football renewals complete, it gives us more time to serve those customers and more time to sell whatever remains,” Garner said. “Plus, we can move onto things like men’s basketball and wrestling sooner in the cycle. Having the technology to make things happen in an efficient and timely manner is a big part of that.”

“We want to make the process as easy and intuitive as possible. We want people to enjoy every aspect of the experience—and if that’s not the case we’ll improve.”

— JEFF GARNER

For Jeff Garner, the most important thing about his job is providing an unrivaled experience for people who purchase tickets to any of Penn State’s varsity sporting events.




5,000 New Members /


EASY ways to give

GIVE what you can


student-athletes

CHOOSE your benefit

level

GOALS








WAYS TO GIVE

80%TAX DEDUCTIBLE



TO






+4,050 members

50%




more110



GIVE WHAT YOU CAN

10 + POINTS





POINTS

5

Gifts made online

POINTS

3

NLC renewal points

POINTS2

-2015-

Renewal Campaign®

NLC membership






LION’S PRIDE$10,000-19,999


HONORARY COACH

$2,500-4,999

HONORARY CAPTAIN

$1,000-2,499


LION BACKER$100-399

Membership Levels



ADMIT ONE





39%



Password



RENEW NOW


checkout

continue shopping



$Total Amount

add to cart

USDTotal Amount




Payment Option:


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6 31 Sports ONETEAM

Tangible Technology Innovative iPad program puts emphasis on education

Some people might see an iPad and think “toy,” but not Charmelle Green.

Green, an associate athletic director and the senior woman administrator in the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, sees an iPad—nearly 800 of them, in fact—and thinks “tool.” Specifically, she sees the kind of tool that will help lead Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics into the future and enable it to maintain its position as one of the nation’s premier athletic programs.

A big part of the approach to success includes giving every varsity student-athlete an iPad, an effort that started this year after much discussion and preparation.

“We spent a lot of time benchmarking and preparing to roll this out,” Green said. “It’s certainly an investment and we wanted to do it the right way.”

Some 778 student-athletes received iPads during the initial rollout of the program, which is designed to benefit them by heightening their connectivity, efficiency and productivity as they seek to achieve high standards of academic and athletic excellence.

Students were not simply handed the devices. All student-athletes had to complete a technology training session with the iPad before having one assigned to them, and each device

has an individual “asset tag” so school officials can properly inventory and track the devices. Plus, a variety of apps and software was preloaded onto the iPads for students. That includes:

Angel, the classroom management program used by many Penn State faculty members; Elion, the system used by Penn State students to register for classes and track their student accounts; the Intercollegiate Athletics Mobile Technology Program; and Notability, a note-taking program.

“This was first and foremost a move made for academics,” Green said. “We ask a lot of our student-athletes and, in fairness, they receive a lot of benefits. Still, we felt the investment in iPads for every student-athlete was something that would provide an important benefit and position them for success.”

Green built a committee and met with officials across Penn State—from admissions and advising as well as faculty and IT professionals—to shape

all aspects of the iPad program before students ever received the devices. The well-designed effort has made it incredibly valuable.

Green wants Penn Sate to maintain its high standard in the classroom (461 Penn State student-athletes earned a 3.0 grade-point average or higher last spring and 285 were named Academic All-Big Ten in 2013-14) and in competition.

Not surprisingly, response to the program from student-athletes has been strong.

Freshmen Emily Ogle, a member of the women’s soc-cer team, said the iPads have been a wonderful addition.

“School-wise it’s great,” Ogle (Strongsville, Ohio) said. “You can pull up stuff on Angel while you’re in class. It’s really good for doing your home-work. It’s also good for traveling, and carrying that instead of a laptop takes away so much weight.”

Numerous coaching staffs have made use of the iPads as well, delivering team-related material (compliance forms, meeting notes, playbooks and video) directly to student-athletes—often in minutes after a competition ends.

“They definitely use them,” said women’s gymnastics coach Jeff Thompson. “We send them our meeting notes each week and video

“We spent a lot of time benchmarking and preparing to roll this out. It’s certainly an investment and we wanted to do it the right way.“

— CHARMELLE GREEN



Innovations,low-tech effortswork for some

While every Penn State student-athlete has an iPad and every coaching staff could conceivably tap those devices as a resource to complement educational offerings, not every sport uses the tools to the same level as others.

