Information about Penn State University

The Pennsylvania State University
Motto	Making Life Better
Established	1855
Type	Land-Grant, state-related
Academic term	Semester
Endowment	US $1.4 billion [1]
President	Graham Spanier
Faculty	5,495
Students	42,914 University Park 31,632 Commonwealth Campuses 6,569 PA College of Tech 638 Dickinson School of Law 791 Hershey Medical Center 83,721 Total
Location	State College, Centre County, Pennsylvania, 19 Commonwealth Campuses, and 5 Special-mission campuses
Campus	University Park Campus: 5,448 acres (22 km²). TOTAL Campuses : 18,370 acres (74 km²)
Colors	Navy Blue and White
Nickname	Penn State
Mascot	Nittany Lion
Affiliations	formerly Atlantic 10, now Big Ten Conference
Website	www.psu.edu

The Pennsylvania State University (commonly known as Penn State) is a state-related, land-grant university. The University has 24 campuses throughout the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, including a virtual World Campus. The enrollment at Penn State is over 84,000 students, placing it among the ten largest public universities in the United States. Penn State offers more than 160 majors and administers a $1.4 billion (USD) endowment.^[1]

History

Main article: History of the Pennsylvania State University

Early years

Penn State was founded as a degree-granting institution on February 22, 1855 by act P.L. 46, No. 50 of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania. Centre County became the home of the new school when James Irvin of Bellefonte donated 200 acres (0 km) of land—the first of 10,101 acres (41 km) the University would eventually acquire. In 1862, the school's name was changed to the Agricultural College of Pennsylvania, and with the passage of the Morrill Land-Grant Act, Pennsylvania selected the school in 1863 to be the state's sole land grant college. In the following years, enrollment fell as the school tried to balance purely agricultural studies with a more classic education, falling to 64 undergraduates in 1875, a year after the school's name changed once again to the Pennsylvania State College.

President Atherton

George W. Atherton became president of the school in 1882, and broadened the school's curriculum. Shortly after he introduced engineering studies, Penn State became one of the ten largest engineering schools in the nation. Atherton also expanded the liberal arts and agriculture programs, for which the school began receiving regular appropriations from the state in 1887. Atherton is widely credited with saving Penn State from bankruptcy, and is still honored today by the name of a major road in State College. Penn State's Atherton Hall, a well-furnished and centrally located residence hall, is named not after George Atherton himself, but after his wife, Frances Washburn Atherton. His grave is in front of Schwab Auditorium near Old Main, marked by an engraved marble block in front of his statue.

Early 20th century

In the years that followed, Penn State grew significantly, becoming the state's largest grantor of baccalaureate degrees and reaching an enrollment of 5,000 in 1936. Around that time, a system of commonwealth campuses was started by President Ralph Hetzel to provide an alternative for Depression-era students who were economically unable to leave home to attend college.

Eisenhower, Walker

In 1953, President Milton Eisenhower, brother of former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, changed the school's name to The Pennsylvania State University, and the University developed rapidly under his successor Eric A. Walker. Under Walker's leadership (1956-1970,) the University acquired hundreds of acres of surrounding land, and enrollment nearly tripled. In addition, in 1967, the Hershey Medical Center, a college of medicine and hospital, was established with a US$50 million gift from the Hershey Trust Company.

Modern era

In the 1970s, The Pennsylvania State University became a state-related institution. As such, it now belongs to the Commonwealth System of Higher Education, and is not part of the fully public Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

In recent years, Penn State's role as a leader in education in Pennsylvania has become well-defined. In 1989, the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport joined ranks with the University, and in 1997, so did the Dickinson School of Law. The University is now the largest in Pennsylvania, and in 2003, it was credited with having the largest impact on the state economy of any organization, generating an economic effect of over $6 billion on a budget of US$2.5 billion. To offset the lack of funding due to the limited growth in state appropriations to Penn State, the University has concentrated its efforts on philanthropy (2003 marked the end of the Grand Destiny campaign—a seven-year effort that raised over US$1.3 billion).

