PSU Athletics to Pay for Vendapudi’s Rose Bowl Trip Spotlight PA State College

of Penn State Transparency Tracker is an ongoing effort by Spotlight PA to document and share how universities are and are not being transparent with the community. Due to its special “state-related” designation, Penn State University is not subject to the Public Records Act beyond the disclosure of basic financial information.

State University — Weeks after Pennsylvania State University beat the University of Utah in the Rose Bowl in January, Spotlight PA reported that the university had chartered a private jet to President Neeli Vendapdi to attend a football game. I have received some.

In light of university policy Financial Problems and Imminent CutsSpotlight PA worked to verify the claim first.

According to flight records, the Gulfstream V jet traveled from State College to Denver to Burbank, Calif. and left for Pennsylvania shortly after the game.

According to flight records, the university’s plane was not in use at the time.

Vendapdi participated in the Rose Bowl pep rally and was on the field in the post-game victory celebration.

After sharing the above information with Penn State University, Spotlight PA asked the university the following questions:

1. How did President Vendapdi get to and from the 2023 Rose Bowl?

2. If the president traveled on a chartered plane, who paid for that trip and how much did it cost?

Penn State University responded by email:

“Since the president was expected to attend bowl games to attend certain events, the plan included a budget to fund the president’s travel expenses out of bowl funds,” the university wrote. “This is consistent with practice at many other colleges. College planes are not designed to fly that distance without many stops, so planes are chartered and the cost is It was covered by Rose Bowl payments handled by Intercollegiate Athletics (a self-supporting unit).Universities typically do not disclose specific operating costs.”

Based on that information, here’s what you should know:

The Penn State Athletics Self-funded departmentPaying for aircraft and other expenses out of the athletics budget has nothing to do with the university’s ongoing budget deficits.

Pennsylvania State University previously Refused to share the cost of operating the aircraft.

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