For example, members of the football team can access individual plays and videos on an almost daily basis, and several teams deliver team calendars and meeting notes to student-athletes. Those groups are among the strongest initial adopters while others, like the wrestling team, have a different approach.

“We’re happy to have the resource, but we do not use it as much for that,” Sanderson said. “It’s a great option, we’re just a little more old-school. There’s a two-CD player in my office and even that’s one more than I need.”

Along with iPads, a variety of teams have different approaches to technology—whether that means how much they do or do not encourage student-athletes to use social media to repurposing older technology for a different purpose.

For example, the women’s gymnastics team uses old TiVo recorders to tape practices and show student-athletes their routines. “That happens in almost real time,” coach Jeff Thompson said. “They come off the mat and see what they did, and we can also email it to them on their iPads.”

from our intrasquad meets and their specific routines. It’s really useful.”

Additionally, with a move toward digital course materials, e-textbooks and online courses, the iPads have even more versatility.

In at least one case an iPad provided to be just the right tool for an injured student-athlete.

“We’ve got nothing but praise and terrific feedback from the student-athletes,” Green said. “I know of one athlete who broke her wrist and she wasn’t able to write or take notes in class. Thanks to the iPads however, she’s able to angle the iPad in a man-ner that allows her to type with a cast.”

While the iPads certainly find non-academic uses, such as exploring social media or simply writing emails, their ease of use and the fact that the student-athletes have them in hand make the program a success from the start. Even if “connectivity” just means a quick FaceTime message with home, Green believes that’s another indication of success.

“Some of them aren’t able to go home all the time, so when I hear feedback that many are able to communicate more often through video calling, that really makes me feel great about the benefits of this program,” Green said.

Another addition to the athletic department to benefit student-athletes was the launch of “refueling stations” at various locations on campus in late October.

“The stations are fuel and calories that we provide free of charge to the student-athlete,” said Director of Sports Nutrition Kristine Clark, Ph.D. “They’re located at practice facilities, locker rooms and even athletic training and weight rooms. They’re even here at our sports nutrition office in Rec Hall.”

The refueling stations feature more than 38 food options, including cereal, fruits and vegetables. They also include snack foods, such as pretzels and granola bars, and a range of proteins like milk, yogurt, hummus and different types of jerky.

“They provide good proteins and carbohydrates after the athlete is done working out. That will enable them to recover more efficiently and be able to enable more muscle growth at a faster rate.”

—Alexis Shelton

Refueling stations up and running

Members of the women’s gymnastics team regularly use the iPads during team meetings.


8 31 Sports ONETEAM

When Dr. Roberta Millard watches a Penn State sporting event from the sideline, she’s not really watching the action. She’s watching for what happens as part of the action.

Her duties serving student-athletes require her to know how injuries occur, and there’s no better way to find that out than watching.

Along with what she sees, Millard and all members of the Penn State sports medicine staff benefit from valuable technology. The tools available to them range from assessment measures to communication devices—all of which make the job easier for doctors and team trainers. At the same time, those tools provide unbiased benchmarks and measures that coaches and student-athletes appreciate.

For example, Penn State has long utilized Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT), the most-widely used and most scientifically validated computerized concussion evaluation system. ImPACT provides neurocognitive assessment tools and services that have been medically accepted as state-of-the-art best practices.

For Penn State and all clients, the ImPACT system offers an initial baseline test that provides a reference point should a student-athlete sustain a concussion or display concussion-like symptoms.

Additionally, technology related to ImPACT has been adapted to work with mobile devices, meaning it can be accessed whether Penn State teams compete at home or on the road.

Likewise, easy access to electronic medical records has made the job of team-related medical providers much more efficient in recent years.

“With the ease of access comes the added factor of safeguarding the security and privacy of the medical record,” Millard said. “That said, being able to access records and not having to go into an office and dig through files makes things much easier. It allows us to serve the individual student-athletes and the teams much better.”

Millard, a former Penn State student-athlete herself as a member of the swimming team, appreciates the emotions and excitement of winning, but she

measures her wins and losses differently these days.

