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The Pennsylvania State University (commonly known as Penn State) is a state-related, land-grant university. The University 24 campuses located throughout the state, 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.

History

main|History of the Pennsylvania State
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 (809,000 m²) of land—the first of 10,101 acres 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.

George W. Atherton became president of the school in 1882, and worked to broaden the school's curriculum. Shortly after he introduced engineering studies, Penn State became one of the ten largest engineering schools in the 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 major road in State College. Penn State's Atherton Hall, a well furnished and centrally located dormitory, is named not after George Atherton himself, but after his wife, Frances Washburn Atherton. His grave rests in front of Schwab Auditorium near Old Main, and is marked by an engraved marble block resting in front of his statue.

thumb|right|200px|Old Main]
In the years that followed, Penn State grew significantly, becoming the state's largest sources of baccalaureate degrees and reaching an enrollment of 5,000 in 1936. Around that time, Commonwealth Campuses were started by President Ralph Hetzel to provide an alternative for Depression-era students who were economically unable to leave home to attend college.

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

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. Currently, the University is 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 $2.5 billion. To offset the lack of funding due to the limited growth in state appropriations to Penn State, the University has turned to seeking philanthropy. 2003 marked the end of the Grand Destiny campaign—a seven-year effort which raised over $1.3 billion for the University.

Ranking and reputation

Pennsylvania State University was ranked #47 on U. S. News and World Report's 2007 listcite web|url=http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/t1natudoc_brief.php|title=America's Best Colleges, 2007|publisher=U. S. News and World , and 11th in a 2003 Gallup poll of best colleges or universities.http://live.psu.edu/story/4085. The Washington Monthly magazine, using a ranking system which stresses social factors the magazine considers important, such as percentage of students in ROTC and percentage of students on Pell grants, ranked Penn State #3 in the country http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2006/0609.national.html. It has also been ranked #26 world-wide by the Times Higher Education Supplement- one of the most valid and reliable listings of Colleges and Universities worldwide. http://www.thes.co.uk/statistics/international_comparisons/2006/top_unis.aspx?window_type=popup

Campuses and colleges

thumb|200px|right|The Lion Shrine at University Park

University Park

The central campus of Penn State's 24 campuses, University Park, is almost entirely within the borough boundaries of State College, a site chosen to be the near--geographic center of the state. With an acceptance rate of 62%http://apps.collegeboard.com/search/CollegeDetail.jsp?collegeId=4136&profileId=1, it is the most selective campus in the Penn State system. The University reports Fall 2006 enrollment of 42,914 undergraduate students, 6,302 graduate students study at University Park, a female population of 45.5%, and 25.1% non-Pennsylvania residents.

Racially, the university is less diverse than comparable institutions with a three year average of 12.5% minority students. They include 1,617 African-American Students, 2,172 Asian-American Students, 1,244 Hispanic-American Students, and 56 Native-American Students.

Commonwealth campuses

Penn State operates 19 Commonwealth Campuses throughout the state, where over 60% of Penn State first-year students begin their education. 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 their degree if required or desired. Most students do change campuses to complete any of 160 degree programs offered system wide.^{[citation needed]}

Special-mission campuses

Penn State Harrisburg offers doctoral degrees in addition to providing bachelor's and master's diplomas and post-baccalaureate certificates, including nationally known interdisciplinary programs in American Studies and Public Affairs. It has a significant research and public outreach presence with centers such as the Pennsylvania State Data Center and Center for Pennsylvania Culture Studies.

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. It is located in Malvern, PA, and also offers classes at the old Philadelphia Navy Yard.

Penn State Hershey Medical Center and College of Medicine is Penn State's medical school and teaching hospital, located in Hershey, PA.

Pennsylvania College of Technology offers certificates as well as degrees in over 100 technical fields, and is located in Williamsport, PA.

The Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University merged with Penn State in 2000, and is located in Carlisle, PA. 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. It was one of the first universities in the country to offer a correspondence course for remote farmers in 1892. Some examples of online programs include a Master of Degree of Homeland Security in Public Health Preparedness, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Business Administration, and certificates in applied statistics, and economic and community development, among many others. Currently, Penn State's World Campus offers nine graduate degrees, 16 graduate certificates, 13 undergraduate degrees, and 16 undergraduate certificates. World Campus students come from seven continents, 43 countries, and from 50 states.

