Alvernia University

“Joanne judge, trustee, and c. Tom work, trustee, are partners in the law firm stevens & lee.”

“The university outsources its human resource function.”

“The members of the corporation shall service in an ex-officio capacity and shall consist of the general minister and council of the congregation of bernardine sisters of the third order of st. Francis of reading, pa.”

“Members have the power to do the following: - determine and maintain the identity, purpose, and franciscan affiliation of the corporation. - adopt, amend, repeal, or alter the articles of incorporation and bylaws of the corporation. - approve the sale, purchase, mortgage of encumbrance of any real property transaction greater than $3,000,000. - merge, consolidate, dissolve, or effect any fundamental corporate reorganization of the corporation - determine distribution of assets upon dissolution of the corporation - participate in the nominating of the president of the board of trustees - approve the use of the names "alvernia," "bernardine, and "franciscan" - approve the articles of incorporation and bylaws of any subsidiary or related corporation.”

“A draft of the form 990 is presented to the administration for review and discussion. Items that need clarification are then discussed with management and the university's tax advisors / legal counsel. Once items are clarified and answered, the draft form 990 is presented to the audit committee, where there is a discussion of the entire form, questions answered, and a vote to approve is cast. Once approved, a copy is made available to the full board of trustees via the university's secure portal. After the board has had time to review and comment, the form 990 is filed with the irs.”

“Annually the board of trustees, officers, and key employees are required to sign a conflict of interest statement. The vice president for finance and administration reviews all the statements. Anyone noted with a conflict is required to abstain from voting on such transactions.”

“Alvernia engages compensation consultants (yaffe & co.) to review national compensation trends and monitors compensation at our peer institutions. This includes utilizing national surveys and data bases as well as the consultants' proprietary surveys and specific review of irs form 990s of peers. The consultant serves as an advisor to the presidential compensation sub-committee (board chair, vice chair, and chair of finance & business affairs committee). The compensation committee makes its recommendations to the board of trustees. The president's performance is reviewed by the board of trustees in executive session on an annual basis. The university also uses the same consulting firm to review vice presidents' compensation. Similar comparisons are made to surveys and peer groups as discussed above. Recommendations are then made to the president. Vice president's salaries are then also reviewed by the board of trustees.”

“The organization makes its governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements available to the public upon request.”

“The university's main campus is located in reading, pennsylvania, with satellite sites in the philadelphia and schuylkill county areas. Alvernia supports a stimulating and caring learning community that is welcoming to more than 3,000 students who hail from diverse geographical, cultural and religious backgrounds. They benefit from faculty who are accomplished scholars and supportive mentors. Alvernia students also enjoy the personal attention afforded by small class sizes and real world application of their studies via an extensive network of field experiences, internships and service projects that develop successful professionals and engaged citizens. Through a cutting edge partnership with the online consortium of independent colleges and universities, alvernia offers access to more than 700 web-based courses and provides a boundary-free approach to learning. Alvernia is also a great value among private universities, and works hard to keep costs affordable for families. In fact, when compared to other leading private colleges, the university's undergraduate tuition cost is less than the national average. The school also offers generous scholarships and financial aid to help students realize their college dreams. Alvernia has always viewed its role as a community partner, a concept that is vital to our mission. That partnership takes on many forms. Throughout our history, alvernia has had positive impact on the region and city of reading through taxes paid (payroll and real estate), voluntary payments made in lieu of taxes (pilot) and services rendered in lieu of taxes (silot) as well as direct spending related to students, visitors, institutional expenditures and employees who live and work in the area. On an annual basis, the amount of taxes paid, pilot payments, value of silot initiatives and rental discounts (given to the reading police academy) totals nearly $150,000. The total economic impact related to the university is significantly higher, estimated at more than $50 million annually. As one of only 22 franciscan institutions in the united states, alvernia's values-based learning philosophy is guided by the ideal of "knowledge joined with love" that shapes both its educational philosophy and strong campus community. The university's emphasis on developing ethical leaders with moral courage is blended with a commitment to service in a campus environment that provides students the ideal setting to grow and develop. The university's athletic teams, the crusaders, compete under the national collegiate athletic association division iii and are members of the freedom conference of the middle atlantic states athletic corporation, as well as members of the eastern college athletic conference. Athletic programs include men's baseball and ice hockey, men's and women's basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis and track and field, and women's cheerleading, dance, field hockey, softball and volleyball. Alvernia's franciscan heritage includes a strong intellectual tradition that recognizes and values the importance of diversity of thought, faiths and cultures. The university challenges students to shape the world and transform it as working professionals, concerned citizens and caring community members, consistent with the principles and teachings of saint francis of assisi. The bernardine franciscan sisters, who founded alvernia in 1958, are members of the third order regular of st. Francis. The third order was a spontaneous penitential lay movement influenced by st. Francis and the early brothers as they worked and preached in cities and towns of italy, encouraging people to live the gospel and embrace a life of penance in their own homes. Some of these penitents eventually decided to take public vows and live a common life, and the bernardine franciscan sisters are one of many religious congregations sharing this third order charism. As a franciscan university, alvernia's identity is based on life changing idea”