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The trip began on Monday morning, May 14, at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, where participants received an overview from University archivist Jackie Esposito about the University’s history and its threefold land-grant mission of teaching, research and service.
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Gary Miller, associate vice president for Outreach, spoke about Penn State’s land-grant mission as it pertains to service, particularly Penn State Cooperative Extension.
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President Graham Spanier hosted the Road Scholars Tour and answered questions from faculty who had come from the campuses at University Park, Berks, Hershey, Altoona, Beaver, Great Valley, New Kensington, Scranton and Harrisburg, as well as the Electro-Optic Center in Freeport and the Fruit Research Extension Center in Biglerville.
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Pennsylvania's Capitol Building in Harrisburg is among the most beautiful state legislature buildings in the United States; Colorado's state capitol building is modeled after it. The Capitol Building's dome is adorned with gold leaf.
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The group’s first stop included a tour of the Capitol Building in Harrisburg.
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Inside the Capitol Building the group was met by Richard DiEugenio, special assistant to the president for Governmental Affairs, who explained Penn State’s relationship with the Commonwealth and introduced several key government staff members and dignitaries, including State Representative Kerry Benninghoff, who serves the legislative district that includes the University Park campus.
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The group received a pleasant surprise in the Capitol Building’s Senate chambers by an encounter with recently retired State Senator Bob Jubelier, a distinguished alumnus of both Penn State and the Penn State Dickinson School of Law.
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In the Capitol Building’s Supreme Court chambers, Judge Cynthia Baldwin, who recently completed her term as president of the University’s Board of Trustees, took a break from hearing cases to talk with faculty and others on the Road Scholars Tour.
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The drive from Harrisburg to Gettysburg offered scenic roadside views.
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William Blair, professor of American history and director of Penn State’s George and Ann Richards Civil War Era Center, met the Road Scholars at the Gettysburg National Military Park along with faculty colleague Carol Reardon. Here the Road Scholars depart from the scene of Pickett's Charge. Details about the Richards Civil War Era Center are available at richardscenter.psu.edu/ online.
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“Now this is a battlefield!” said Carol Reardon, professor of military history at Penn State University Park, gave the Road Scholars a personalized tour of the Gettysburg battlefield starting at Little Round Top. Reardon is a nationally recognized expert on Civil War history, particularly the Battle of Gettysburg.
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The Road Scholars lodged for the night at Penn State’s Mont Alto campus, known for its forestry program and history as the nation’s first forestry academy. Students demonstrated their logging skills and invited President Spanier to join in.
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Penn State Mont Alto’s lion statue was complemented by a Nittany Lion carved from wood, which honored the campus’s history and programs in forestry.
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Mont Alto Chancellor David Gnage chatted with Jim Broadhurst, CEO of Eat’n Park Restaurants and chair of Penn State’s Board of Trustees, during the welcome reception and student forestry skills demonstration.
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Wiestling Hall, now site of Penn State Mont Alto’s student center, is the oldest building in the entire Penn State system. It was built in 1803 by Col. George Wiestling, an ironmaster who lived in it when the property was used as an iron furnace.
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On the second morning of the Road Scholars Tour, the group traveled to Loganville to visit Brown’s Orchards and Farm Market, where owner Stan Brown and several distinguished hosts explained how Penn State Cooperative Extension assists business owners with agricultural issues.
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Road Scholars enjoyed a quick trip through Brown’s Farm Market, where they could purchase homemade fudge, fresh produce and specialty food items.
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Plant pathologist Henry Ngugi of Penn State’s Fruit Research and Extension Center in Biglerville, has assisted orchard owner Stan Brown with diagnosing a mysterious infection on some of the orchard’s apple trees. Ngugi was one of President Graham Spanier’s 2007 Road Scholars.
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For lunch on the tour’s second day, Road Scholars were treated to a theatrical lunch on the stage of Penn State York’s state-of-the-art Pullo Family Performing Arts Center.
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Penn State York Chancellor Joel Rodney, who hosted the Road Scholars Tour luncheon at the Pullo Family Performing Arts Center, first welcomed the crowd dramatically in silhouette, impersonating James Bond, during a skit where President Spanier’s table descended on cables from the rafters of the stage.
Tuesday, February 18, 2020