Academics

thumb|right|The Forum Building, a classroom building with four 300+ capacity classrooms. Penn State is a research university with highly regarded programs in engineering, architecture, economics, business, and the sciences. The Smeal College of Business is one of only four Pennsylvania schools to be AACSB accredited in business and accounting. In 2003 the university devoted $545 million to research, ranking it 12th in the nation , and its researchers received nearly $400 million in outside grants toward their projects. 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 .

The student-to-faculty ratio at Penn State campuses is 16:1. When the medical school, college of technology, and law school are included, the ratio is 15:1. 80% of first-year classes have 50 or fewer students, and classes are even smaller for upperclassmen and for all students at other campuses.

The Penn State University Libraries are ranked twelfth among research libraries in North America., which has grown to its current 4.8 million volumes, in addition to nearly 500,000 maps, over 5 million microforms, and nearly 160,000 films and videos.

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 "The Nittany Lion".http://www.blueband.psu.edu/history/nittany_lion.php The student welcoming slogan is "It's your time," the student chant is "We are...Penn State!", and the marketing slogan is "Penn State, making life better."

thumb|right|250px|Penn State's student union building, the HUB Robeson Center.]
Over seven hundred student organizations exist at the University Park campus , as well as one of the largest Greek systems in the country, with approximately 12% of the University Park
population affiliated with a Greek organization. Most of the student organizations are headquartered at the Hetzel Union Building , which underwent significant renovations and enlargement beginning in 1997. It is also the home to LateNight Penn State, an endeavor designed to provide weekend entertainment in an alcohol-free environment.

Every February, thousands of students participate in the Penn State Dance Marathon (THON), the largest student-run philanthropy in the world. Participants stand for 48 hours nonstop and line dance once every hour to stay alert. THON raises millions of dollars annually for pediatric cancer care and research, generally through the Four Diamonds Fund. In 2006, THON raised more than $4.2 million.

The student run newspaper is The Daily Collegian. In addition to the traditional paper publication, The Collegian went online as The Digital Collegian, starting in summer of 1996. The student-run organization for yearbooks is named La Vie. The student-run radio station is http://www.thelion.fm The Lion 90.7FM (WKPS). The student-run humor magazine is Phroth. The Penn State Thespians have performed musical theatre at University Park since 1898, and is the oldest continuously-active student-run organization on campus.

Penn State has more students registered on the Facebook social networking website than any other university. http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2005/11/11-10-05tdc/11-10-05dnews-09.asp

According to the school's Web site, one of every 114 Americans who have a college degree is a Penn State graduate.

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.

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.

Penn State has also been ranked as the #2 Party School by The Princeton Review.

Athletics

See Also: Pennsylvania State University Athletics

See Also: Penn State Nittany Lions football

thumb|right|The Nittany Lions logo.
200px|thumb|right|[Rec Hall]
Penn State's mascot is the Nittany Lion. The school's official colors were originally black and pink. 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.http://www.gopsusports.com/Traditions/NittanyLionBody.cfm 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.http://web1.ncaa.org/ssLists/orgInfo.do?orgID=539 The fencing teams operate as independents.

The school is best known for its football team, which draws a very large following. Other sports, such as fencing and volleyball have a history of strong teams and national success. The school's cheer is "We Are...Penn State."

The University also opened a new Penn State All-Sports Museum in February 2002. This two-level 10,000-square-foot museum is located inside Beaver

* http://www.gopsusports.com/Traditions/natlchamps.cfm List of National Championships Won by Penn State

* http://www.gopsusports.com/Traditions/BigTenchamps.cfm List of Big Ten Championships Won by Penn State

Rankings

The Public Ivies: America's Flagship Public Universities, a book published by Greene's Guides, included Penn State among the Public Ivies, public universities that purportedly offer an academic experience of Ivy League or close caliber combined with affordably priced tuition.

The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2006 gives Penn State - University Park an academic rating of 4.5 stars out of 5.

Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Academic Ranking of World Universities 2005 ranks Penn State - University Park as the #30 university in the U.S. and the #39 university in the world.

Recently,
* In 2006, the Princeton Review ranked Penn State the #2 "party school" in the nation.http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06235/715579-298.stm
* On Aug. 13, Newsweek ranked Penn State 40th among the world's top 100 global institutions. The top global universities were designated, in part, based on the amount of research taking place at those universities, the number of international faculty and the number of students studying overseas.
* The 2007 edition "America's Best Colleges," the annual review by U.S. News & World Report unveiled Aug. 18, tied the University at No. 13 among all U.S. public universities.
* In its Sept. 2006 edition, Washington Monthly magazine cited the University as third nationally. Washington Monthly looked at indicators related to how universities benefit the nation.
* On Aug. 8, The Sporting News rated State College, Pa., home to Penn State's University Park campus, at No. 7 among U.S. sports cities without a professional sports franchise.

