 | |
Former names | Farmer's High School of Pennsylvania (1855–1862) Agricultural College of Pennsylvania (1862–1874) The Pennsylvania State College (1874–1953) |
|---|---|
| Motto | On seal: "Virtue, Liberty, and Independence" |
| Type | Publicstate-relatedland-grantresearch university |
| Established | February 22, 1855; 170 years ago (1855-02-22) |
| Accreditation | MSCHE |
Academic affiliations | |
| Endowment | $4.5 billion (2022)[1] |
| Budget | $8.6 billion (2022-23)[2] |
| Chairperson | Matthew W. Schuyler[3] |
| President | Neeli Bendapudi[4] |
| Provost | Tracy Langkilde (interim)[5] |
Academic staff | 8,002[6] |
Administrative staff | 17,218[6] |
| Students | 87,995 (Fall 2024)[7][8] • 46,723 (University Park) |
| Undergraduates | 73,394 (Fall 2024)[7] • 48,900 (University Park) |
| Postgraduates | 14,601 (Fall 2024)[7] • 6,281 (University Park) |
| Location | , Pennsylvania ,United States 40°47′54″N77°51′36″W / 40.79833°N 77.86000°W /40.79833; -77.86000 |
| Campus | Small city, 7,343 acres (2,972 ha) Total (statewide), 22,484 acres (9,099 ha)[9] |
| Other campuses | |
| Newspaper |
|
| Colors | Blue and white |
| Nickname |
|
Sporting affiliations | |
| Mascot | Nittany Lion |
 | |
| ASN | 3999 |
| Official name | Ag Hill Complex |
| Type | Building |
| Criteria | Event, Architecture/Engineering |
| Designated | January 12, 1979[10] |
| Reference no. | 79002191 |
| Official name | Farmers' High School |
| Type | District |
| Criteria | Event, Architecture/Engineering |
| Designated | September 11, 1981[11] |
| Reference no. | 81000538 |
| Official name | Pennsylvania State University, The |
| Type | Roadside |
| Designated | April 30, 1947[12] |
 | |
ThePennsylvania State University (Penn State orPSU) is apublicstate-relatedland-grantresearch university with campuses and facilities throughoutPennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855 asFarmers' High School of Pennsylvania,[13] Penn State was named the state's firstland-grant university eight years later, in 1863. Its primary campus, known asPenn State University Park, is located inState College andCollege Township.
Penn State enrolls more than 89,000 students, of which more than 74,000 are undergraduates and more than 14,000 are postgraduates. In addition to its land-grant designation, the university is asea-grant,space-grant, andsun-grant university. It isclassified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and is a member of theAssociation of American Universities (AAU).[14][15] The university has twolaw schools:Penn State Law on the school's University Park campus andPenn State Dickinson Law inCarlisle. TheCollege of Medicine is inHershey. The university maintains 19commonwealth campuses and five special mission campuses located across Pennsylvania.[16]
The university competes in theBig Ten Conference inDivision I of theNCAA for most of its athletic teams, known collectively as thePenn State Nittany Lions. Since its founding, Penn State has won 82 national collegiate team championships, including 54NCAA titles across all sports, and Penn State students, alumni, faculty, and coaches have won a total of74 Olympic medals, including 20 gold medals.
Pennsylvania State University was founded in 1855 whenJames Irvin, aU.S. Congressman fromBellefonte, donated 200 acres (0.8 km2) of land inCentre County[17] to the newly-establishedFarmers High School of Pennsylvania, representing the first of 10,101 acres (41 km2) the school eventually acquired.
The same year, on February 22, thePennsylvania General Assembly designated the school a degree-granting institution.[18][17] Initially sponsored by the Pennsylvania State Agricultural Society, the use of "college" or "university" was avoided in the school's naming since local Pennsylvanians perceived that such institutions were impractical in their curricula.
In 1862, the school's name was changed to theAgricultural College of Pennsylvania. The following year, in 1863, theMorrill Land-Grant Acts was passed by theU.S. Congress, and Pennsylvania selected the school to be the state's soleland-grant college.[17] Two years later, in 1874, the school's name was changed to thePennsylvania State College.[17]
By 1875, enrollment fell to 64 undergraduates, and the school attempted to balance its primary focus onagricultural studies withclassic education.[19] In 1882,George W. Atherton was named the school's president; Atherton set about broadening the curriculum beyond its agricultural focus.
