The Haven Magazine Spring 2018

News & notes
Robert M. Pignatello Named
President of Lock Haven University
The Board of
Governors of
Pennsylvania’s
State System of
Higher Education
unanimously selected
Robert M. Pignatello
to be the next
president of Lock
Haven University, effective July 1.
Pignatello has more than 20 years of
experience as a college senior executive
and administrator. He said he is
honored to have been selected to serve
as Lock Haven’s next president and
looks forward to assuming the role.
“Lock Haven is a truly remarkable
institution, and we have an exciting
future before us. Together, we will
The Texas Restaurant
to Celebrate 100th
Anniversary
On August 8, the Texas
Restaurant will celebrate its
100th anniversary as a dining
staple in the Lock Haven
community.
The restaurant was founded
by George Pappas in 1918.
In 1961 it was purchased by
Nick Klaras and Peter Anastos.
Peter’s son, Phil Anastos, took
over ownership in 1991.
LHU Students have always
played a big role in the Texas’s
history and success. Known
in part for its hot dogs, gravy
fries, and breakfast, the Texas’
iconic hot dog, “The Growler,”
was named by LHU students in
the ’60s.
The Anastos family has been
supporters of LHU athletics
throughout the years and also
acknowledge that the LHU
community has helped support
the restaurant. “It’s been a
great marriage between us and
LHU,” Anastos said.
With its full menu of
great food and focus on
community involvement,
the Texas’s reputation
spans far and wide, even
as far as Europe.
“Just recently I had a
grandfather in here that
told me his grandson was
over in Germany, in the
confront the challenges that lie ahead
and convert them into opportunities
to even better serve our students and
our region,” Pignatello said. “I greatly
anticipate working closely with the
council of trustees, students, faculty,
alumni, local leaders, and system
officials on fulfilling our vital mission.
I am immensely proud to be a Bald
Eagle and to join the Lock Haven
community.”
Pignatello has a Bachelor’s Degree
in Political Science and Public
Administration from Montclair State
University, Montclair, New Jersey,
and a Master of Public Administration
from Rutgers University. He expects to
complete work this year on a Doctor of
Education degree in Higher Education
Leadership and Management at St.
Peter’s University, Englewood Cliffs,
New Jersey.
service, and they were talking
among each other and a guy
there asked him about the Texas,”
Anastos said. “So somehow the
name made it over to Germany.”
“We try to do a lot for the
community, but the reputation
was really built before me. I’ve
tried to continue it and keep it
strong.”
LHU Ranks First Among
PASSHE Schools For
Performance Funding
Lock Haven University has
ranked first among The
Pennsylvania’s State System
of Higher Education (PASSHE)
universities for performance
in the 2017-2018 academic
year. The Performance Funding
Program is designed to measure
the outcomes of each university
in the areas of student success,
comprehensive access to
opportunity, and stewardship
of PASSHE and Commonwealth
resources.
The assessment is based on
institutional performance
and peer comparisons on 10
measures that align with the
themes of success, access, and
stewardship. The measures
are divided between five
mandatory measures and five
optional measures selected by
each institution. All indicators
of university performance are
measured according to their
progress toward institutionspecific
goals and against
external comparisons based on
similar universities.
While LHU tied for first in the
2016-2017 cycle, this year’s
awards see LHU in first place for
performance funding, having
earned the most points out of
all 14 universities for meeting
performance expectations. The
achievement will provide LHU a
total of $2,592,046 in funding.
22 SPRING 2018 THE HAVEN LOCK HAVEN UNIVERSITY