IUP Alumnus Appointed to Open Board Term
An Indiana University of Pennsylvania student has been named to the Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education Board of Governors, the chairman of the IUP Council of Trustees has been reappointed to the Board, and an IUP alumnus has been appointed to complete an unexpired term on the Board.
Abigail Hancox, of Albion, a dual master’s degree student in IUP’s Student Affairs in Higher Education and Public Affairs program, was appointed to the Board of Governors during its October meeting. She will serve on the Board of Governors until she completes her graduate study at IUP.
IUP Council of Trustees chairman Sam Smith was reappointed to a new term, extending through December 2029. In July, he was re-elected vice chair of the Board of Governors. Smith began service on the Board of Governors in 2017.
Rich Caruso, a 1983 accounting graduate of IUP, was named to a seat on the board that was vacated. That term will end on December 31, 2026.
Board of Governors members are appointed to serve four-year terms. Both Caruso and Smith can be reappointed to additional terms. Student members are appointed by the BOG itself and serve until they graduate.
The 20-member Board of Governors is responsible for planning and coordinating development and operation of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education, which includes IUP and the nine other state universities in Pennsylvania. It meets at least four times a year.
The Board establishes broad educational, fiscal, and personnel policies and oversees the efficient management of the State System. Among other tasks, the Board appoints the chancellor and university presidents, approves new academic programs, sets tuition, and coordinates and approves the annual State System operating budget.
“Pennsylvania, the State System of Higher Education, and IUP are very fortunate to have such incredibly talented and committed volunteers for our governing board,” IUP President Michael Driscoll said.
Hancox was a student representative on the Board of Governors from June 2022 until her May graduation from IUP. A member of the Cook Honors College as an undergraduate, Hancox was a political science major and homeland security minor and completed her studies at IUP with a perfect 4.0 grade point average.
She was president of IUP’s Student Government Association and was vice chair and conference chair of the Pennsylvania State System Board of Student Government Presidents. She organized the organization’s state-wide conference held at IUP in February. She also was a senator in the IUP University Senate.
As a member of the Honors College, she was an invited presenter for the National Collegiate Honors Council Association conference.
During the summer months, Hancox completed a James A. Finnegan Foundation Fellowship with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency. The Finnegan Foundation Fellowship provides the opportunity for selected students to be placed in summer internships in executive branch positions in Harrisburg for eight to 10 weeks and be part of a series of meetings with key public officials. Fellowship recipients receive a cash award at the conclusion of the internship and also earn weekly salaries paid by state agencies during their state government employment.
The daughter of Melissa Gibson and Mike Hancox of Albion, she is a 2021 graduate of Northwestern High School.
Smith, of Punxsutawney, has been a member of the IUP Council of Trustees since 2001. A retired legislator who served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1986 to 2015, he was majority whip, majority leader, minority leader, and Speaker of the House.
In 2014, he received the IUP President’s Medal of Distinction for public service, the highest nondegree award presented by the university. Smith is a long-time member of the Punxsutawney Area College Trust, a volunteer advisory board and supporter of IUP Punxsutawney and related programs. He was born and raised in Punxsutawney, graduated from Punxsutawney High School, and earned a bachelor’s degree in advertising from Penn State University.
In addition to the IUP Council of Trustees and the Punxsutawney Area College Trust, he is a member of the Jefferson County Development Council, the Punxsutawney Area Hospital Foundation, and the board of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. He also serves on the Punxsutawney Journey Church Council and is chair of the Trustee Committee. He is a former member of the Route 119 Improvement Committee, the Jefferson and Clarion Counties Community Action, Inc. Agency, and the Mining and Reclamation Advisory Board. He received the 2012 Elected Official of the Year Award from the Pennsylvania Library Association.
Caruso, originally from Kane and now living in Meadow Lands, is a long-time supporter of IUP. A 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, he has been a member of the Foundation for IUP Board of Directors since 2007, serving as president of the board from 2015 to 2019.
During that time, he helped spearhead IUP’s $245-million Residential Revival that led to the replacement of the university’s student housing with modern suites. He also chaired the Audit, Investment, and Nominating committees of the FIUP Board. He was a member of the National Campaign Cabinet for IUP’s Imagine Unlimited comprehensive fundraising campaign, which concluded in 2021, and he is a member of the current university strategic priorities cabinet.
Before creating his own consulting firm, Caruso spent parts of four decades first as a certified public accountant, and later as an executive for several companies, including positions as the chief financial officer at Ravenswood Aluminum Corp., Ormet Corp., July Products, and RG Steel; CEO at Neenah Foundry; and COO at Winner Steel. Recently, he was named to the board of directors for VPX Pharmaceutical and also serves on the board of directors at School Specialty, JWA Aluminum, and H-D Advanced Manufacturing, as well as several nonprofit boards. In addition to his service to IUP, he has served on several nonprofit boards, including the National Aviary and Baptist Homes.
In 2023, he gifted $1 million to IUP to advance IUP’s establishment of its proposed college of osteopathic medicine.
This gift follows the establishment of the Richard F. and Margaret C. Caruso Scholarship at IUP, which provides scholarship support to freshmen students who are graduates of Kane High School, Chartiers-Houston High School, Canon-McMillan High School, or Peters Township High School.