Dr. Tony Atwater, president of ¹û¶³´«Ã½, has been honored by Pennsylvania Business Central with selection for its annual “Top 100â€� list.

Individuals must be nominated for the listing. The editors select honorees who are a “representative sampling of the people who fuel the engines of economic development in central Pennsylvania� and make “an impact on the organizations, businesses and quality of life here.�

Atwater was recognized for his leadership with the ¹û¶³´«Ã½ Residential Revival project, a $270 million public-private partnership replacing all university-owned student housing facilities; his work to advance the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex project, a $53.4 million facility scheduled to open in 2011; his role in completing the $12 million renovation and completion of the $40 million Performing Arts Center; record enrollment; and ¹û¶³´«Ã½'s selection for inclusion in national guidebooks and publications.

Publication editors praised Atwater for “making a differenceâ€� and for helping ¹û¶³´«Ã½ to “create a legacy of excellence in teaching, scholarship and student success.â€�

“It is gratifying personally to be selected by this prestigious publication for this listing, but more importantly, it recognizes the significant role that ¹û¶³´«Ã½ plays not only in this community, but in the commonwealth,â€� Atwater said.

Pennsylvania Business Central, based in State College, is a biweekly business publication serving a sixteen-county region in central Pennsylvania.