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December 6, 2007
New Team in Libraries' Development Office
University Park, PA—Penn State University Libraries' new Director of Development Catherine Hanhauser brings with her more than a decade of high-level professional experience to the position. As assistant to the former provost and dean of Penn State Erie, the Behrend College, she organized and managed the college's critical activities. More recently, she was the associate director of development at Penn State's College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST).
Hanhauser (right) describes her new position as challenging and exciting. "I believe that 
there are infinite opportunities to engage and involve our patrons and our alums in diverse initiatives that facilitate learning and the creation of knowledge.
"The role of an academic research library is, and always will be, a constant, despite the external forces that require us to evolve. As the keepers of the historical and cultural record, for example, we will always have the responsibility of maintaining information and keeping it safe and accessible in the context of constantly emerging technologies. In addition, in order to remain competitive and relevant in a global society, we must be poised to provide new resources and information for our patrons that will continually inspire and facilitate learning and innovation," she says.
Hanhauser has strong ties to the University—she and all her family are Penn Staters. "Penn State has had an enormous impact on my life and my family's lives, and consequently I am thrilled to be in a position that allows me to have an impact on its future," she says.
Joining Hanhauser in the Development Office is Ruth Donahue, who was also previously with IST. At IST, Donahue was involved in corporate relationship building, identifying hiring and funding opportunities for the college—skills she will be able to draw on in her new position as associate director of development.
"At IST I identified and met with corporate leaders, and together, we developed partnering goals for both the corporations and the college. Through that, students found internships and full-time employment, and created many long-term connections for the corporations and the college. These skills were a great mechanism through which to build effective and lasting internal and externa
l partnerships," she says.
Donahue (left) describes her new work environment as one that exudes creativity, integrity, and genuine dedication. As a former clergy, she also sees many of the professional skills she has developed over the past two decades as easily transferable to her new role. "My goal is to increase support for the Libraries, so that we can be productive, innovative, competitive, and credible for years to come. I hope that my work here will ultimately impact the lives of University students, faculty members, administrators, and staff," she adds.