Campuses and colleges

University Park

The largest of Penn State's 24 campuses, University Park, is almost entirely within the boundaries of State College borough, a site chosen to be near the geographic center of the state. With an acceptance rate of 54 percent,^[2] it is the most selective campus in the Penn State system, due primarily to the fact that students select University Park as their first-choice campus at a far greater rate than Penn State's other undergraduate campuses.^[3] During the fall 2006 semester, 36,612 undergraduate students and 6,302 graduate students were enrolled at University Park.^[4] Of those, 45.2 percent were female^[5] and 25.5 percent were not Pennsylvania residents.^[6]

Colleges

The University Park campus is organized into 13 distinct "colleges":^[7]

College of Agricultural Sciences College of Arts and Architecture Smeal College of Business College of Communications College of Earth and Mineral Sciences College of Education College of Engineering

College of Health and Human Development College of Information Sciences and Technology College of the Liberal Arts Eberly College of Science Graduate School Schreyer Honors College

In addition, the Penn State Board of Trustees voted in January to create a School of International Affairs, with the first classes to be admitted for the fall 2008 semester.^[8] The school will be part of the Dickinson School of Law at its University Park campus location.^[9]

Commonwealth campuses

Main article: Pennsylvania State University Commonwealth Campus

In addition to the University Park campus, 19 campus locations throughout the state offer enrollment for undergraduate students. Over 60 percent of Penn State first-year students begin their education at a location other than University Park. All of these smaller campuses offer a limited number of degree programs, but any student in good academic standing is guaranteed a spot at University Park to finish his or her degree if required or desired. Most students do complete their degree program at University Park (known as "change of assignment," since Penn State campuses are not independently operated and therefore "transferring" is an inaccurate term).^[10]

Special-mission campuses

Penn State Great Valley School of Graduate Professional Studies is a special mission campus offering master's degrees, master's certification, and continuing professional education. Located in Malvern, Pa., it also offers classes at the old Philadelphia Navy Yard.

Penn State Hershey Medical Center and College of Medicine in Hershey, Pa., is Penn State's medical school and teaching hospital. Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center has become only the ninth hospital in the United States and 16th worldwide to implant the CardioWest temporary Total Artificial Heart. A 60-year-old man suffering from end-stage heart failure received the device in a six-hour surgery on Wednesday (May 2). The procedure was performed by a surgical team led by Walter Pae Jr., Penn State Heart and Vascular Institute's program director, cardiac surgery.

Pennsylvania College of Technology, in Williamsport, Pa., offers certificates as well as degrees in over 100 technical fields.

Located in Carlisle, Pa., The Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University merged with Penn State in 2000. As of fall 2006, students have the choice of beginning their studies in either Carlisle or University Park.

In 1998, the University launched Penn State World Campus, or Penn State online, which offers over 50 online education programs, degrees, and certificates. Distance education has a long history at Penn State, which was one of the first universities in the country to offer a correspondence course for remote farmers in 1892. Examples of online programs include a master's in homeland security and public health preparedness, a bachelor of science in nursing, a master's in business administration, and certificates in applied statistics and economic and community development. Penn State's World Campus offers nine graduate degrees, 16 graduate certificates, 13 undergraduate degrees, and 16 undergraduate certificates. World Campus students come from 50 U.S. states, 43 countries, and seven continents.

Demographics and trends

Racially, the University is representative of the state of Pennsylvania, although less diverse than comparable institutions. As of fall 2006, the racial makeup of the Penn State system, including all campuses and special-mission colleges, was 80.2 percent white, 4.0 percent African-American, 5.3 percent Asian-American, 3.1 percent Hispanic-American, 0.1 percent Native American, and 7.3 percent international students.^[11] Over the past decade, minority enrollment as a percentage of total enrollment has risen 3.5 percent,^[12] while minorities as a percentage of total teaching positions rose 2.0 percent from 1997 to 2002.^[13]

Organization

Penn State is a "state-related" university, part of Pennsylvania's Commonwealth System of Higher Education. As such, although it receives funding from the Commonwealth and is connected to the state through its board of trustees, it is otherwise independent and not subject to the state's direct control. For the 2006-2007 fiscal year, Penn State received 9.7 percent of its budget from state appropriations, the lowest of the four state-related institutions in Pennsylvania.^[14] Initial reports concerning the 2007-2008 fiscal year indicate that Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell is recommending a 1.6 percent increase in state appropriations.^[15] Penn State's appropriation request, submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Education in September, requested a 6.8 percent increase in funding.^[16]

