Football, cheerleaders, Berkey Creamery ice cream, tailgating.. all of the traditional elements are lined up for Penn State Abington's homecoming celebration on Saturday, Oct. 15. Participants can meet family and friends at Abington's Nittany Lion shrine and savor a scoop of ice cream from Penn State's creamery while exploring the arts and crafts marketplace on Sutherland Plaza. Participants can have their photo taken with the Nittany Lion mascot, and face painting will be available for youth. (more)
Throughout the year but especially in summer, high school students and their families visit Penn State, strolling along streets and sidewalks while learning about Penn State history, notable buildings and other distinctive facts important to students -- all from tour guides their age. "Most prospective students have such a short window of time to really get a feel for the University," said Lion Ambassador President Katie Perugini, a senior public relations major from West Wyoming, Pa. "In no more than two hours we articulate the history, traditions, student life and services to offer prospective students and their families the most accurate glimpse of what their life could be like at Penn State." (more)
This week has seen the transfer of the "Original Nittany Lion" to the Penn State All-Sports Museum. Also known at the "Brush Lion," the Lion had been on display at Pattee Library since returning to campus in 1996. Arriving at the museum, the Lion has a new home in the upper level of the lobby and may be seen by all visitors. Obtained by Penn State near the turn of the 20th Century, the lion was displayed in Old Main and loaned to an endangered species exhibit at Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh in the 1950s. Placed in storage and forgotten, it was rediscovered and returned in 1992 to Penn State, where it took up residence in Pattee Library. (more)
You'll understand if the recent proposal from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to declare the Eastern cougar extinct takes on a special significance at Penn State, where the Nittany Lion has been the University's mascot since 1904. After a lengthy review, federal officials in March revealed their conclusion that there are no breeding populations of cougars -- also known as pumas, panthers and mountain lions -- in the eastern United States. Researchers believe the Eastern cougar subspecies probably has been extinct since the 1930s. The declaration was met by resignation in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, where Gary San Julian, professor of wildlife resources, has fielded many inquiries about the Eastern cougar's status in recent decades. (more)
Firing up a stadium filled with Blue and White faithful is an important part of being the Nittany Lion mascot, but becoming the Nittany Lion means much more. It means carrying on the legacy of a proud and time-honored tradition as an important symbol for Penn State and every Penn Stater. Recently, as this year's new candidates presented their Penn State pride and crowd-pleasing talents to the judges, some former mascots discussed what it really means to be the Nittany Lion. It's more than meets the eye in this Penn State In Motion video reflecting the sights and sounds of Nittany Lion tryouts. (more)
How does a guy in a mountain lion suit inspire a shrine, a book, and more than 100,000 screaming fans? There's something about mascots that stir up powerful emotions. Penn State's Nittany Lion is a larger-than-life symbol of the pride that fans feel, said Jackie Esposito, University archivist at Penn State and co-author of "The Nittany Lion: An Illustrated Tale." (more)
The Nittany Lion Shrine on Penn State's University Park campus is undergoing a digital laser imaging procedure that will create a detailed digital model of the iconic campus fixture. A pair of metrology specialists from the engineering measurement firm Survice Metrology arrived on Tuesday, Sept. 22, and will complete their work today (Sept. 23). The firm was contracted to digitally construct a model of the Lion statue so Penn State will have a way to reconstruct the statue if it sustains any damage. Over the life-span of the shrine, the lion has had to have its right ear replaced tree times, twice because of vandalism. (more)
Efforts to preserve and protect the stately Nittany Lion Shrine are going high-tech. The lion shrine, crouched across the street from Rec Hall on Penn State's University Park campus, will be digitally scanned and unavailable to receive guests on Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 22 and 23. Survice Metrology of Belcamp, Md., will do the 3-D modeling of the shrine. The process will result in a digital replica of the shrine, which then can be used to re-create the shrine in part or in whole, to repair any damage. (more)
"The Lion's Roar: Penn State Spirit," featuring historical photographs of Penn State's revered mascot, the Nittany Lion, will be on display in the Penn State DuBois Library, 113 Hiller Building, through Oct. 8. Assembled by the University Libraries, the exhibit is on tour, giving each Penn State campus the opportunity to showcase this significant part of Penn State history. (more)
At roughly 10 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 13, with the help of Dan Puchyr, Penn State Lehigh Valley alumnus and president of Bracy Contracting, the Lehigh Valley campus Nittany Lion Shrine will make its way from the top of Mohr Lane in Fogelsville to its new home in front of the campus' new location in Center Valley. It will travel aboard a 20-foot stake body truck along Route 78. Bracy Contracting is donating the equipment and labor to ensure this monumental task goes off without a hitch. (more)
