June 19, 2018
State Senate confirms Bloomsburg student government leader to serve on State System’s Board of Governors
Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu
Harrisburg – The state Senate has confirmed Joar Dahn, president of Bloomsburg University of
Pennsylvania’s Community Government Association, to serve on the Board of Governors
of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education.
Dahn, a senior political science major at Bloomsburg, joins Brian Swatt, president
of the Student Government Association at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, on the
20-member board that oversees Pennsylvania’s 14 public universities.
Dahn was elected CGA president in April 2017 and serves as the organization’s chief
executive officer. He is responsible for supervising the CGA-owned University store,
Honeysuckle Student Apartments and the organization’s employees and professional staff.
A Board of Governors Scholar, he also serves as the president of the Class of 2019
and the African Student Association at Bloomsburg. As CGA president, Dahn developed
the initiative, “Beyond the Fountain,” a day of dialogue among residents of Bloomsburg
and students about the issue of racism in the community.
He also is a member of the Bloomsburg University Foundation, where he was involved
in organizing and recruiting donors for the “It’s Personal” campaign, which raised
more than $61 million to support the university. He has received numerous awards and
honors while a student at Bloomsburg, including the Bloomsburg University Legacy of
Leadership award and the International Student Association Award of Excellence.
“It is always exciting to welcome new members to the board, especially our student
leaders who bring a unique and vital perspective to our deliberations,” said Board
of Governors Chairwoman Cynthia D. Shapira. “I look forward to Joar joining our discussions
and to his participation in our decision making as we move forward with redesigning
the State System.”
The System Redesign began last year with a top-to-bottom review of the universities
and the Office of the Chancellor. As a result of that review, the Board established
three priorities to guide the redesign: ensuring student success; leveraging the universities’
strengths; and transforming the System’s governance structure. The Board also affirmed
its commitment to ensuring the long-term sustainability of all 14 institutions within
the System so that each may continue to serve students, its region and the Commonwealth.
The Board of Governors has overall responsibility for planning and coordinating the
development and operation of the State System. It establishes broad fiscal, personnel
and educational policies under which the universities operate.
The student members who serve on the Board are selected from among the sitting student government presidents at the universities at the time a vacancy occurs. Once appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate, a student member may serve until he or she is graduated. The student members participate in all discussions of the Board and have the same voting rights as all other members.
The student members who serve on the Board are selected from among the sitting student government presidents at the universities at the time a vacancy occurs. Once appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate, a student member may serve until he or she is graduated. The student members participate in all discussions of the Board and have the same voting rights as all other members.
In addition to three students—there currently is one vacancy—the Board comprises 11
members appointed by the governor, four legislators, the governor or a designee and
the state secretary of education or a designee.
Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education oversees 14 four-year public universities
educating more than 90,000 students across the Commonwealth. The State System offers
more than 2,300 degrees and certificates in more than 530 academic areas.