“We want to improve our efficacy,” she said. “If that means looking at a video of how an injury occurred, being able to get an answer more quickly because of a better communication or whatever it takes to keep a student-athlete healthy and recover, we’ll do that. In the end, it’s mostly balancing common sense with some new tools, and we’re happy to do that.”

For team doctors, techtools help enhance care,provide timely answers

Sophomore Salina Williford (Wayne, Pa.) jumps to get her head on the ball during a match against Bucknell. (Photo by Mark Selders)



When some Penn State teams start practice they need more than the equipment for their specific competition or contest. Heart-rate monitors and related software are just as common and necessary as the correct shoes and moisture-wicking undergarments these days.

Plus, coaches armed with all kinds of electronic data have important information and sometimes interesting challenges. Along with game plans, they can consider heart rates, “training effect” and recovery times—all of which can be displayed and quantified in real time.

“We have a wealth of information,” said Stuart Smith, an assistant coach for the field hockey team. “We know a lot more than ever before, and we can see—and show our student-athletes—what’s happening. Because we have a baseline, we know when they’re at their maximum effort. It holds them accountable. It holds us accountable, too. We’re not looking for some magic number. We’re just looking for the ‘smartest number’ to help us prepare and perform.”

In season and out, the field hockey team uses monitors to measure heart rate, percentage of heart rate to maximum, total

training load and training effect.Smith works closely with

strength coach Ian Jones and, of course, longtime coach Char Morett-Curtiss to make the most of all the team does in terms of training.

“Char has been instrumental in what we’ve done,” Jones said. “It’s a conditioning sport and she understands. She’s a fan of hard running with a science behind it.”

At practices and games, coaches can watch a computer screen that shows individual player exertion levels. Training effect, for example, shows on a one-to-five scale, and when a number gets into the mid- to high-fours, they know that student-athlete is getting near her limit.

In some cases, they marvel at what the student-athletes do—senior Laura Gebhart invariably

plays at a level that rivals the exertion of a marathon runner—and in other cases the coaches use the quantifiable information to balance their experience and what they see on the field.

Also, after practice players regularly make a beeline to Smith to find out how they performed. After some initial apprehension, student-athletes have embraced the technology with several often competing among themselves to perform well and have the numbers to back it up.

“I love all the science, but it’s a balance,” Smith said. “Sometimes you need them to push through what the numbers might be telling you because that’s how you improve. That’s the human complement to the science.”

Morett-Curtiss agrees. She displayed that during the season, and during practices when she cut sessions short just because the team looked tired—a sense she has gained not through technology but through 28 years of coaching. She did not have a computer, but she was right.

“We were plateauing, at best,” Jones said. “What she saw was true. Sometimes the science just backs up all that experience—and we’re working to make the most of the combination of the two.”

Team seeks ‘smartest number’ for performance

Senior Laura Gebhart (Mount Joy, Pa.) sometimes showed heart-rate and exertion numbers that rivaled running a marathon while playing. (Photo by Mark Selders)


10 31 Sports ONETEAM

Endowment Dinner photos,facing pages

Students–athletes, donors are shining stars at fall endowment dinnerIn an effort to increase the opportunity

for donors to meet their scholarship recipients and make the evening an even better experience, the Nittany Lion Club decided to host two dinners this year. The first dinner took place Oct. 31 and was a success. More than 400 donors, student-athletes and coaches attended the event at the Penn Stater. The evening featured winter and spring teams.

Among those in attendance were (clockwise from upper right): President Eric Barron and his wife Molly with Tori Waldner of the Lady Lion basketball team; Xavier Smith of men’s track along with Jonathan Ekstrom of men’s swimming, who sang the alma mater with Athletic Director Sandy Barbour; women’s gymnastics coaches Jeff and Rachelle Thompson and student-athlete Sidney Sanabria-Robles; Don and Mona Cotner with Jordan Dickerson of the men’s basketball team; Harry and Sue Kauffman, Frank Guadagnino with Connor Curry, Nick Goodell and Matt Callaway of the men’s volleyball team; and Jeff Hyde with Rebecca Ziegler of the softball team.

The second dinner will highlight the fall teams and both ice hockey teams on April 17, 2015.

Photos by Ann Goeke



Students–athletes, donors are shining stars at fall endowment dinner



Member Profile features NLC members at all giving levels. If you have someone to nominate, or would like to be featured, send an email to [email protected] with DONOR PROFILE in the subject line.

