HARRISBURG, Pa. — Harrisburg University of Science & Technology (HU) President Dr. Eric Darr announced his resignation on Friday, Nov. 1.
Former HU Board of Trustees Chair David Schankweiler will serve as interim president as the university works to fill the position.
“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I would like to thank Dr. Darr for his work on behalf of our students,” said HU Board Chair Mark Singel. “HU opened its doors in 2005 to just 113 students. Today, it employs over 600 employees, serving about 6,500 undergraduate and graduate students. With an incredibly accomplished faculty and dedicated staff in place, HU will continue to fulfill the dreams of its students by delivering a world-class education.”
Currently an HU Director Emeritus, Schankweiler has been involved with the university from its early days. In 2001, he helped lead the incorporation of HU, later serving a decade as the first chair of the Board of Trustees.
“David’s passion for Harrisburg University and his longtime service made him the natural choice to serve as interim president,” Singel said. “He’s dedicated much of his life to HU. We’re grateful he’s stepping forward once again as we begin an exciting process to identify our next president.”
Schankweiler founded the Central Penn Business Journal in 1984 and became president and CEO of its parent company, Journal Multimedia. He retired in 2016.
“We certainly have some challenges before us, but we’re already hard at work addressing them,” Schankweiler said. “With the addition of nursing and physical therapy degrees to our already-established career tracks in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), Harrisburg University remains uniquely positioned to create exciting opportunities for our graduates with dynamic employers across Pennsylvania and beyond. Our next president is going to continue the tremendous progress we’ve made at HU since those initial exploratory meetings over a quarter century ago.”