The school developed anengineering studies program that immediately became one of the nation's ten largestengineering schools.[20][21]
Amajor road inState College was later named in Atherton's honor. Penn State's Atherton Hall, a well-furnished and centrally located residence hall, was named after George Atherton's wife, Frances Washburn Atherton.[22][23]
In the 20th century, Penn State grew significantly, becoming the largest grantor of baccalaureate degrees inPennsylvania. In 1936, its enrollment reached 5,000.[19] Around this time,Ralph D. Hetzel, the school's president, established a commonwealth of colleges to provide an alternative forDepression-era students who were economically unable to leave home to attend college.[19]
In 1953, PresidentMilton S. Eisenhower, the brother of then-U.S. PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower, sought and won permission to elevate the school to university status, and it assumed its current name,The Pennsylvania State University.[24] Under Eisenhower's successor,Eric A. Walker, the university acquired hundreds of acres of surrounding land, and enrollment nearly tripled.[19]
In 1967, thePenn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, a college of medicine and hospital, was established inHershey with a $50 million gift from theHershey Trust Company.[19]
In 1970s, the university became astate-related institution, leading to its membership in theCommonwealth System of Higher Education. In 1975, the lyrics in thePenn State Alma Mater were revised to be gender-neutral in honor ofInternational Women's Year; the revised lyrics were taken from the posthumously published autobiography of the writer of the original lyrics, Fred Lewis Pattee. Professor Patricia Farrell acted as a spokesperson for those who wanted the change.[25]
In 1989, thePennsylvania College of Technology inWilliamsport became affiliated with the university.
In 2000,Dickinson School of Law joined thePennsylvania College of Technology in affiliating with the university.[26] The university is now the largest in Pennsylvania, and in 2003, it was credited with having the second-largest impact on the state economy of any organization, generating an economic effect of over $17 billion on a budget of $2.5 billion.[27] 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 $1.3 billion).[28]
In 2011, the university and itsfootball program garnered international media attention and criticism in asex abuse scandal in which university officials were alleged to have covered up incidents ofchild sexual abuse by former football team defensive coordinatorJerry Sandusky. Athletic directorTimothy Curley and Gary Schultz, senior vice president for finance and business, were indicted for perjury. In the wake of the scandal, CoachJoe Paterno was fired[29] and school presidentGraham B. Spanier was forced to resign[30] by theboard of trustees. Sandusky, who maintained his innocence,[31] was indicted and subsequently convicted in June 2012 on 45 counts for the abuse.
A subcommittee of the board of trustees engaged formerFBI directorLouis Freeh to head an independent investigation on the university's handling of the incidents. Freeh released his findings in July 2012 in which he claimed that Paterno, Spanier, Curley, and Schultz "conceal[ed] Sandusky's activities from the board of trustees, the university community and authorities" and "failed to protect against a child sexual predator harming children for over a decade".[32][33] Subsequently, theNational Collegiate Athletic Association levied sanctions against Penn State for its role in the scandal, penalizing the Penn State football program with a $60 million fine, a ban from bowl games and post-season play for four years, a reduction in its scholarships from 25 to 15 annually for four years, the vacating of all Penn State football wins from 1998 to 2011, and a five-year probationary period.[34]
Following imposition of the NCAA sanctions, emails surfaced indicating that high-level NCAA officials did not believe they had the jurisdiction to pass down the original sanctions.[35] Subsequent emails, brought forward under subpoena, quoted an NCAA vice president, who wrote, "I characterized our approach to PSU as a bluff when talking to Mark [Emmert, NCAA president]...He basically agreed [because] I think he understands that if we made this an enforcement issue, we may win the immediate battle but lose the war."[36]
On September 8, 2014, following a report by formerU.S. senator and athletics integrity monitorGeorge J. Mitchell citing progress by Penn State in implementing reforms, the NCAA repealed the sanctions.[37][38] On January 16, 2015, all previous Penn State football records were restored.[39]
An investigation led by formerU.S. attorney generalRichard Thornburgh, who the Paterno family retained to review the Freeh report,[40] alleged that the report that placed so much blame on Penn State and Paterno was a "rush to injustice" that could not be relied upon.[41] He found that not only did the evidence "fall far short" of showing Paterno attempted to conceal the Sandusky scandal, but rather that "the contrary is true".[40] In November 2014, Pennsylvania state senatorJake Corman released further emails that he claimed showed "regular and substantive" contact between NCAA officials and Freeh's investigators, suggesting that Freeh's conclusions were orchestrated.[42]
