Six months after filing a lawsuit against Penn State and its board of trustees chairman, outspoken trustee Barry Fenchak returned to court on Thursday, pressing for financial transparency he claims has been withheld. The dispute revolves around Fenchak’s request for detailed financial records, which the university has resisted sharing without conditions.
Fenchak, an alumni-elected trustee since 2022, has been seeking comprehensive information regarding Penn State’s $4.5 billion endowment and a decade-long contract with a ticketing agency reportedly valued at over $1 billion. He alleges that administrative expenses related to the endowment have tripled in just three years and that the contract with Elevate is being positioned as a funding source for significant renovations to Beaver Stadium.
Despite efforts to negotiate, the university’s attorney, Christopher J. Conrad, reported that talks had reached an impasse. However, Fenchak’s attorney suggested to Centre County Judge Brian Marshall that a resolution could still be possible if both sides find common ground on a few critical issues.
Fenchak has accused the university of stonewalling his requests and retaliating against him, including an attempt to remove him from the board in September. He contends that the refusal to provide the requested financial data hampers his ability to fulfill his duties as a trustee.
The university has offered to share the information under specific conditions, including restrictions that would prevent Fenchak from making copies or taking notes on the documents. Fenchak’s attorney criticized these terms as excessively restrictive.
Judge Marshall was asked to approve a confidentiality agreement regarding the information, but he did not issue an immediate ruling or provide a timeline for his decision. The ongoing legal battle underscores the tension between Fenchak and Penn State’s administration, with transparency and accountability at the heart of the dispute.
