Alfred Beers, Affiliate Vice President for Finance

Alfred Beers, Associate Vice President for Finance

Alfred Franklin Beers, a former administrator at Penn who served in a range of positions, which includes enterprise supervisor of the College of Medication, university comptroller, and associate vice president for finance, handed absent peacefully on July 8 from issues of Alzheimer’s illness. He was 87. 

Born in East Stroudsburg, PA, Mr. Beers grew up in Allentown, PA and graduated from William Allen Significant School. Following a three-year enlistment in the U.S. Army, during which he rose to the rank of Sergeant, Mr. Beers then enrolled at Muhlenberg College and acquired a degree in accounting in 1960. Soon after graduation, Mr. Beers spent six years doing work in the audit section of Peat Marwick (now portion of KPMG) in Philadelphia. At the identical time, he labored towards his designation as a accredited public accountant. 

In 1966, Mr. Beers embarked on a extended occupation in monetary administration at Penn. Starting as the assistant organization supervisor of the University of Medication, Mr. Beers rose through the ranks of the University administration. In 1969, he was named assistant comptroller. In the course of this era, he served in various posts in Penn’s governance, like in the Administrative Assembly, the precursor to today’s PPSA, and on the Trustees’ committee on governance. Afterwards in the 1970s, Mr. Beers was promoted to associate comptroller and then to assistant vice president for wellbeing affairs for finance. In 1981, Mr. Beers grew to become performing comptroller, then, the next year, comptroller of the university. 

In 1997, Mr. Beers was named associate vice president for finance (Almanac January 14, 1997). In this position, he coordinated the working day-to-day fiscal functions of Penn’s educational institutions and central financial administrative offices. “Al will perform a significant position in relocating the division [of finance] forward with its ideas to establish a assistance shipping and business model that will empower Penn to realize its restructuring plans, and also serve as a model for bigger instruction,” Vice President for Finance Stephen Golding said at the time. “We are fortunate to have anyone with Al’s outstanding talents, demonstrated history of good results and breadth of knowledge of the College and higher education equipped to action into this essential situation.” Through the 1990s, Mr. Beers also served as chair of the 25-Yr Club and on the University Council committee on staff gains. In 2000, Mr. Beers retired from Penn, an situation marked by a resolution of appreciation from the Board of Trustees.  

Although at Penn, Mr. Beers acquired community and countrywide recognition for his get the job done, such as membership in the Pennsylvania Institute of Licensed Public Accountants, the govt committee of the Monetary Officers Board of the Affiliation of American Health-related Schools, and the Society of Research Directors. He chaired the costing and fiscal compliance committee of the Council on Governmental Relations. Outside the house of Penn, Mr. Beers was an avid recreational car or truck enthusiast considering the fact that he acquired his to start with camper in 1973, touring 49 states and all ten Canadian provinces. 

Mr. Beers is survived by his wife, Dorothy four little ones, Michael, Karl, Denise Prentice, and Jennifer Newlands twelve grandchildren and three terrific grandchildren. Visitation will be held at St. Dorothy Church in Drexel Hill on July 23 from 9 a.m., as will a burial mass at 10:30 a.m. Donations can be made in Mr. Beers’s name to the Alzheimer’s Affiliation (https://www.alz.org/).