On February 2, 2017, Timothy Piazza, a pledge of theBeta Theta Pi fraternity located off-campus inState College, died while undergoinghazing activities at the fraternity. Eighteen members of Penn State's Beta Theta Pi fraternity were initially charged in connection with Piazza's death, and the fraternity was closed and banned indefinitely. In July 2024, the fraternity president and vice president & pledge master each pleaded guilty to 14misdemeanor counts of hazing and a misdemeanor count of recklesslyendangering another person.[43]
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The largest of the university's 24 campuses,Penn State University Park is located inState College andCollege Township inCentre County, in centralPennsylvania. Its dedicated ZIP Code is 16802. With an undergraduate acceptance rate of 49 percent,[44] it is the most selective campus in the Penn State system.[45] The university ranks among the most selective schools inPennsylvania, according to various publications.[46][47][48] During the fall 2018 semester, 40,363 undergraduate students and 5,907 graduate students were enrolled at University Park.[49] Of those, 46.5 percent were female[50] and 42.4 percent were non-Pennsylvania residents.[51]
The University Park campus is centrally located at the junction ofInterstate 99/U.S. Route 220 andU.S. Route 322, and is due south ofInterstate 80. Before the arrival of the Interstates, University Park was a short distance from theLock Haven –Altoona branch line of thePennsylvania Railroad. The last run of long-distance trains from Buffalo or Harrisburg through Lock Haven was in 1971.[52] Today, the nearestAmtrak passenger rail access is inTyrone, 25 miles to the southwest. Intercity bus service to University Park is provided byFullington Trailways,Greyhound Lines,Megabus, andOurBus. TheState College Regional Airport, serving tworegional airlines, is near University Park.
In addition to the University Park campus, 19campus locations throughout the commonwealth of Pennsylvania offer enrollment for undergraduate students. Over 60 percent of Penn State first-year students begin their education at a location other than University Park.[53] Each of the 19 commonwealth campuses offer a unique set of degree programs based on the student demographics. Any student in good academic standing is guaranteed a spot at University Park to finish his or her degree if required or desired, known as "change of campus" or, more accurately, "the 2+2 program"; where a Penn State student may start at any Penn State campus, including University Park, for two years and finish at any Penn State the final two years.[54]
In 1998, the university launchedPenn State World Campus, or Penn State Online, which offers more than 60 online education programs, degrees, and certificates. Distance education has a long history at Penn State, one of the first universities in the country to offer a correspondence course for remote farmers in 1892. Examples of online programs include anMBA, a master of professional studies in homeland security, aBachelor of Science in nursing, and post-baccalaureate certificates in geographic information systems and applied behavior analysis.[59]
Penn State is a state-related university and a member of Pennsylvania'sCommonwealth System of Higher Education. While it receives funding from the Commonwealth and is connected to the state through its board of trustees, however, it is otherwise independent and not subject to any direct control by the state. For the 2006–2007 fiscal year, the university received 9.7 percent of its budget from state appropriations, the lowest of the four state-related institutions in Pennsylvania.[60]
Penn State has eighteen colleges, including three at special-mission campuses. The University Park campus is organized into fourteen distinct colleges, plus the graduate school and the division of undergraduate studies:[61]
|
|
The university's board of trustees voted in January 2007 to create a school of international affairs, with the first classes admitted in the fall 2008 semester.[62] The school is part of Penn State Law.[63]
Formerly the school of nursing, on September 25, 2013, the board of trustees granted the nursing program college status.[64]
The 32-member board of trustees governs the university. Its members include the university's president, theGovernor of the Commonwealth, and the state Secretaries of Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources, and Education. 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.[65] Undergraduate students do not elect any trustees; the court caseBenner v. Oswald ruled that theEqual Protection Clause of theFourteenth Amendment did not require the undergraduate students be allowed to participate in the selection of trustees.