According to U.S. News Best Colleges 2006 , Penn State nationally ranks :
*14th among public national universities
*48th among national universities doctoral
*18th among undergraduate business programs
**4th in supply chain management/logistics, 9th in management, 12th in production/operations management, 14th in finance, and 16th in marketing
*18th among undergraduate engineering programs
**4th in industrial/manufacturing, 7th in petroleum and natural gas, 11th in mechanical, 7th in materials, 24th in electrical, 15th in civil, 17th in chemical, 10th in agricultural, and 12th in aerospace

According to U.S. News Best Graduate Schools 2007, Penn State ranks
*19th among graduate engineering programs
**4th in , 7th in nuclear, 7th in petroleum, 9th in materials, 13th in aerospace, 18th in civil, 19th in computer, 19th in electrical, 21st in chemical, 23rd in biomedical/bioengineering, and 23rd in environmental
*29th among schools of education
**1st in vocational/technical education, 2nd in higher education administration, and 9th in counseling/personnel services
*38th among graduate business schools (average starting salary & bonus is $85,501)
**7th in supply chain management/logistics
*87th among law schools (93.4% of students employed within 9 months of graduation)
* 1st in professional golf management
* 1st in turf grass management
*1st in meteorology
*3rd in geology
*7th in criminology
*17th in sociology
*22nd in chemistry
*24th in physics
*28th in economics
*28th in English
*29th in mathematics
*33rd in computer science
*35th in political science
*36th in psychology
*40th in biological sciences
*51st in history
*57th in public affairs
*58th in nursing
*61st in fine arts
The National Research Council (NRC) rated Penn State's Department of Geography #1 in the United States in 1995.

The monthly journal Design Intelligence rated Penn State as the #4 Undergraduate Landscape Architecture Program and #10 Undergraduate Architecture Program in the United States in their list of the America's Best Architecture & Design Schools

Presidents

see|Presidents of the Pennsylvania State http://www.libraries.psu.edu/speccolls/psua/psgeneralhistory/presidents/presidnt.htm
* Evan Pugh (1859-1864)
* William Henry Allen (1864-1866)
* John Fraser (1866-1868)
* Thomas Henry Burrowes (1868-1871)
* James Calder (1871-1880)
* Joseph Shortlidge (1880-1881)
* James Y. McKee (Interim, 1881-1882)
* George W. Atherton (1882-1906)
* James A. Beaver (Interim, 1906-1908)
* Edwin Erle Sparks (1908-1920)
* John Martin Thomas (1921-1925)
* Ralph Dorn Hetzel (1927-1947)
* James Milholland (Interim, 1947-1950)
* Milton Stover Eisenhower (1950-1956)
* Eric A. Walker (1956-1970)
* John W. Oswald (1970-1983)
* Bryce Jordan (1983-1990)
* Joab Thomas (1990-1995)
* Graham Spanier (1995-present)

Alumni & Notable people

Established in 1870, the Penn State Alumni Association strives 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.

Penn State has more than 460,000 living alumni that are located in all 50 states and many countries around the world. While Penn Staters are scattered all over the globe, approximately 40 percent of Penn State alumni live in five metropolitan areas: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, New York City and Washington, D.C.

The Penn State Alumni Association is the largest dues-paying alumni association in the world. It gained nearly 3,000 members to reach a record high of 159,063 members for the year ending June 30, 2006.

further|List of Pennsylvania State University

Points of interest

* The Arboretum at Penn State

References

*http://www.psu.edu/ur/about/history/historyshort.html Short History of Penn State
*http://www.libraries.psu.edu/speccolls/psua/psgeneralhistory/bezillapshistory/index.htm An Illustrated History of Penn State
*http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0112636.html 2003 University Endowment statistics
*http://www.alumni.psu.edu/about_us/default.htm Alumni Association Information
*http://www.budget.psu.edu/CDS/Campus.asp?AY=20052006&Location=UP Official Statistics and Common Data

Notes

External links

commonscat|Pennsylvania State
*http://www.psu.edu The Pennsylvania State University official website
*http://www.dsl.psu.edu Penn State Dickinson School of Law official website
*http://www.gopsusports.com Penn State athletics official website
*http://www.collegian.psu.edu The Digital Collegian
*http://www.psupress.org The Penn State Press
*http://www.thon.org Penn State Dance Marathon

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