Commissioner George F. Halcovage, Jr., at the public meeting of the Schuylkill County commissioners on Wednesday, noted that Dr. Kelly M. Austin assumed the duties as the new chancellor of Penn State Schuylkill Campus. He succeeds Dr. Stephen R. Couch, who served as interim chancellor since July 2011 when Dr. R. Keith Hilkirk moved to the same role at Penn State Berks campus.

Halcovage noted that Dr. Austin was to assume his new duties June 1 but it was moved up to May 23. The board of commissioners extended their congratulations and welcomed Dr. Kelly to the county.Dr. Austin was invited to attend the commissioners meeting but was unable to appear because of his need for immediate attention on decisions of staffing, spaced allocation and renovation and various summer activities, Halcovage noted.Dr. Austin served as vice president of finance and administration at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. His duties included development and implementation of a strategic plan, collaboration with senior officers to ensure student retention and leading the development of the campus operating budget, capital budget, and auxiliary budget. He issued a statement:"Penn State Schuylkill's reputation for producing high quality graduates prepared for the jobs of the future is well know, and the excellence attributed to the first-class faculty and staff have positioned the campus for prosperity in an increasingly unstable national and international climate. I look forward to working with the campus community to serve the evolving workforce and cultural, artistic and educational needs of the citizens of the region and beyond."Dr. Couch served for four years as director of academic affairs at the Schuylkill Campus before taking his new position. He resides in Orwigsburg.