As of 2013[update], the chair of the board of trustees is Keith E. Masser, a graduate of Penn State and the chairman and chief executive officer of Sterman Masser, Inc.[66]
The board's main responsibilities are to select the president of Penn State, determine the goals and strategic direction of the university, and approve the annual budget.[67] 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.[68]
The university president is selected by the board and is given the authority for actual control of the university, including day-to-day management. In practice, part of this responsibility is delegated by the president to other administrative departments, the faculty, and the student body.[67]Neeli Bendapudi became the university's 19th and current president on May 9, 2022, upon the departure ofEric J. Barron.[4] The executive vice president and provost is the chief academic officer of the university. The current provost, Nicholas P. Jones, assumed office on July 1, 2013.[69]
Penn State has a long history of student governance. Elected student leaders remain directly involved in the decision-making of the university administration, as provided for in the board of trustees' standing orders.[70] There are four student governments recognized by the university administration: the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA), the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA), the Council of Commonwealth Student Governments (CCSG), and the World Campus Student Government Association (WCSGA).[71]
The University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) is the representative student government of the undergraduate students at Penn State's University Park campus, which was established in 2006 after the former student government, Undergraduate Student Government (USG), lost its recognition by way of a student referendum.[72] Graduate and professional students at the university are represented by the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA), the oldest continuously existing student governance organization at Penn State.[73]
The 19commonwealth campuses of the university are governed by the Council of Commonwealth Student Governments (CCSG), formerly known as the Council of Branch Campus Student Governments (CBCSG).[74]
In 2019, the World Campus Student Government Association (WCSGA) was formed to advocate for the interests and concerns of the more than 20,000 Penn State World Campus students.[75]
| Undergraduate admissions statistics | |
|---|---|
| Admit rate | 54.2% (  −2.3) |
| Yield rate | 19.4% (  −7.7) |
| Test scoresmiddle 50%[i] | |
| SAT Total | 1230–1390 (among 33% ofFTFs) |
| ACT Composite | 27–32 (among 6% ofFTFs) |
| High schoolGPA | |
| Average | 3.67 |
| |
Admission to Penn State University Park is classified as "selective" by theCarnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.[77]The Princeton Review gives Penn State University Park an "Admissions Selectivity Rating" of 90 out of 99.[78]
In 2023, the university received 85,957 applications. It extended offers of admission to 46,605 applicants, or 54%, after holistic review that includes examination of academic rigor, performance and admissions test scores. 9,040 accepted students chose to enroll, a yield rate of 14%.[76]
The university started test-optional admissions with the fall 2021 incoming class. Of the 33% of incoming students in 2023 who submittedSAT scores, theinterquartile range was 1230–1390; of the 6% of incoming students in 2023 who submittedACT scores, the interquartile range was 27–32. Of allmatriculating students, the average high school GPA was 3.67.[76]
Penn State's freshmanretention rate is 92%, with 85% going on to graduate within six years.[76]
Pennsylvania State University Park is a college-sponsor of theNational Merit Scholarship Program and sponsored five Merit Scholarship awards in 2020. In the 2020–2021 academic year, 16 incoming freshman students wereNational Merit Scholars.[79]
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applicants | 78,578 | 73,861 | 71,903 | 52,742 | 56,114 |
| Admits | 45,269 | 40,031 | 35,302 | 29,793 | 28,233 |
| Admit rate | 57.6 | 54.2 | 49.1 | 56.5 | 50.3 |
| Enrolled | 8,614 | 8,465 | 8,331 | 8,075 | 7,863 |
| Yield rate | 19.0 | 21.1 | 23.6 | 27.1 | 27.9 |
| ACT composite* (out of 36) | 26-32 (8%†) | 25-30 (18%†) | 25-30 (17%†) | 25-30 (22%†) | 25-30 (30%†) |
| SAT composite* (out of 1600) | 1200-1400 (37%†) | 1150-1340 (77%†) | 1160-1370 (78%†) | 1160-1360 (74%†) | 1160-1340 (65%†) |
| * middle 50% range † percentage of first-time freshmen who chose to submit | |||||
Penn State isaccredited by theMiddle States Commission on Higher Education. TheSmeal College of Business, TheSam and Irene Black School of Business,Penn State Harrisburg, andPenn State Great Valley are accredited by theAssociation to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).[83]
The university offers an acceleratedPremedical-Medical Program in cooperation withSidney Kimmel Medical College.[84] Students in the program spend two or three years at the university before attending medical school at Jefferson.
