The Campus Weather Service provides an array of services to the community. We provide our forecasts free of charge over various media. We currently provide forecasts to radio stations across central and northwest Pennsylvania, to the student newspaper, the Collegian, and our video team is active with C-NET. We also provide our radio clients with fast severe weather alerts as they become available. To learn more about a certain one of these areas, please click on their respective links. To take advantage of these services, please contact us; we would be happy to provide free weather forecasts for your business as well. Thank you for visiting the Campus Weather Service website.

Our Services
[ Radio | Video | Severe Weather | Newspaper | Web ]

Our History

In 1969, Richard Anselmo and Raymond Visneski began providing forecasts for the Ogontz campus of Penn State. Anselmo was a sophomore at the Penn State Ogontz campus, while Visneski was a freshman at the Penn State Beaver Campus. These two students communicated with each other via computer and put together forecasts for the Ogontz campus. Their forecast was published on January 11, 1969. These forecasts were posted in prominent places around the Ogontz campus. From these two students, the Campus Weather Service was formed in 1972.

From its beginning, Campus Weather Service forecasts were depended upon by students and professors. The distinguishing quality that made CWS stand out was the tailored forecasts. Broad regional forecasts were the norm at the time, and Anselmo and Visneski provided a detailed weather forecast just for the Ogontz campus.

Both Anselmo and Visneski transferred to the University Park campus of Penn State. However, they continued to issue daily forecasts for the Ogontz campus and send them, via computer, to younger meteorology students at the Ogontz campus. Students there were responsible for recording instrument measurements at the Ogontz Campus weather station and posting the forecasts around campus.

The Campus Weather Service continued to grow in membership and number of clients. Up until 1977, CWS was a self-run organization without officers. However, in 1977, CWS began to appoint officers to run the organization. There was a president and a vice-president. At this time, Penn State had quarterly semesters. The Campus Weather Service provided forecasts only during the semesters for the first 15 years of its existence. Forecasts were only provided during the summer in a few years. However, Ed Keiser, president of CWS from Fall 1982 to Spring 1983, established CWS as a year-round organization. In addition, the position of vice-president of video operations was established. The following fall, semesters were changed from quarterly to tri-terms.

In 1984, another office was added to the Executive Council of CWS--secretary. A few years later, in 1986, the junior officer position was added. The junior officer was the President-Elect. Since there were no elections, a student was appointed to be the junior officer and was trained by the current officers for the year before he/she became president.

The first elections for officers of CWS took place on April 7, 1989. At this time, a number of changes took place. The position of Treasurer was added, while the Junior Officer position was suspended. Once CWS began to have elections, there was no real need for a Junior Officer.

The Campus Weather Service has continued to evolve and grow through the years. In 1995, the Campus Weather Service Outstanding Service Award was established to recognize those members who went above and beyond the normal expectations of a CWS member. In 1997, the Treasurer position was merged with the Secretary and the Vice-President of Severe Weather office was established. This new position allowed CWS to offer 24 hour, 7 day a week coverage of severe weather to its clients. Finally, in 1998, CWS branched out into yet another market; that of newspapers. The Vice-President of Collegian position was established and CWS began publishing a weather page for The Daily Collegian, a newspaper published by Penn State University Park students.

The 1998-1999 academic year was one of many changes for the Campus Weather Service. In order to offer more opportunities to its members and better serve its clients, CWS began four new committees. They were the Advising Committee, the Business and Marketing Committee, the Web Committee, and the Social Committee. The Advising Committee is composed of students from all classes and acts as a liaison between the members of CWS, the Executive Council, and the faculty. The Business and Marketing Committee was formed to attract new clients and ensure that our current ones are satisfied with our product. The Web Committee was formed to design a new webpage for CWS and a verification system for our forecasts. Due to the importance of this new aspect of CWS, a new position, the Vice-President of Web Operations, was created to head this committee. The Social Committee was formed in response to requests from members that there be more social events for members of CWS. Another change made during this year affected Vice President of Severe Weather. Since severe weather tends to occur mainly in summer, the position was renamed Vice President of Severe Weather/Head Shift Manager and this officer was put in charge of severe weather coverage and ensuring that all rules for radio shifts are being followed.

Contact CWS

President	Timothy Buckley
Vice-President of Radio Operations	Brian Thompson
Vice-President of Video Operations	Kathyrn Jablonski
Vice-President of Newspaper Operations	Marc Chenard
Vice-President of Severe Weather Operations	Steven Zwolinski
Vice-President of Web Operations	Matthew Rydzik
Secretary	Robert Frederick

Previous CWS Executive Councils

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