MANSFIELD, Pa. – Dr. Charles Patterson, President of Mansfield University, named Phillip Swank Chief of Staff and Director of External Relations.
Swank served as the Director of Grants and Sponsored Programs at Mansfield since 2018. He will maintain his role in grants and sponsored programs while also focusing on university strategic priorities and government relations in the Office of the President.
During his tenure, Swank helped Mansfield University’s faculty and staff secure external funding through the It’s On Us PA program of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, along with a $277,307 PAsmart grant through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in partnership with the BLaST Intermediate Unit #17 to introduce more students to careers in computer science and STEM disciplines. He also helped faculty and staff secure grants through regional foundations and corporate sponsors for various academic and extra-curricular programs that benefit students and the region served by Mansfield University.
Swank assisted the Mansfield Geosciences Department in becoming a federal research partner in the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit networks for the Chesapeake Watershed and North Atlantic Coast. As the University’s liaison to the Faculty Professional Development Council and Government Relations Council of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education, Swank has advanced the capabilities of faculty to secure grant funding, the level of student aid advocacy, and the strategic response to key pieces of state and federal legislation.
Swank is a graduate of King’s College where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Theology with honors before earning a Master of Public Administration from Marywood University. His career includes extensive leadership in higher education, community and economic development, and non-profit management.