| Academic rankings | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Forbes[85] | 196 |
| U.S. News & World Report[86] | 60 |
| WSJ/College Pulse[87] | 46 |
| Global | |
| ARWU[88] | 101–150 |
| QS[89] | 82 (tie) |
| THE[90] | 100 (tie) |
| U.S. News & World Report[91] | 91 (tie) |
| Undergraduate National Rankings[92] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Program | Ranking | ||
| Biological/Agricultural Engineering | 6 | ||
| Engineering | 21 | ||
| Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering | 6 | ||
| Materials Science | 10 | ||
| Petroleum Engineering | 10 | ||
| Insurance | 11 | ||
| Management | 12 | ||
| Production/Operation Management | 12 | ||
| Supply Chain Management/Logistics | 4 | ||
| Graduate National Rankings[93] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Program | Ranking | ||
| Biological Sciences | 46 | ||
| Business | 36 | ||
| Chemistry | 20 | ||
| Clinical Psychology | 10 | ||
| Computer Science | 30 | ||
| Criminology | 5 | ||
| Earth Sciences | 5 | ||
| Economics | 25 | ||
| Education | 36 | ||
| Engineering | 31 | ||
| English | 27 | ||
| Fine Arts | 64 | ||
| Health Care Management | 23 | ||
| History | 44 | ||
| Law | 60 (University Park) 62 (Dickinson) | ||
| Mathematics | 32 | ||
| Medicine: Primary Care | Unranked (Hershey) | ||
| Medicine: Research | Unranked (Hershey) | ||
| Nursing: Master's | 30 | ||
| Nursing: Doctor of Nursing Practice | Unranked | ||
| Physics | 25 | ||
| Political Science | 33 | ||
| Psychology | 26 | ||
| Public Affairs | 90 | ||
| Public Health | 56 (Hershey) | ||
| Rehabilitation Counseling | 4 | ||
| Sociology | 17 | ||
| Speech-Language Pathology | 25 | ||
| Statistics | 20 | ||
| Global Program Rankings[94] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Program | Ranking | ||
| Agricultural Sciences | 50 | ||
| Art and Humanities | 26 | ||
| Biology and Biochemistry | 98 | ||
| Biotechnology and Applied Microbiology | 88 | ||
| Cardiac and Cardiovascular Systems | 201 | ||
| Cell Biology | 163 | ||
| Chemical Engineering | 81 | ||
| Chemistry | 65 | ||
| Civil Engineering | 75 | ||
| Clinical Medicine | 178 | ||
| Computer Science | 62 | ||
| Economics and Business | 32 | ||
| Electrical and Electronic Engineering | 232 | ||
| Endocrinology and Metabolism | 169 | ||
| Energy and Fuels | 83 | ||
| Engineering | 74 | ||
| Environment/Ecology | 83 | ||
| Geosciences | 34 | ||
| Immunology | 130 | ||
| Materials Science | 29 | ||
| Mathematics | 32 | ||
| Mechanical Engineering | 66 | ||
| Microbiology | 64 | ||
| Molecular Biology and Genetics | 77 | ||
| Nanoscience and Nanotechnology | 58 | ||
| Oncology | 232 | ||
| Pharmacology and Toxicology | 231 | ||
| Physics | 89 | ||
| Plant and Animal Science | 18 | ||
| Psychiatry/Psychology | 59 | ||
| Public, Environmental, and Occupational Health | 129 | ||
| Radiology, Nuclear Medicine, and Medical Imaging | 197 | ||
| Social Sciences and Public Health | 35 | ||
| Space Sciences | 31 | ||
| Surgery | 183 | ||
TheAcademic Ranking of World Universities ranked Penn State between 101 and 150th among universities globally and between 42nd and 56th nationally for 2020.U.S. News & World Report ranked the university tied for 63rd among national universities and tied for 23rd among public schools in the United States for 2021.[95]
In 2022, the university was ranked 96th in theQS World University Rankings.[96] The 2021 "World University Rankings" byTimes Higher Education ranked the university as the 114th best university in the world.[97] The 2021 Global University Ranking byCWTS Leiden Ranking ranked the university as 52nd-best university in the world and 18th in the U.S.[98]
Penn State isclassified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".[99] Over 10,000 students are enrolled in the university's graduate school (including the law and medical schools), and over 70,000 degrees have been awarded since the school was founded in 1922.[100]
According to theNational Science Foundation, Penn State spent $971 million on research and development in 2021, ranking it 26th in the nation.[101][102]
TheApplied Research Lab (ARL), located near theUniversity Park campus, has been a research partner with theUnited States Department of Defense since 1945 and conducts research primarily in support of theUnited States Navy. It is the largest component of Penn State's research efforts statewide, with over 1,000 researchers and other staff members.[103][104]
The Materials Research Institute (MRI) was created to coordinate the highly diverse and growing materials activities across Penn State's University Park campus. With more than 200 faculty in 15 departments,four colleges, and twoDepartment of Defense research laboratories,