Bridge to Future Fund offers important opportunityFor more than 20 years, Todd

Sloan has been helping to raise money for others—regularly asking potential donors to support people and programs, matching their interests with a way to take those interestes to action.

He also consistently supported the programs he championed.

Things got even more personal for Sloan when he returned to Penn State to work as a fundraiser for the University.

An alumnus, Sloan (’88 Lib) was happy to give to his alma mater, and he did so in a highly personal manner, with an annual scholarship in memory of his parents to Penn State Worthington Scranton.

In addition, with an affinity for intercollegiate athletics and student leaders, he later created annual scholarships that benefit members of the men’s and women’s golf teams.

“There’s something special about golf, because of the honor involved in a sport when you call infractions on yourself that has always appealed to me,” Sloan said.

Still, Sloan recently made another important and personal gift when he decided to support the men’s basketball team through the Bridge to the Future Fund.

The giving option was launched by the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics to help alleviate financial pressures created because of the NCAA sanctions, the related fine and the loss of bowl revenue.

The option focuses heavily

on facilities improvements—maintaining Penn State’s commitment to providing the best experience for student-athletes on and off the playing field—and Sloan’s specific support was targeted toward a film room for the men’s basketball team.

“Basketball has always been my favorite spectator sport, and this option just made sense,” Sloan said. “I’m not the biggest giver, but I know what I can do will make a difference. Basically, when I committed to doing something we asked what they needed most and coach Patrick Chambers said it was this. That was good enough for me.”

A dedicated film space for the team will enhance its preparation and increase its efficiency, limiting times when the team might get bounced from spaces inside the Bryce Jordan Center because of scheduling conflicts.

Sloan’s gift is just one of many options donors can support by giving to the Bridge to the Future Fund.

For Penn State—a program takes pride in giving student-athletes superior facilities, supporting their academic goals and investing in their athletic success—the bridge-funding approach is vital at this time.

“Financial pressures have created a need to find new and creative means to ensure we can continue building the best intercollegiate athletic program in the nation,” said Ken Cutler,

more infoCall 1-800-NITTANY for more information on the Bridge to the Future Fund.

director of major gifts for the Nittany Lion Club. “While current resources are already committed to operating costs and facilities maintenance, many athletics facilities projects due for renovation or significant upgrades may have to be postponed.”

To help solve these challenges, ICA has developed the innovative Bridge to the Future Fund. The program is designed to leverage future gifts to help facilitate a loan to launch necessary building projects and establish bridge funding until the sanctions expire.

“We are prepared to borrow up to $30 million for five years to move forward with critical facilities projects—but only if it can secure private support to pay the interest on the loan in addition to traditional fundraising to augment the loan,” Cutler said.

Without the loans, ICA will not be able to launch several overdue facilities projects. With the combination of traditional fundraising and bridge-loan financing, though, Athletics hopes to complete $23 million of capital improvements with $14 million of private support and accelerate the timetable for all the projects by at least three years.



GIFT LISTWe are pleased to announce these gifts and pledges of $25,000 and above

to Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics. We sincerely thank the donors who, through their generosity, make these important funds a reality.

Opportunities exist to endow scholarships in specific sports or an area that meets your interest. Or, support one of our facility projects. Of course, all

such opportunities provide tax benefits. If you would like information about how to participate, please call us at 814-863-GIFT (4438).

DONORS SCHOLARSHIP/NAMING OPPORTUNITY

James and Susan Antoniono .......................................................... Penn State Women’s Volleyball Coach’s FundEdward and Jeanne Donlevy Arnold ..................Football Excellence Fund — Edward and Jeanne Dunlevy Arnold

Linebackers’ RoomBrian Barcaro ............................................................Albert and Dominic Barcaro Endowed Football ScholarshipDoug and Dianne Baxter ........................................................Football Excellence Fund—Doug and Dianne Baxter