Board of Trustees

The university is governed by the 32-member board of trustees. Its members include the president of the University, the Governor of the Commonwealth, and the state secretaries of agriculture, education, and conservation and natural resources. The other members include six trustees appointed by the Governor, nine elected by alumni, and six elected by Pennsylvania agricultural societies. Six additional trustees are elected by a board representing business and industry enterprises.^[17]

The current chair of the board of trustees is James S. Broadhurst, a 1965 graduate of Penn State and CEO of Eat'n Park Hospitality Group, Inc.^[18]

The main responsibilities of the board are to select the president of Penn State, to determine the goals and strategic direction of the University, and to approve the annual budget.^[19] Regular meetings of the board are held bi-monthly and take place primarily on the University Park campus, although on occasion meetings are held at other locations within the Commonwealth.^[20]

Administration

The president of the University is selected by the board and is given the authority for actual control of the university, including day-to-day management. In practice, this responsibility is delegated by the president to other departments of the administration, to the faculty, or to the student body.^[19] The current president of the university is Graham Spanier.

The executive vice president and provost is the chief academic officer of the University. The current provost is Rodney Erickson.

Tuition

According to a recent survey by USA Today, Penn State's "flagship" campus, University Park, has the highest in-state tuition rates among comparable institutions nationwide.^[21] While a task force formed in 2001 to study options for tuition projections determined that the University's operating efficiency is among the highest in postsecondary education,^[22] it found that tuition increases at Penn State still consistently outpaced increases at other Big Ten Conference institutions.^[23] Student leaders of The Council of Commonwealth Student Governments (CCSG), one of the University's most highly-regarded student organizations has led annual rallies to lower rate hikes at each of the 19 commonwealth campuses and at the Pennsylvania state capitol in Harrisburg.^[24][25] In 2005, the board of trustees proposed a tuition freeze at the undergraduate campus locations (except University Park) as part of its state appropriation request.^[26]

Academics

Penn State is a research university with highly regarded programs in engineering, architecture, economics, business, and the sciences. As of February 2007, only 23 Pennsylvania colleges and universities held AACSB accreditation in business and accounting. The Smeal College of Business, Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, Penn State Harrisburg, and Penn State Great Valley were among the institutions accredited.^[27]

Penn State offers an accelerated Premedical-Medical Program in cooperation with Jefferson Medical College.^[28] Students in the program spend two or three years at Penn State before attending medical school at Jefferson.

Over 10,000 students are enrolled in the University's graduate school, and over 70,000 degrees have been awarded since the school was founded in 1922.^[29]

Research

During the 2006 fiscal year, Penn State's research budget totaled US$638 million, 56 percent of which was funded by federal agencies including the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense. National Science Foundation reports indicate that in 2004 (the latest year that figures were available), Penn State ranked ninth in the country in terms of research expenditures. The University is also supported by private industry, ranking second nationwide in terms of research funding from that sector.^[30][31]

The Applied Research Lab (ARL), located near the University Park campus, has been a research partner with the United States Department of Defense since 1945 and conducts research primarily in support of the United States Navy. It is the largest component of Penn State's research efforts statewide, with over 1,000 researchers and other staff members.^[30][32]

Penn State was one of the founding members of the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN), a partnership that includes 17 research-led universities in the United States, Asia and Europe. The network provides funding, facilitates collaboration between universities, and coordinates exchanges of faculty members and graduate students among institutions. Penn State president Graham Spanier is a former vice-chair of the WUN.^[33][34]

The Penn State University Libraries were ranked 14th among research libraries in North America in the most recent annual survey released by The Chronicle of Higher Education.^[35]

The University's library system began with a 1,500-book library in Old Main, which has grown to 4.8 million volumes, in addition to 500,000 maps, five million microforms, and 160,000 films and videos.^[36]

The campus is also host to a Radiation Science & Engineering Center, which houses the oldest operating university research reactor.

