Role of the Board of Trustees in University Governance

The Pennsylvania State University was originally chartered by an Act of the Legislature of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on February 22, 1855 as the “Farmers’ High School of Pennsylvania”. The Morrill Act (also known as the Land Grant Act), passed by Congress in 1862, was accepted by the Pennsylvania Legislature in 1863 and Penn State was designated as the institution in Pennsylvania to receive the benefits of the Morrill Act. Today, the University, as the Commonwealth’s land grant university, exists as a multi-campus public research university that educates students from Pennsylvania, the nation and the world, and improves the well-being and health of individuals and communities through integrated programs of teaching, research, and service.

The Board of Trustees of the University is the corporate body established by the University’s Charter with overall responsibility for the governance and welfare of the University and all the interests pertaining thereto. In the exercise of its responsibilities, the Board of Trustees delegates day-to-day management and control of the University to the President, with certain reserved powers as set forth in the University’s Bylaws.