Academic Graduate Assistant’s OfficeKen and Sandra Brinker ......................Ken and Sandra Brinker Endowed Track and Cross Country ScholarshipCameron Brown ................................................. Gary H. Brown Men’s Ice Hockey Student Manager ScholarshipRoger and Rosalie Dietz.................................................................. Penn State Women’s Volleyball Coach’s FundFarrell Family Charitable Foundation ........Football Excellence Fund—Team Auditorium in Honor of 2012 TeamWayne and Stephanie Fulin ............... Football Excellence Fund—Wayne and Stephanie Fulin Nutritionist OfficeStephanie and David Galey .......................... Stephanie and David Galey Endowed Scholarship for Women’s GolfFrank and Lisa Gaudagnino ........................................................................................... Bridge to the Future FundMichael Hudacek, Sylvia Hudacek and Michael Hudacek Jr. ........................................ Bridge to the Future FundSuzanne M. Lord .......................... Football Excellence Fund—Suzanne M. Lord Observation Deck in Holuba Hall

and Women’s Soccer ProgramKaren and Scott Shearer .........Karen and Scott Shearer Endowed Football Scholarship for the Center PositionStine Family Foundation ............................................... Football Excellence Fund and Bridge to the Future Fund

Artist, former football standout Rice shares his workMembers of the Nittany Lion

Club will receive artwork by artist/entrepreneur and former Penn State standout Matthew Rice in the coming weeks as part of the renewal process. An image of Beaver Stadium that Rice first created 10 years ago and has been updated and will be separated into two pieces for NLC member mailings.

In partnership with the NLC, Rice graciously converted his artwork into a digital file. This

file may now easily be used for future membership mailings, posters and social media promotions. Rice, a defensive end, was a three-year starter and second-team All-Big Ten selection. He earned two bachelor’s degrees (integrative arts and African-American studies) in 2005.

More about Rice (on Twitter @MateoBlue) may be found in a web exclusive story at www.nittanylionclub.com online.



In three seasons at Penn State, men’s ice hockey coach Guy Gadowsky has led the transition of the program from club status to Division I. The move has included playing in a state-of-the-art facility (Pegula Ice Arena), sparking the creation of Big Ten Conference hockey and completing many impressive “firsts”—from on-ice milestones to memorable moments in major arenas and even outdoors. Clearly Gadowsky knows hockey and how to build a program. But he’s about more than that, as the Newsletter’s Quarterly Q&A reveals.

Are you ahead of schedule for the program’s growth? I think we’re ahead, for sure. There was a reporter who came to me at the Frozen Four a few years ago and asked how long it would take to win our first conference game, and judging by that we’re ahead of the perceptions of a lot of people. It’s taken a lot of people for that to happen, though. From the Pegulas to our administration, our entire staff and our wonderful fans and student section. We were basically an expansion team joining the Big Ten, but everyone is so committed and passionate that we’re making great strides.

If a team is a reflection of its coach, what does your team show about you?Oh, I’m not sure it’s about me. Our staff is tremendous, and that includes everybody, and we have really high-quality people. We just

want to represent the University the best we can on a daily basis.

Is there a non-negotiable trait or must-have skill you want from all your players?We want high-quality people. That’s the way we did things at Princeton, we believe in that approach and it’s certainly representative of Penn State. We want kids with character. It just fits with the culture here. That’s one thing that’s impressed me so much about Penn State students. There’s a culture of getting things done here, and we want our players to be a part of that.

What would your players say is our best trait?I have no idea. I hope they would say it’s very evident we care about them and developing them for future success.

When you played pick-up hockey as a child, who were you on the ice?Oh, it was always Bobby Clarke. No question. Every time.

What’s your guilty food pleasure, something you love to eat?Rare steak and pierogies. Oh, and dark chocolate.

Favorite Berkey Creamery flavor?Peachy Paterno

What music is on your iPod?There is no iPod. Our guys would tell you I’m technologically challenged. Mostly I listen to radio. But, if I did put together a list it would include Journey, Billy Idol and AC/DC.

Best advice you ever received?A guy named Scott Campbell, who was a junior when I was a freshman at Colorado College, told me to always be myself.

Guy Gadowsky

Men’s ice hockey coach Guy Gadowsky has quickly made Penn State a competitive program.

QUARTERLY Q&A



MY NUMBER

It would be easy to say No. 1, because I want to be the best, but my number is 2 because it’s not about me.

God is always first on my list.That’s something I try to make a

part of everything I do. Every day. It’s not always easy, but it’s important for me to strive for that approach.