Ranking and reputation

Main article: Pennsylvania State University rankings

Pennsylvania State University was ranked #47 on U.S. News and World Report's 2007 list,^[37] and 11th in a 2003 Gallup poll of best colleges or universities.[1]. In its 2007 annual college rankings, The Washington Monthly ranks Penn State fifth nationally with criteria based on research, community service, and social mobility.^[38] It has also been ranked #99 worldwide by the "Times Higher Education Supplement."[2] Additionally, Penn State's Higher Education graduate program in the College of Education is currently ranked as the #1 program of its kind in the nation for 2007, as ranked by U.S. News and World Report. In 2006, Penn State University Park was ranked the number two party school in the nation by the Princeton Review, however, in 2007, Penn State began to move down in the party school ranking as the University has aggressively worked internally and externally with area law enforcement to reduce underage drinking. Furthermore, Penn State's Residence Life division now offers an array of comprehensive measures to assist on-campus students in avoiding underage drinking such as educational CDs and a formal alcohol intervention program.

Athletics

Main article: Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State's mascot is the Nittany Lion. The school's official colors were originally black and pink, but the baseball team's uniforms faded to dark blue and white, so the school permanently changed the colors to the now-familiar blue and white.^[39] Penn State participates in the NCAA Division I-A and in the Big Ten Conference for most sports. A few sports participate in different conferences: men's volleyball in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA); men's lacrosse in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC); and women's lacrosse in American Lacrosse conference. The fencing teams operate as independents.^[40]

Athletic teams at Penn State have won 113 NCAA national championships, the most recent of which was in 2007 when Women's Rugby, Men's Gymnastics and Men's/Women's Fencing all won their respective national titles. Since joining the Big Ten in 1991, Penn State teams have won 38 regular season conference titles and nine tournament titles, including nine consecutive titles in women's soccer (tied for the longest title streak in Big Ten history).^[41][42]

Penn State has one of the most successful overall athletic programs in the country, as evidenced by the University's top 25 finish in the NACDA Director's Cup every year since the ranking's inception 13 years ago. The Director's Cup is a list compiled by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics that charts institutions' overall success in college sports. In the history of the Directors’ Cup, the Nittany Lions have finished in the top 10 seven times and the top five a four times.<ref name="director's cup">GoPSUsports.com -- Official Home of Penn State Athletics. In 1999, Sporting News named Penn State as the country's best overall athletic program, citing its consistent and wide-ranging athletic successes along with its athletes' long-standing tradition of excelling in the classroom.

In fact, Penn State student-athletes receive academic honors that often far exceed those awarded to other Division 1-A schools. In 2006, a school record 78 students received Academic All-Big Ten honors, the highest among schools in the Big Ten for the seventh time in nine years.^[43]

Despite widespread success in the overall athletic program, however, the school is best known for its football team, which draws a very large following. Penn State's Beaver Stadium has the second largest seating capacity (over 107,282) of any stadium in the nation, behind only Michigan Stadium. The football team is led by legendary coach Joe Paterno, who at 81 is in his 42nd year as head coach (as of the 2007 season). He is the second all-time winningest coach in Division I-A history (trailing Bobby Bowden of Florida State).

The University also opened a new Penn State All-Sports Museum in February 2002. This two-level 10,000 square foot (0 m) museum is located inside Beaver Stadium.^[44]

Penn State's most well-known athletic cheer is "We are...Penn State." Typically, the students and cheerleaders shout "We are," followed by a response of "Penn State" from the rest of the fans.

Student life

The University's fight song is "Fight On, State," and other notable songs performed at public celebrations include the Penn State Alma Mater and "Hail to the Lion."