MRI was designed to break down the academic walls that traditionally divide disciplines and enable faculty to collaborate across departmental and even college boundaries. MRI has become a model for this interdisciplinary approach to research, both within and outside the university. Dr. Richard E. Tressler was an international leader in the development of high-temperature materials. He pioneered high-temperature fiber testing and use, advanced instrumentation and test methodologies for thermostructural materials, and design and performance verification of ceramics and composites in high-temperature aerospace, industrial, and energy applications. He was founding director of the Center for Advanced Materials (CAM), which supported many faculty and students from the college of earth and mineral science, the Eberly College of Science, the college of engineering, the materials research laboratory and the applied research laboratories at Penn State on high-temperature materials. His vision for interdisciplinary research played a key role in creating the Materials Research Institute, and the establishment of Penn State as an acknowledged leader among major universities in materials education and research.[105][106][107]
The university was one of the founding members of theWorldwide 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. Former Penn State presidentGraham Spanier is a former vice-chair of the WUN.[108][109]
Pennsylvania State University Libraries were ranked 14th among research libraries inNorth America in the 2003–2004 survey released byThe Chronicle of Higher Education.[110] The university's library system began with a 1,500-book two-room library inOld Main,[111] but moved to its own space – Carnegie Library (named after college trusteeAndrew Carnegie) – ten years later.[112] In 2009, its holdings had grown to 5.2 million volumes, in addition to 500,000 maps, five million microforms, and 180,000 films and videos.[113] The university is a member of theCenter for Research Libraries.
The university'sCollege of Information Sciences and Technology is the home ofCiteSeerX, an open-access repository and search engine for scholarly publications. The university is also the host to theRadiation Science & Engineering Center, which houses the oldest operating universityresearch reactor. Additionally, University Park houses the Graduate Program in Acoustics,[114] the only freestanding acoustics program in the United States. The university also houses the Center for Medieval Studies, a program that was founded to research and study theEuropean Middle Ages,[115] and theCenter for the Study of Higher Education (CSHE), one of the first centers established to research postsecondary education. It is a member of theCDIO Initiative, an international network of universities working to develop unique teaching methods in engineering. The university is also a member of theUniversity Corporation for Atmospheric Research, an organization of hundreds of leading universities dedicated to researching atmosphere and climatology.
| Race and ethnicity | Total | |
|---|---|---|
| White | 60% | |
| International student | 11% | |
| Hispanic/Latino | 10% | |
| Asian | 8% | |
| Black/African American | 6% | |
| Two or more races | 4% | |
| Unknown | 3% | |
As of fall 2010, the racial makeup of the Penn State system including all campuses and special-mission colleges, was 75.4 percent white, 5.5 percent black, 4.3 percent Asian, 4.4 percent Hispanic, 0.2 percent Native American, 0.1 percent Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 1.7 percent two or more races, 5.8 percent international students and 3.1 percent of an unknown race. Over the period 2000–2010, minority enrollment as a percentage of total enrollments has risen 5.3 percentage points,[116] while minorities as a percentage of total teaching positions rose 2.0 percentage points from 1997 to 2002.[117]
Penn State has been the subject of controversy for several issues of discrimination. Following some violent attacks on African-Americans in downtown State College in 1988 and complaints that Penn State was not adequately recruiting African-American faculty and students to representative population levels, student activists occupiedOld Main. They demanded that Penn State do more to recruit minority students and address intolerance toward minority students on campus and the local community. After President Bryce Jordan canceled a promised meeting with students and organizations in the Paul Robeson Cultural Center on April 8, 1988, 250 students and activists nonviolently occupied Penn State's Telecommunications building on campus. The following morning, 50 state troopers and 45 local and campus police, equipped with helmets, batons, and rubber gloves, entered the building as the crowd outside sang "We Shall Overcome", arresting 89 individuals for trespassing.[118] All charges were later dismissed.