It works for me because it does help on the field and off. It makes me a better player and a better student because it’s easier to appreciate all the things you do not control. Plus, it helps me strive to be the best be-cause it’s about giving glory to God.

I think my teammates know that about me, and I hope that how I act reflects who I am to others. It does not mean I’m not competitive—I’m always going as hard as I can on the field and in practice—it’s just when I think about a number that defines me it’s not a goal to reach or a distance or a uniform number, it’s more about who I am. Because of my beliefs, my number is 2.

That should be about the qualify-ing standard for the triple jump for Olympics, in meters. [Editor’s note: That’s 55.12 feet.] For Beijing it was 16.80 and for London 16.85.

It’s something I’ve been thinking about for the past couple of years, when I made my first international competition. That’s when it became a reality.

It’s definitely something that’s there mentally, drivng every one of my workouts. Plus, I’m already counting down. It’s 573 days from the first meet of my senior season to the Olympics.

My best right now is 16.22, and there’s a lot of room for improve-ment. At the end of this year, I want to be around 16.50 or 16.60. There are things in each phase of my jumps that can get better. I think I can feel about 95 percent of what happens with one of my jumps, but I record them, too. I’m the only jumper from Trinidad who can make that standard, so I’m racing against the distance and I like that challenge.

For me, 2016 is not just a number or another year. Qualifying for the 2016 Olympics in Rio and representing Mexico is what I have been working for my whole life. Being an Olympian is easy to say but almost impossible to become. For me, becoming an Olympian means that I have reached my biggest dream. I proved to myself that it doesn’t matter the goal, what matters is the willingness to achieve it.

I remember my first college breaststroke race ever. We flew to Arkansas and I was really nervous because I was new to the team and I wanted to do well. Of course that didn’t happen, but I learned more about how different the atmosphere is here and it helped me learn to race.

I think I have a lot of room for improvement, especially because I can always get stronger and wiser. If I keep up with the work, I feel I can cut six or seven seconds off of my 200 breast and three or more off my 100 breast long course.

2Raquel Rodriguez

Women’s Soccer Junior / San Jose, Costa Rica

16.80Steve Waithe

Men’s Track and Field Senior / Parkville, Md.

2016Melissa Rodriguez

Swimming Junior / Chihuahua, Mexico



Coaches share insights, help student broadcasters

In just 18 months, the Mack Brady Soccer Fund has grown to more than $160,000. This year’s annual Mack Brady Game for the Penn State men’s soccer team will be contested Sept. 21 vs. Ohio State at Jeffrey Field. (Photo by Christian M. M. Brady)

Coaching matters in sports—something that’s been proven repeatedly at Penn State through the years as teams pile up conference and national championships—and coaching matters for aspiring sports broadcasters.

That’s being proven at Penn State as well.

Thanks to a forward-thinking effort involving ComRadio, some championship-caliber Penn State coaches and a group of committed and talented undergraduate stu-dents, the state of sports broadcast-ing has already improved.

It started with a brief discussion

between men’s volleyball coach Mark Pavlik and ComRadio general manager Jeff Brown last summer.

“Pav and I were at lunch and I told him that I’d always wanted to conduct seminars for students, to help educate those who want to do radio play-by-play,” Brown said. “It seems like everybody knows football, basketball and baseball, but we were sorely lacking for things like volley-ball, soccer and wrestling. It’s hard to put students on the air if they don’t know what they’re talking about.”

ComRadio is the Internet-based radio station housed in the College of Communications. More than 150 stu-

dents contribute to ComRadio each semester. Programming includes a variety of news and sports-talk shows as well as play-by-play cover-age of a numerous of Penn State varsity sports.

Pavlik was immediately interested in the idea. “Jeff asked if I could help out every now and then, and I actu-ally suggested we do it every week,” Pavlik said. “It’s worked out really well.”

What resulted was a weekly Wednesday night meeting between the coach who has a national cham-pionship and 15 consecutive Final Four appearances to his credit and a

Men’s volleyball coach Mark Pavlik points out a detail to students from the College of Communications while watching a women’s volleyball game together in Rec Hall. With him are (left to right) freshman Mike Carnuccio, junior Tyler Feldman and sophomore Shannon Ryan. (Photo by Mark Selders)



handful of students whose combined volleyball experience or expertise generally ranged from watching the sport during the Olympics on TV to playing with family and friends at a summer picnic.