As of 2005, Penn State has more students registered on the Facebook social networking website than any other university.^[45]

Diversity

Penn State has exhibited consistent positive trends in efforts to promote a diverse and multicultural campus, most notably beginning in 1990 with the creation of a position for a vice provost for educational equity and the adoption of a five-year strategic plan to "create an environment characterized by equal access and respected participation for all groups and individuals irrespective of cultural differences."^[46][47]

Despite these efforts, criticism of the University's treatment of sensitive issues involving race and sexuality remain. During the spring of 2001, in response to racially-based death threats received by several African-American students,^[48] several hundred students occupied the Hetzel Union Building in protest of insufficient efforts by University officials to promote diversity.^[48] After a week of negotiations and demonstrations, an agreement was reached. The result was the establishment of an Africana Studies Research Center and an investigation into the existing "Intercultural/International Competence" requirement for all students.^[50][51]

More recently, administrators and the athletic department were criticized for their handling of a sexual discrimination lawsuit filed by former Lady Lions basketball player Jen Harris, alleging that head coach Rene Portland dismissed her from the team in part due to her sexual orientation. While Penn State and the National Center for Lesbian Rights jointly issued a statement describing the settlement as "amicable" to all parties,^[52] members of the Penn State community protested that the settlement did not represent progress on the part of the University toward a more tolerant campus climate.^[53]

Respect Comes Full Circle [3] is the University-wide campaign to address diversity issues on each campus. Created by Penn State University Publications for the Office of the Vice Provost of Educational Equity, Copywriter Patrick Pacacha, Designer Heather Reese, and Photographer Scott Johnson provided the creative catalyst for this visual campaign.

Residence Life

See also:

Student organizations

As of May 15, 2007, 667 student organizations were recognized at the University Park campus.^[54] In addition, Penn State has one of the largest Greek systems in the country, with approximately 12 percent of the University Park population affiliated.^[55]

The Penn State Thespians has performed musical theater at University Park since 1898, and is the oldest continuously-active student-run organization on campus. The student improv group is "The Full Ammo Improv Troupe," and they perform long-form improvisational comedy.

In 2005, the Penn State Blue Band was honored with the Sudler Trophy. The Trophy, which has been presented by the John Philip Sousa Foundation since 1982, is regarded as the nation's highest accolade for collegiate bands. The Penn State Glee Club is the University's oldest musical organization and tours nationally and internationally.

Penn State is also home to the Paranormal Research Society (PRS), which has earned national media attention over the past few years. The A&E Network recently announced that it is developing a national reality series with the group and University, entitled Paranormal U. Parts of the series will be filmed on campus.

Media

The student-run newspaper is The Daily Collegian. Since the summer of 1996, the traditional paper publication has been supplemented by an online edition, known as The Digital Collegian. In addition, Penn State's newspaper readership program provides free copies of USA Today and the New York Times, as well as local and regional newspapers depending on the campus location (for example, the Centre Daily Times in University Park). This program, initiated by President Graham Spanier in 1997,^[56] has since been modeled by nearly 400 other universities across the country.^[57]

The student-run organization for yearbooks is named La Vie. La Vie 1987 won the highest recognition given by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association [4] to a student print or online medium for overall excellence, the Gold Crown Award. The La Vie 1987 editor-in-chief was David Beagin.

The student-run radio station is The LION 90.7fm (WKPS-FM). Founded in 1995 as a replacement for Penn State's original student radio station WDFM, The LION broadcasts from the ground floor of the HUB-Robeson Center, serving the Penn State and State College communities with alternative music and talk programming, including live coverage of Penn State sports. The LION's signal can be heard in the greater State College area at 90.7 FM and anywhere in the world via its live 24/7 webstream at www.theLION.fm.

The LION's programming grid can be found at www.thelion.fm/shows/. Among the station's most popular shows is its long-running public affairs program, Radio Free Penn State, hosted by Andy Nagypal, which airs weekdays from 5-6pm Eastern.

In addition, the Penn State College of Communications operates ComRadio. It was founded in the spring of 2003 as an internet-only audio laboratory and co-curricular and training environment for aspiring student broadcasters. ComRadio provides coverage of Penn State athletics and produces a live, half-hour newscast weekdays at 6:00 p.m. Other programming includes student talk shows, political coverage, AP syndicated news and soft rock music.

The longest running show on ComRadio is "Under The Bleachers," which is dedicated to sports and entertainment talk mixed with interviews and quotes from local and national celebrities. UTB, which airs on ComRadio every Tuesday night, has run for four years following its debut on August 4, 2003 (the original hosts concluded their run on May 18, 2007).

