Kenneth M. Jarin, a partner in the Philadelphia-based law firm Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, was unanimously elected chairman of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s (PASSHE) Board of Governors at the Board’s regular quarterly meeting held today. Mr. Jarin becomes the Board’s third chairman, succeeding Charles A. Gomulka, who served as chairman from June 2000 to June 2005.

The Board’s founding chairman, F. Eugene Dixon Jr., served in the position for 17½ years, from January 1983 to June 2000.

The 20-member Board of Governors has overall responsibility for planning and coordinating the development and operation of PASSHE, which is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth, enrolling nearly 106,000 students. The Board establishes broad fiscal, personnel and educational policies under which the 14 PASSHE Universities operate.

Mr. Jarin of Newtown represents both public and private employers in the areas of labor relations, contract negotiations, interest arbitration, employment discrimination litigation and wage and hour disputes. He also counsels clients on matters related to the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act. He has participated in administrative proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board and various state agencies. He is chief labor negotiator for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the City of Philadelphia.

Mr. Jarin is past Chairman of the Board of the Philadelphia Region of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and a member of the ADL’s National Executive Committee. The ADL presented him with its 2003 Torch of Liberty Award. Mr. Jarin also received the City of Hope Cancer Center’s “Spirit of Life” Award in 2003.

He serves as chairman of the Board of Directors of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and is a member of the boards of directors for the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and the Penns Landing Corporation. He served on the National Council on the Arts, the governing board of the National Endowment for the Arts, from 1994 to 1998. Mr. Jarin earned his undergraduate degree from Duke University and his law degree from Temple University.

The Board also re-elected as its vice chairs Kim E. Lyttle, vice president for public affairs of National City Bank of Pennsylvania, based in Pittsburgh, and C.R. “Chuck” Pennoni, chairman of the board of Pennoni Associates Inc. of Philadelphia.

Mr. Lyttle has been a member of Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Council of Trustees since 1983, currently serving as its vice chair. He also is a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB).

Mr. Lyttle manages National City Bank’s Public Affairs Department,which encompasses the bank’s charitable foundation and is responsible for government relations,community development and special events planning. Mr. Lyttle’s experience in the banking industry spans more than 25 years. A graduate of IUP and the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at the University of Delaware, Mr. Lyttle has undertaken additional specialized training at the American Bankers Association’s National Personnel and Bank Personnel Graduate Schools at the University of Colorado.

Mr. Lyttle was appointed to the Board of Governors in 1995 and has served for seven years as vice chair. He also chairs the Board’s Advancement Committee.

Mr. Pennoni founded his consulting engineering firm in 1966. He also served for a year as president of Drexel University and is a member of the University’s Board of Trustees. He has both bachelor’s and masters degrees in civil engineering and an honorary doctorate from Drexel. He has served as a guest speaker and lecturer at Drexel, Temple, Villanova and Widener universities, as well as at Texas A&M University, Purdue University, Swarthmore College, University of Pennsylvania and University of Pavia, Italy.

He has served on the engineering advisory boards of Widener University, University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University and on the advisory board of the Engineering Directorate of the National Science Foundation. He has been licensed as a professional engineer in 11 states, has been inducted into the National Academy of Engineering and is past president of the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology and a past president of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Mr. Pennoni was appointed to the Board of Governors in 2003. This is his third term as vice chair. He also chairs the Board’s Academic and Student Affairs Committee.

Other members of the Board of Governors are Marie Conley Lammando, Steelton; Paul S. Dlugolecki, Mechanicsburg; Daniel P. Elby, York; David P. Holveck, Malvern; Guido M. Pichini, Wyomissing; Christine Toretti Olson, Indiana; Aaron A. Walton, Allison Park; Sen. James J. Rhoades, R-Schuylkill; Sen. Vincent J. Hughes, D-Philadelphia; Rep. Matthew E. Baker, R-Tioga; Rep. Michael K. Hanna, D-Clinton; student members Jude C. Butch (Slippery Rock) and Mark Collins Jr. (Indiana); Governor Edward G. Rendell; and Secretary of Education Francis V. Barnes. There are two vacancies.

The PASSHE universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock, and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. PASSHE also operates branch campuses in Clearfield, Kittanning, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg.