MANSFIELD, PA— Tioga County Commissioners Roger Bunn, Erick Coolidge and Mark Hamilton were each awarded the Mansfield University Presidential Coin for Excellence by President Fran Hendricks on October 9.
The presentation took place at the thirty-second graduation ceremony of the Municipal Police Academy at Mansfield University. The Commissioners were instrumental in keeping the Academy in the region when a prior grant used to fund Academy operations was no longer available. Recognizing the need for a regional Academy to service Tioga County and other counties north of Interstate 80, the Commissioners issued a $100,000 grant funded through ACT 13 natural gas impact fees.
The Commissioners were also presented with a plaque to commemorate their support of the Academy which will be on permanent display in Academy instructional classroom.
Over the past year the Tioga County Board of Commissioners have also funded the purchase of a 3D printer for the MU Department of Geosciences which is being used to map Tioga County and the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, among other projects. The methodology used by the University Geoscience Department has brought Mansfield University both national and international recognition and acknowledgment on the effort.
In addition, the Commissioners established the Tioga County Board of Commissioners Volunteer First Responders Scholarship for MU students and this past summer Mansfield Chemistry students and faculty continued their multi-year study testing well water quality in Tioga County. Their research was supported in part by grant from the Commissioners.
“The Tioga County Board of Commissioners have always been supportive of Mansfield University, but Commissioners Bunn, Coolidge and Hamilton have gone above and beyond in their support of several initiatives over the past couple years and are very deserving of this honor,” MU President Fran Hendricks said. “The initiatives they have supported are of great benefit to Mansfield University, Tioga County, North Central Pennsylvania, the Commonwealth and our neighbors to our immediate north. Their actions exemplify what this coin symbolizes.”
The coin was developed by Hendricks and designed by MU Publications Director Andy Worthington. It is awarded selectively to persons who have contributed greatly to the university, using the Mansfield Creed; Character, Scholarship, Culture and Service as a guideline.
The coin bears several symbols representing historical highlights and other aspects of the university that make it distinctive.
For more information on the Mansfield University Presidential Coin for Excellence and to see the gallery of honorees, go to president.mansfield.edu/coin-for-excellence