Not to forget Penn State Public Broadcasting. This entity consists of WPSU-TV, a PBS member TV station ( and WPSU-FM, a NPR member radio station ( These outlets reach most Pennsylvanians, as well as some in New York State.

The student-run humor magazine is Phroth.

IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon

Main article: Penn State Dance Marathon

Every February, thousands of students participate in the Penn State Dance Marathon (THON), the largest student-run philanthropy in the world. In previous years, participants stood for 48 hours nonstop and performed a line dance at least once every hour to stay alert. In 2007, THON was moved to the Bryce Jordan Center and now lasts 46 hours. THON raises millions of dollars annually for pediatric cancer care and research, generally through the Four Diamonds Fund. In 2007, THON raised more than US$5.2 million.

Due to Hershey High School's affiliation with Penn State Medical Center, a 12-hour dance marathon is held annually in the Hershey High School Cafeteria and Gymnasium. The dance is organized by the Hershey High School Key Club along with the Four Diamonds Fund.

Former traditions

• Phi Psi 500

The Phi Psi 500, organized in the 1970s by undergraduates in the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, was a raucous fundraising event popular among students. Contestants entered either individually or in theme-related groups and had to run a 1.1 mile (0 km) course through downtown State College. During the run, contestants had to make a half-dozen stops at taverns for beer or soft drinks.

Revenue generated through entry fees and donations went to local charities. The Phi Psi 500 brought a large number of alumni visitors as well as resident spectators and student participants. Over US$21,000 was raised by 1,800 runners in the 14th running running in April 1983.^[58]

The Phi Psi 500 was outlawed by University officials in the early 1980s. Today, the Phi Psi 500 is still a large philanthropic event orchestrated by an "underground" group of current students.

• Sy Barash Regatta

Another popular fundraiser that sprung up in the 1970s was the Sy Barash Regatta. Sy Barash was a prominent State College businessman and civic leader who died of cancer in 1974. The regatta named in his honor began a year later, with proceeds going to cancer research.

Beta Sigma Beta fraternity, of which Barash had been a member, sponsored the regatta first held at Stone Valley until 1983. Eventually, the regatta witnessed more than 15,000 visitors. By the mid 1980s, the popularity of the multi-faceted event forced its move to Bald Eagle State Park.

Aside from the nautical competition, the regatta offered picnics, music and other leisure activities. By the end of its first decade, the Sy Barash Regatta has raised more than US$100,000 for the Centre County chapter of the American Cancer Society.

• Gentle Thursday

Co-sponsored by The Free University, Gentle Thursday was a popular social event that occurred each spring. Proclaimed as a "day of sharing," students were encouraged to show concern for one another and forgo academic and campus political concerns. Crowds of students on the lawns of the Hetzel Union Building and Old Main enjoyed live music, food, friends and films.

Gentle Thursday eventually became a day of over-indulgence, highlighted by many drug- and alcohol-related incidents. These incidents and general truancy caused in area secondary schools led to Gentle Thursday's death in 1980.

Football and Student Life

The student section at Beaver Stadium, recognized by ESPN’s College Gameday as the best in college football, has turned heads again with a sellout of more than 21,000 season tickets in a remarkable 59 minutes for the 2007 season. The unprecedented sale took place in record time, according to Bud Meredith, Director of Ticket Operations. The previous record was 13 days last year, using a combination of online sales and applications that were mailed to the ticket office.

The 21,000-plus student season tickets are the second-largest number in college sports (the school made an additional 520 student season tickets available this year compared to 2006). Penn State has approximately 90,000 season ticket holders overall, also among the largest in the nation.

The passionate, loyal and enthusiastic Penn State student section is a primary reason Beaver Stadium is one of the nation’s toughest venues for opposing teams. The Nittany Lions averaged 107,567 fans at home last season, second-highest in the nation, topped only by 110,007 for the prime time clash with Michigan.

A recent attempt to move to a lottery format for student season tickets was met with opposition that many believed was the most swift and comprehensive response to school policy in decades. A student rally ensued on the steps of Old Main to celebrate the reversal of the lottery to the previous "first-come, first-served" procedure. The sale was instead changed from a mail-in form to an online format at Ticketmaster, which handles large-demand, high-profile, online tickets sales on a daily basis.