In fairness, some had broad-cast Penn State women’s volleyball games before, but even they had a steep learning curve.

During the sessions in Rec Hall, Pavlik showed the students Penn State game film and discussed vol-leyball basics as well as higher-end strategy. They talked volleyball and watched volleyball -- especially samples Pavlik pulled from ESPN, YouTube and other sources that in-cluded work by people he considers some of the best volleyball broad-casters in the world.

In addition, the students with some experience brought in tapes of their broadcasts for Pavlik to cri-tique.

“It’s been an amazing experi-ence,” said junior Tyler Feldman, an aspiring sports broadcaster who regularly works on ComRadio and for BTN.com broadcasts. “Coach Pavlik has been wonderful sharing his time, and we know the game better as a result. Whether it’s little things or big things, he helps us understand how a volleyball broadcast should sound.”

Pavlik has been impressed with the students’ passion and talent. Attendance for the sessions was consistent and strong. His goal was to help them avoid mistakes that an informed volleyball audience would easily catch and prepare them to be the best at what they do.

“They brought in a DVD of a wom-en’s match that they did, so we dis-cussed that and they had really good

questions. For me, it was initially about avoiding obvious mistakes,” Pavlik said. “For example, someone might say, ‘Micah sets the ball up for Nia.’ Well, ‘up’ is just unnecessary. Is she going to set it down? And ‘dug out.’ What was it in that it had to be dug out of? Once you point out that those kinds of things that are obvi-ous, it improves a broadcast -- and much more improvement comes with familiarity.”

Later in the semester, Pavlik and the students took their sessions to a different level when the women’s volleyball team played at home on a Wednesday night. Instead of talking and watching film, one of the best coaches in the nation sat in the Rec Hall bleachers with students who hope to be the best at what they do -- all watching one of the best women’s volleyball teams in the nation.

“These kids really want to be excellent at what they do, and its been a lot of fun,” Pavlik said. “To be involved with people who want to improve and be the best they can be is special. It’s certainly nice to be in touch with students who are not my players. It just gives a broader con-nection to campus.

“We have a University full of very special people, whether its students, faculty or staff. Our students have never let us down. It’s so much fun watching them pursue excellence.”

Pavlik’s willingness to coach and mentor made him just the first of several Penn State coaches who have committed to help the Com-Radio students -- many of whom are part of the first-of-its-kind John Curley Center for Sports Journal-ism, also housed in the College of Communications. Along with Pavlik,

women’s soccer coach Erica Walsh plans to participate in similar ses-sions in the future. Men’s soccer coach Bob Warming has expressed an interest as well.

In addition, alumnus Jeff Byers, the award-winning radio broadcaster who calls Penn State wrestling for the Penn State Sports Network, plans to conduct seminars with the student broadcasters. In fact, Byers, who earned his broadcast-cable degree in 1992, and members of the wrestling staff have agreed to conduct a couple of sessions as the season progresses.

For Brown and ComRadio, the coaching and mentoring sessions lead to better broadcasts and, eventually, better-prepared alumni who move into jobs as professional broadcasters. Someday Brown anticipates home and away cover-age of as many Penn State sports as possible on ComRadio. He also envi-sions sport-specific shows for many Penn State sports on ComRadio each week.

Still, he knows many first steps must be completed first, and this combination of coaches and students -- a truly engaged scholarship, out-of-the-box (and out-of-the-class-room) experience -- has represented a strong start on that journey.

“Pav has been the ideal person to get things started because he really cares and has been so supportive,” Brown said. “He understands that this is an educational experience, and that’s the core reason for what we’re doing. It’s about helping the students get better at what they do.”



From afar, the numbers seem overwhelming, even unfair.

Penn State has 31 varsity sports teams and 800 student-athletes—all of whom invariably need some form of information and support from the compliance office, which includes a staff of seven.

Still, the staff maintains strong relationships with every coaching staff on campus and regularly taps technology to make its job more efficient.