In 1990, a vice provost for educational equity was appointed to lead 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."[119][120] Since then, discrimination issues include the handling of death threats in 1992 and 2001,[121][122][123][124] controversy aroundLGBT issues,[125] and the investigation of a 2006 sexual discrimination lawsuit filed by former Lady Lions basketball playerJennifer Harris, alleging that head coachRene Portland dismissed her from the team in part due to her perceived sexual orientation.[126][127]
There are seven housing complexes on campus for students attending the University Park campus: East Halls, North Halls, Pollock Halls, South Halls, West Halls, Eastview Terrace, and Nittany Apartments. Each complex consists of a few separate buildings that are dormitories and a commons building, which has: lounges, the help desk for the complex, mailboxes for each dormitory room, a convenience store, a food court, an all-you-care-to-eat buffet. Different floors within a building may be designated as a Living Learning Community (LLC). LLCs are offered to members of certain student groups, such as sororities, students studying particular majors, students who wish to engage in a particular lifestyle (such as the alcohol-free LIFE House), or other groups who wish to pursue similar goals.
As of September 2014[update], 864 student organizations were recognized at the University Park campus.[128] In addition, the university has one of the largest Greek systems in the country, with approximately 12 percent of the University Park population affiliated. Additional organizations on campus includeThespians,Blue Band, Chabad,Glee Club, Aish HaTorah,[129] Student Programming Association (SPA), Lion's Pantry, Boulevard, Apollo, 3D Printer Club, Digi Digits, and the Anime Organization, which hosts an annual Central Pennsylvania-based anime convention,Setsucon.[130]
Annually in February, thousands of students participate in the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (THON). Started in 1973 with 78 participants, THON has grown to become the largest student-run philanthropy in the world.[131] Every year, participants stand for 46 hours nonstop and perform a line dance at least once every hour to stay alert alongside other events hosted throughout the weekend such as concerts, games, athlete hour, family hour, and a tribute to all of the children with cancer. In 2007, THON was moved to theBryce Jordan Center and shortened from 48 to 46 hours, due to potential conflicts with basketball games.[132] THON raises millions of dollars annually for childhood cancer care and research for its sole beneficiary, Four Diamonds. In 2025, THON raised a program record of $17.7 million.[133]
The Lion's Pantry is an undergraduate student-run on-campus food pantry and registered student organization. The Lion's Pantry serves undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. With increasing awareness of hunger on college campuses, the Lion's Pantry is one of the nation's most successful startup food pantries.[citation needed] They partner with groups ranging from Boulevard, UPUA, Greek Life, and more to receive over 8,000 food donations a year. The club was also awarded the Class Gift of 2017 in the form of an endowment.[134][independent source needed]
Twenty-two of Penn State's campuses are served by Penn State University Police and Public Safety. In addition to being a full-service police department, the department also has specialized units such as K9, criminal investigation, bike patrol, a bomb squad, and drones. The police department was founded in 1926 as Campus Patrol.
Penn State University Park is also served by the Penn State University Ambulance Service, known as Centre County Company 20. Penn State EMS is a full-service, licensed ambulance service, staffed by student EMTs. The ambulance is staffed around the clock, with the exception of the school's annual winter break, when it goes out of service. The ambulance is affiliated with the University Health Service.
Student media groups on campus include:The Daily Collegian, Penn State's student-run newspaper;Onward State, a student-run blog;The Underground, a multi-cultural student media site;The LION 90.7 FM (WKPS-FM), a student-run radio station; CommRadio, a student-run, internet-based radio program;La Vie, the university's annual student yearbook;Kalliope, a student-produced literary journal;Valley, a student-run style and life magazine; and,Phroth, a student-run humor magazine; andPenn State Live, the official news source of the university published by its public relations team.
The Daily Collegian, founded in 1904, provides news, sports, and arts coverage and produces long-form features. It publishes in print on Mondays and Thursdays while classes are in session. Since the summer of 1996, the traditional paper publication has been supplemented by an online edition. Online content is published every day. Penn State's commonwealth campuses receive a weekly copy of the paper titledThe Weekly Collegian.
Onward State is a student-run blog geared towards the university's community members. The blog, which was founded in 2008, provides news, event coverage, and opinion pieces.U.S. News & World Report named the blog the "Best Alternative Media Outlet" in February 2009.
The LION 90.7 FM (WKPS-FM) was founded in 1995 as a replacement for Penn State's original student radio station WDFM. The LION broadcasts from the ground floor of theHUB-Robeson Center, serving the Penn State and State College communities with alternative music and talk programming, including live coverage of home Penn State football games.