Alumni and notable people

Established in 1870, nine years after Penn State's first commencement exercises, the Penn State Alumni Association has the stated mission "to connect alumni to the University and to each other, provide valuable benefits to members and support the University's mission of teaching, research and service."^[59] The Alumni Association supports a number of educational and extra-curricular missions of Penn State through financial support and is the network that connects alumni through over 280 "alumni groups," many of which are designated based on geographical, academic, or professional affiliation.^[60]

As of 2006, the Alumni Association counts 453,346 members within the United States, with an additional 6,277 in countries around the globe. More than half the United States alumni reside in Pennsylvania, primarily in the urban areas of Philadelphia (and Montgomery County) and Pittsburgh (and Allegheny County) and in the Centre County region surrounding State College. About 34 percent of United States alumni and 21 percent of international alumni are members of the Alumni Association.^[61][62] With membership totaling 154,688, the Penn State Alumni Association is the largest dues-paying alumni association in the world, a distinction it has held since 1995.^[63]

Since 2001, Penn State, along with all schools in the Big Ten, has participated in the "Big Ten Challenge" website, which is a "competitive" clearinghouse of alumni donation statistics for member schools. Results are tracked to determine a percentage of each school's alumni from the previous decade who gave to their alma mater each calendar year (for example, during the 2005-2006 year, alumni donations from 1996 to 2005 were tallied). With the exception of 2005-2006, when Penn State fell to second behind Northwestern University,^[64] Penn State has won the challenge each year since its inception.^{[65][66][67][68]}

Further information: List of Pennsylvania State University people

Points of interest

• The Arboretum at Penn State

References

• Short History of Penn State
• An Illustrated History of Penn State
• Official Statistics and Common Data

External links

• The Pennsylvania State University official website
• Penn State Board of Trustees
• Penn State Alumni Association
• Penn State athletics official website
• The Daily Collegian Online
• The Penn State Press
• Penn State Dance Marathon
• The Lion 90.7FM - Student Radio (WKPS)
• Coordinates:
• WikiSatellite view at
• Street map from MapQuest or Google Local
• Topographic map from TopoZone
• Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
• Satellite image from Google Maps or Microsoft Virtual Earth

•  • [ e] The Pennsylvania State University
Academics	College of Agricultural Sciences College of Arts and Architecture College of Communications College of Earth and Mineral Sciences College of Education College of Engineering College of Health and Human Development College of Information Sciences and Technology College of the Liberal Arts Eberly College of Science Schreyer Honors College Smeal College of Business The Graduate School Dickinson School of Law College of Medicine Commonwealth Campuses
Athletics	Beaver Stadium Bryce Jordan Center Football Governor's Victory Bell Land Grant Trophy Medlar Field at Lubrano Park Penn State Golf Courses Rec Hall
Campus	Hetzel Union Building Old Main Pattee and Paterno Libraries Penn State Creamery Residence halls ResCom University Park Radiation Science &  Engineering Center
People	George W. Atherton James A. Beaver Milton S. Eisenhower Joe Paterno Rene Portland Graham Spanier Fred Waring
Media	The Daily Collegian Phroth The Lion 90.7FM WPSU-FM WPSU-TV
Student Life / Traditions	Alma Mater Blue Band Fight On, State Mount Nittany Nittany Lion Nittwits Old Coaly Penn State Dance Marathon State College The Nittany Lion

•  • [ e] Big Ten Conference
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•  • [ e] Public universities in Pennsylvania
State-related Lincoln • Penn State • Pitt • Temple State-funded Bloomsburg • Cal U • Cheyney • Clarion • East Stroudsburg • Edinboro • IUP • Kutztown • Lock Haven • Mansfield • Millersville • Shippensburg • Slippery Rock • West Chester

•  • [ e] Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association
Tait Division	East Stroudsburg • George Mason • Juniata • Penn State • Princeton • Rutgers-Newark • Saint Francis
Hay Division	Harvard • New Haven • NJIT • NYU • Sacred Heart • Springfield

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