UPPER BURRELL, Pa. – The cultural district will be the trendy venue in the spring for the Penn State in Pittsburgh program. Penn State New Kensington students, along with their counterparts from Penn State’s western campuses, will visit the Turkish Cultural Center March 26 and attend a performance of “Beauty and the Beast” April 1 at Heinz Hall. The campus will provide transportation to both events.
The Turkish Cultural Center event features dinner, Turkish presentations and group discussions. Students will have to pay $10 to reserve a spot, but the money will be refunded when boarding the bus. The cost for “Beauty and the Beast” is $15, which includes transportation and dinner. The bus will depart campus at 5 p.m. for both events. Tickets are available in the Student Life office.
Penn State in Pittsburgh is a series of events that gives students from four campuses in western Pennsylvania a chance to experience the best of what the city of Pittsburgh has to offer. The program brings together students from the campuses of Beaver, Fayette, Greater Allegheny and New Kensington for activities highlighting the city’s educational, cultural, athletic and shopping benefits. Eight events were scheduled throughout the academic year.
In the fall, campus students shopped the Strip District, took in a movie at the Waterfront, headed to a Pirates game, toured haunted Pittsburgh, visited the Carnegie Museums and science center, skated at the Rink at PPG Place and strolled downtown during the holiday season. The cultural center and stage production close out the 2014-15 series.
For more information on the spring trips, call 724-334-6063. For more about Penn State in Pittsburgh, visit http://www.nk.psu.edu/StudentLife/45535.htm.
Country of Focus
The visit to the Turkish center coincides with the Country of Focus: Turkey initiative, a yearlong campus celebration of the democratic, secular and constitutional republic. Located in western Asia, Turkey is bordered by eight countries (Bulgaria, Greece, Georgia, Armenia, Iran, Azerbaijani, Iraq and Syria) and three seas (Mediterranean, Aegean and Black). Turkey's location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia makes it a country with a diverse cultural heritage. Ankara is the capital, and Istanbul is the largest city.
For the past eight years, the campus has embarked on the promotion of greater awareness and understanding of world issues, international trends and global policy debates. Each year, the campus adopts a country or region of the world to inspire teaching and scholarship. Students, faculty and staff have explored and reflected on various aspects of Turkish history, culture and economic, social and political reality. Canada was honored last year.
Since 2004, more than 160 campus students have traveled to Spain, France, Italy, China, Greece, Peru, Galapagos Islands and Ireland. In conjunction with the trips, students are required to take a related course that enriches their understanding of the destination and its culture. Upon return, participants present their experiences through narratives and slide shows to the entire campus community. These presentations both enable others to share in the immediate travel experience and help to generate excitement in students as well as faculty and staff to become involved in future trips.
For more on the country of focus program, visit http://www.nk.psu.edu/Academics/InternationalPrograms/43845.htm.
Prospective students
The cultural/entertainment activities are a recruitment initiative that extols the benefits of attending one of the Penn State campuses in the Pittsburgh region. With nine bachelor’s degree programs and new scholarship money available, coupled with a freeze on tuition for 2015-16, the New Kensington campus is a good fit for prospective students wanting to major in administration of justice, business, communications, electro-mechanical engineering technology, information sciences and technology, nursing, organizational leadership and psychology (bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees). High school students and adult learners who want concentrated instruction to prepare for specialized occupational assignments can enroll in a two-year associate degree program in biomedical engineering technology, business administration, information sciences, and technology and radiological sciences. The letters, arts and sciences associate program provides graduates with a general education and some specialization in their fields of interest. For information on enrolling at Penn State New Kensington, visit http://www.nk.psu.edu/Admissions/default.htm.