“We are constantly reviewing what’s new in technology. We’re aware of what’s out there and we love to learn about tools that can help us, our coaches and our student-athletes be successful,” said Tiffini Grimes, assistant director of athletics compliance. “We’re always looking for new ways to be more effective.”

The compliance office functions primarily as a resource—keeping coaches and student-athletes informed and prepared. With its proactive approach, embracing technology has been a logical step for members of the office as they strive to fill that resource role on a daily basis.

As part of that effort, Penn State invested in a software program called JumpForward about a year ago. The company serves more than 125 schools and 100,000 users at athletic departments across the nation.

At Penn State, the system enhances the efforts of the compliance staff and benefits coaches as well as student-athletes.

“Its basically a one-stop shop for all the things we do, and it helps turn us into a paperless organization,” Grimes said.

With the software, which also can be downloaded onto smart phones for coaches and staff, the compliance office communicates with coaches, maintains roster lists and much more. At the same time, student-athletes can complete required forms and manage their complementary ticket requests through the system.

It also has a prospect database that allows coaches remain compliant with NCAA rules and connected with those prospective student-athletes. About half of Penn State teams use the system’s recruiting database, which includes technology that makes coaches aware of their communications with recruits.

“If you have a prospect in the

database and the prospect is an underclassmen and you try to call them thinking they’re a senior, the system will provide a pop-up window and let you know that’s not allowed,” Grimes said. “So, in that way, it also provides another level of compliance support and monitoring.”

In general, Grimes said the office views technology as an important resource. That’s one reason the office has embraced social media, and launched its own Twitter account more than four years ago in October 2010.

“We’re certainly aware of social media, and some people might worry about coaches and student-athletes on social media,” Grimes said. “But for us it’s a resource. We’re on Twitter to share information, to let boosters know about little bits of news or rules they might not know about. We’re just using all the tools we can to do our job.”

COMPLIANCE CORNERSoftware helps keeps everyone compliant, connected

When Penn State teams travel, including members of the women’s volleyball team when they visited Seattle to compete for the national championship last year, they submit a travel roster to the compliance office. That’s one of many items the office tracks for all teams. (Photo by Mark Selders)



CONTACT USPhone: Gifts and Membership: 814-865-9462 / Email: [email protected]

Hours: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. / Tickets: 1-800-NITTANY (648-8289)Mail: Nittany Lion Club, 157 Bryce Jordan Center, University Park, PA 16802

Nittany Lion Club Staff

Administrators, StaffSandy Barbour .............................@SandyB_PSUADRick Kaluza ............................ @GoPSUSports_RCKCompliance Office ....................... @PSUComplianceJeff Nelson ........................................... @GoPSUJeffTony Mancuso .....................................@GoPSUTonyKris Petersen ....................................... @ladylionsidAlissa Clendenen ........................... @GoPSUAlissaCLoren Crispell ........................................@GoPSULCJim Nachtman ........................... @PennStateNacho

TeamsBaseball .......................................@PennStateBASECross Country .............................. @PennStateTFXCWomen’s Golf .............................. @PennStateWGolfMen’s Golf ................................... @PennStateMGolfWomen’s Gymnastics ................. @PennStateWGYMMen’s Gymnastics ......................... PennStateMGYMMen’s Ice Hockey ........................@PennStateMHKYField Hockey ..................................... @PennStateFHWomen’s Lacrosse ...................... @PennStateWLAX

Men’s Lacrosse ........................... @PennStateMLAXWomen’s Soccer ..........................@PennStateWSOCMen’s Soccer ...............................@PennStateMSOCSoftball ............................................. @PennStateSBSwimming and Diving ................. @PennStateSWIMWomen’s Tennis ..........................@PennStateWTENMen’s Tennis ...............................@PennStateMTENTrack and Field ............................ @PennStateTFXC Women’s Volleyball ....................@PennStateVBALLMen’s Volleyball ......................@PennStateMVBALLWrestling ...................................@PennStateWREST

CoachesJames Franklin .............................. @coachjfranklinPatrick Chambers .....................@Coach_ChambersCoquese Washington .................@CoqueseWashingRob Cooper ......................................@16RobCooperMark Pavlik ......................................... @MarkPavlik

FacilitiesJordan Center ................................. @JordanCenterPeguala Ice Arena ........................@PegulaIceArena

Penn State Athletics on Twitter



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