University gears up for sesquicentennial celebration

University gears up for sesquicentennial celebration

University Park, Pa. -- More than 1,500 people have suggested names for the new ice cream flavor that the University Creamery will debut later this year as part of Penn State’s sesquicentennial celebration. Entries came from all over the country and from as far away as Hong Kong, according to Eston Martz, publications coordinator in the College of Agricultural Sciences.

“The reaction has been phenomenal,” said Martz, who is overseeing the contest for the University’s sesquicentennial committee. “I had expected to receive just a couple of dozen suggestions, but I’m thrilled that so many people are excited about this contest. It’s been a great way to raise awareness of the upcoming celebration.”

Many names hint at the flavor -- for example, Real Smeal Mocha, Happy Valley Vanilla or Founders’ Fudge -- while others such as Nittany Lion Tracks, Cookies and Creamery, or P.S. Moo allow for more creativity.

The next step for Martz and the committee will be to narrow down the list of possible names and flavors to five finalists. Tom Palchak, manager of the University Creamery, will then assist in selecting the winner and making sure the new flavor is one that’s feasible for the Creamery to produce.

The official sesquicentennial begins July 1 and will be a yearlong observance. Penn State will be 150 years old on Feb. 22, 2005 -- 150 years after Gov. James Pollock signed the charter that established the college of scientific agriculture that grew to be one of the world’s most distinguished centers of higher education.

“While it’s a challenge to showcase 150 years of achievement, I’m confident that what we have planned will be very well received by alumni and friends,” said Vice President for University Relations Steve MacCarthy, who heads the sesquicentennial committee. “We have a number of exciting events already planned, and more are in the works.”

Some of the events tentatively scheduled include:

-- A public kick-off of the sesquicentennial year July 8 on the University Park campus in conjunction with the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts and the University’s Board of Trustees’ meeting. The day will include entertainment by music theatre faculty and students, addresses by distinguished speakers and roll-out of the new ice cream flavor.

-- The Penn State Sesquicentennial Games, sponsored by the Blue & White Society, student members of the Penn State Alumni Association, and the Lion Ambassadors, planned for Oct. 1-3. The event aims to unite students across the University through contests modeled after the Olympic games. Each campus will submit a team of participants that will compete in a variety of events; music and other entertainment will accompany the opening and closing ceremonies.

-- The grand unveiling of the historical mural commissioned by Penn State’s class of 2003, scheduled for Feb. 22, 2005. To be located in the HUB-Robeson Center, the oil-and-acrylic paint on canvas work is a class gift and is being created by Richard Haas, internationally acclaimed for his panoramic, building-sized art. The mural will portray the University’s growth since 1950 -- where Henry Varnum Poor’s famous land-grant frescoes in Old Main leave off. (Penn State is the nation’s second-oldest land-grant university; Michigan State was chartered 10 days earlier, on Feb. 10, 1855.)

-- The broadcast premiere of a documentary history of Penn State produced by WPSX-TV, also tentatively slated for Feb. 22. It’s anticipated that the video will be made available to Public Broadcasting stations throughout Pennsylvania and for individual sale.

-- A national conference on the future of the American public research university, co-sponsored by the Center for the Study of Higher Education and the Penn State Alumni Association, convened as closely as possible to coincide with the University’s 150th birthday. The conference will gather influential higher-education scholars and policymakers from around the country to address the massive social, political and economic changes that are occurring in the post-9/11 world, and assess what they mean for institutions like Penn State.

Throughout the sesquicentennial year, historic documents and memorabilia will be displayed at various locations around University Park and Centre County, with traveling exhibits reaching Penn State campuses throughout the commonwealth. University archivists and Bellefonte historians are preparing to collaborate on events and displays that will highlight the role that Bellefonte-area leaders played in the University’s founding.

Attorney Hugh McAllister, for example, co-authored Penn State’s charter and designed and helped to pay the construction costs of the original Old Main. Founding trustee and Pennsylvania Gov. Andrew Curtin was instrumental in having the commonwealth designate Penn State as Pennsylvania’s sole land-grant college in 1863.

Several new books about Penn State also will be published in conjunction with the sesquicentennial. Raise the Song from the Penn State Alumni Association will be available in the next few weeks. While not strictly a sesquicentennial project, this lavishly illustrated album will contain historical photos as well as stunning contemporary photography. The Collegian Alumni Interest Group has a book under way about Penn State history as reported in the pages of the Daily Collegian; it is scheduled for publication this fall. The Penn State Press also intends to publish a combination guidebook/historical anthology, due out later in the sesquicentennial year.

Homecoming, commencements and other major campus events also are likely to have a sesquicentennial component or theme. Throughout the year, Penn State Newswire, as part of its daily e-mail offering of the latest University news and information, will include historical trivia and sesquicentennial news. While there is no definite word yet, at some point during the year, there just might be a giant birthday cake decorated with 150 candles.