Wigbels Receives Prestigious Award - Penn State York

Romano Honored for Over 40 Years of
Penn State Leadership
The Penn State Board of Trustees on Friday, July 9, approved the
naming of a portion of the administration building at Penn State
York in honor of John J. Romano, recently retired vice president for
Commonwealth Campuses and former campus executive officer at Penn State York. After
more than four decades at Penn State, Romano retired June 30.
“John Romano served as campus executive officer at Penn State York from 1985 to 1993 and under his leadership the
campus experienced unprecedented growth both in numbers of students and in faculty and staff,” said Joel M. Rodney,
current chancellor at Penn State York. “It was John who worked with private and civic leaders to secure the transfer of 33
acres of land from the City of York and this action led to the construction of the Pullo Family Performing Arts Center
and the Lee R. Glatfelter Library in 2005. He also led the campaign that
resulted in the building of the M. S. Grumbacher Information
Sciences and Technology Center in 1991.”
The Board of Trustees allowed the campus to unveil
the building name prior to Romano giving York’s
commencement address on May 14. In a surprise
ceremony with about 100 guests in attendance,
Romano, accompanied by his wife Stephany and
daughter Alexandria, graciously accepted the honor.
From left: Joel Rodney, Penn State York chancellor (2002
- present), John Romano, former Penn State York campus executive
officer (1985 - 1993), Don Gogniat, former Penn State York campus
executive officer (1993 - 2002)
Faculty in the Spotlight
Harley Hartman, P.E. – Award winning faculty member and so much more . . .
Harley Hartman ’04, ‘08, of Hanover, Pennsylvania, has multiple spotlights shining
on him at Penn State York: as an instructor in engineering, as a member of the
Engineering Industry Advisory Committee, and as he takes on a new role as the
liaison for Penn State York’s new community partnership program called Technavate*.
Hartman keeps his professional skill sets polished through his work in the local
manufacturing community with his consulting business, H-Cubed Engineering. He
brings his experiences from working in the field into the classroom to benefit his
students. This spring he was one of the recipients of the James H. Burness Award for
Excellence in Teaching (nominations come from students and other members of the
campus community). One student wrote “I feel I learned more in his classes than
any of the others I’ve taken at Penn State.”
Hartman’s new role with Technavate* is to be the point person for the campus
and the surrounding communities, as companies in the area ask for assistance from Penn State. His job is to
evaluate the request and research the potential resources within the entire Penn State system to find the best fit for
supporting the companies’ needs.
A Penn State York alumnus, a current Penn State parent, a professional engineering licensee, an excellent instructor,
and industry/community liaison . . . all reasons why we are so Penn State proud to have Harley Hartman as a
member of our Penn State York family!