Pennsylvania

A simulated hotel front desk at Indiana University of Pennsylvania now includes a donor's name

Published

10 months ago

March 8, 2024

A simulated hotel front desk at Indiana University of Pennsylvania now includes a donor's name

Donor names end up on all sorts of college and university real estate, from imposing classroom buildings, to lecture halls, to flower gardens and even benches.

Indiana University of Pennsylvania has its share of those sorts of spots.

It also has this: A hotel front desk simulation lab that — as of Friday — is officially named for a donor, too.

The Statler Foundation hotel front desk at IUP isn’t something one expects to encounter inside a classroom building — in this case, Eberly Hall, home of IUP’s business school.

But it’s helping undergraduates who are studying hospitality gain experience in the good, the bad and the ugly of customer relations.

The Statler Foundation donated $125,000 in 2022 to construct the simulation lab for IUP’s Hotel, Restaurant, Tourism, and Event Management program.

“Students work in a series of role playing situations, being checked in, checked out — those difficult scenarios, customer problems,” said Stephen Shiring, assistant chair of IUP’s Department of Management and director of the Hotel, Restaurant, Tourism, and Event Management program. “It looks exactly like a hotel lobby.”

A dedication ceremony Friday officially marked the naming, after IUP’s Council of Trustees approved the proposal Thursday evening.

The Statler Foundation was created from the estate of hotelier Ellsworth M. Statler after his death in 1928, according to the foundation’s website. Its purpose is to advance education and betterment of the hotel industry.

Statler grew up largely in poverty in Somerset County and in Bridgeport, Ohio, according to the foundation’s website. He had to work during most of his childhood he had to work, and at age 13, he landed a job as a bellboy in a hotel in Wheeling, W.Va.

He never went to IUP or to college, Shiring said, but Statler advanced to hotel clerk and studied hotel management and bookkeeping.

He became a self-made millionaire, establishing what was the largest premier hotel chain of his day, according to the foundation’s website.

The Statler chain stretched from hotels in New York to St. Louis to Buffalo and Pittsburgh’s William Penn Hotel.

In 1954, Conrad Hilton, owner of the Hilton Hotel chain, paid $111 million for the Statler assets in what was the biggest commercial real estate purchase at the time, according to the foundation.

The gift toward the hotel front desk simulation lab is on top of the Foundation’s scholarship support for students in the IUP program.

There are about 100 hospitality proram majors annually, and IUP says it is one of the largest undergraduate programs in the state.

Bill Schackner is a TribLive reporter covering higher education. Raised in New England, he joined the Trib in 2022 after 29 years at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where he was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team. Previously, he has written for newspapers in Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. He can be reached at bschackner@triblive.com.

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Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania program overturns 50% of health insurance denials, new data shows

Published

2 hours ago

January 8, 2025

Press Room

Pennsylvania program overturns 50% of health insurance denials, new data shows

However, information about how often individual insurance companies deny coverage, and how many cases are appealed and overturned, is scarce and not publicly reported most of the time.

Insurance denials can lead to delays in care and medical debt. State officials estimate that 1 million people in Pennsylvania have some medical debt from unpaid bills and other charges.

In Pennsylvania, residents can file an appeal with the state’s Independent External Review program after they have already completed an internal appeals process with their health insurer.

If they are still denied coverage, people can then submit their case to the state review process, where independent, third-party reviewers analyze individual claims and give a final determination on whether the insurer’s denial was valid or if it must be overturned.

The review program is open to people who have health insurance through a state health plan, the Affordable Care Act Marketplace and other commercial insurance, including employer-sponsored plans offered at private companies, nonprofits and organizations.

People who get insurance from their employer through self-funded plans, in which the employer or company pays health claims directly rather than through the insurance company, are excluded from using the state review program.

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Pennsylvania

Levittown-Area State Representatives Sworn In – LevittownNow.com

Published

10 hours ago

January 8, 2025

Press Room

Levittown-Area State Representatives Sworn In – LevittownNow.com

A sign for the House of Representatives Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg. File photo. Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com

The area’s four state representatives were sworn in for new terms on Tuesday at the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg.

The lawmakers took the oath with their peers at the historic legislative building.

Democrats hold a razor-thin majority in the Pennsylvania House and State Rep. Joanna McClinton, a Democrat, was reelected as speaker.

State Rep. Tina Davis, a Democrat from Bristol Township, was sworn in today for her eighth two-year term.

In addition to her role as a lawmaker, Davis was reelected as the caucus secretary for the Pennsylvania House Democrats last month. She was first appointed to the leadership position in the 2021-2022 legislative session.

“As caucus secretary, Davis plays a crucial role in supporting the efficient and effective functioning of the House Democratic Caucus,” her office said.

“I am honored to continue serving the people of the Bristol-Levittown area and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Davis said. “With the support of my colleagues, I will work tirelessly to ensure our work in the House is transparent, effective, and focused on improving the lives of all Pennsylvanians. Together, we will push forward meaningful legislation that creates new opportunities, promotes equity, and strengthens communities.”

Davis serves the 141st Legislative District, which is made up of Bristol Borough and Bristol Township.

State Rep. Joe Hogan, a Republican from Middletown Township was sworn in today for his second term.

“It is an honor to be back in Harrisburg to represent the 142nd District,” said Hogan. “I will continue to fight for the common sense measures I fought for in my first term, like supporting working parents, fighting for early childhood education and supporting our schools.”

Hogan serves the 142nd Legislative District, which covers Lower Southampton Township, Langhorne Manor Borough, Langhorne Borough, Penndel Borough and portions of Middletown and Northampton townships.

State Rep. Jim Prokopiak, a Democrat from Falls Township, took the oath for a new term in the Pennsylvania House.

Prokopiak serves the 140th Legislative District that covers Falls Township, Morrisville Borough, Tullytown Borough, and part of Middletown Township.

State Rep. K.C. Tomlinson, a Republican from Bensalem Township, was sworn in the Capitol. She is serving her third full term following a special election in March 2020.

“It continues to be the greatest honor of my life to serve the people of Bensalem and Hulmeville,” said Tomlinson. “I will continue to work tirelessly for my district, find common ground in Harrisburg, and get things done that benefit all Pennsylvanians.”

Tomlinson serves the 18th Legislative District that covers Bensalem Township and Hulmeville Borough.

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