La Vie (the Life), the university's annual student yearbook, has been published continuously since 1890.[135]La Vie 1987, edited by David Beagin, won a College Gold Crown for Yearbooks award from theColumbia Scholastic Press Association.[136]
Kalliope is an undergraduate literary journal produced by students and sponsored by the university's English Department. It is published in the spring.Kalliope includes works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and visual art.[137] In addition,Klio, an online publication, provides students with literary pieces in the fall semester.
Valley is Penn State's student-run life and style magazine.[138] It was founded in 2007.
The student-run humor magazine, founded in 1909 asFroth, isPhroth, which publishes two to four issues each year. Notable Penn State alumni who worked at the magazine includeJulius J. Epstein, who wrote the screenplay forCasablanca in 1942 and won threeAcademy Awards.[139]
Penn State's newspaper readership program provides free copies ofUSA Today,The New York Times, and local and regional newspapers depending on the campus location. This program, initiated by then-President Graham Spanier in 1997,[140] has since been instituted on several other universities across the country.[141]
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Penn State's mascot is theNittany Lion, a representation of a type ofmountain lion that once roamed what is now University Park. The school's official colors, now blue and white, were originally black and dark pink. Originally introduced back when athletics were introduced at Penn State, this was changed in 1890 after the pink faded to white and to avoid ridicule from opposing teams.[142] Pink and black still will make periodic appearances at athletic events in the modern era as a special student "S" section during certain games. Penn State participates inNCAA'sDivision I FBS forfootball and in theBig Ten Conference for most sports.[143]
Two sports participate in different conferences: men's volleyball in theEastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA)[144] and women's hockey inCollege Hockey America (CHA).[145] The fencing teams operate as independents.
Penn State athletic teams have claimed a total of 82 national collegiate team championships since the university's founding, including 54NCAA, two consensusDivision I football titles, sixAIAW, three USWLA, oneWIBC, four national titles in boxing, 11 in men's soccer, and one inwrestling in years prior to NCAA sponsorship.[146] The university ranks fifth all-time in NCAA championships inNCAA Division I, and first amongBig Ten schools.[147]
Since joining theBig Ten in 1991, Penn State teams have won 124 conference regular season and tournament titles, through June, 2023.[148]
Penn State has one of the most successful overall athletic programs in the country, evidenced by its rankings in theNACDA Director's Cup, a list compiled by theNational Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics that charts institutions' overall success in college sports. From the Cup's inception in the 1993–1994 season, the Nittany Lions have finished in the top 25 every year.[149]
With an official capacity of 106,572, Penn State'sBeaver Stadium has the second-largestseating capacity afterMichigan Stadium and the fourth-largest globally.[150]
From 1966 to 2011, the Penn State football team was led by CoachJoe Paterno, who was in a close competition withBobby Bowden, head coach forFlorida State, for the most wins ever in Division I-A (now theFBS). Paterno still led in total wins at the time of Bowden's retirement following the2010 Gator Bowl. In 2007, Paterno was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame.[151]
Paterno amassed 409 victories over his career, the most inNCAA Division I history.[152] Paterno died on January 22, 2012, at the age of 85. Paterno was posthumously honored by Penn State during the September 17, 2016 football game that marked the 50th anniversary of his first game as head coach.[153][154][155][156]
The university opened a newPenn State All-Sports Museum in February 2002, which is a two-level 10,000-square-foot (1,000 m2) museum located inside Beaver Stadium.[157]
Established in 1870, nine years after the university's first commencement exercises, the Penn State Alumni Association has the stated mission "to connect alumni to the University and each other, provide valuable benefits to members and support the University's mission of teaching, research, and service."[158] The Alumni Association supports a number of educational and extracurricular 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.[159]
As of July 1, 2010, the alumni association counted 496,969 members within the United States, with an additional 16,180 in countries around the globe.[160][161]
About half the U.S. alumni reside inPennsylvania, primarily in the urban areas ofPhiladelphia and its surrounding counties, theGreater Pittsburgh area, and theCentre County region surroundingState College. About 34 percent of U.S. alumni and 21 percent of international alumni are members of the college alumni association.[162][163]
Membership totaled 176,426 as of 2016, making the Penn State Alumni Association the largest dues-payingalumni association in the world, a distinction it has held since 1995.[164]
Select Division I and press Run Report
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