Penn State University Park
University campus in Pennsylvania From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
University campus in Pennsylvania From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Penn State University Park, also referred to as University Park, is the main campus of Pennsylvania State University, located in both State College and College Township, both in Centre County, Pennsylvania. The campus post office was designated "University Park, Pennsylvania" in 1953 by Penn State president Milton Eisenhower, after what was then Pennsylvania State College was upgraded to university status.
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Type | Public |
---|---|
Established | 1855 |
President | Neeli Bendapudi |
Administrative staff | 2,787 full-time[1] |
Undergraduates | 40,363 (2017)[2] |
Postgraduates | 6,342 (2018)[3] |
Location | , , 40°48′24″N 77°52′49″W |
Campus | College town |
Nickname | Nittany Lions |
Affiliations | Big Ten Conference and Independent |
Mascot | Nittany Lion |
Website | psu |
The school that later became Penn State University was founded as a degree-granting institution on February 22, 1855, by act P.L. 46, No. 50 of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania. Centre County, Pennsylvania, became the home of the new school when James Irvin of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, donated 200 acres (80.9 ha) of land – the first of 10,101 acres (4,088 ha) the school would eventually acquire. In 1862, the school's name was changed to the Agricultural College of Pennsylvania, and with the passage of the Morrill Land-Grant Acts, Pennsylvania selected the school in 1863 to be the state's sole land-grant college. The school's name changed to the Pennsylvania State College in 1874; enrollment fell to 64 undergraduates the following year as the school tried to balance purely agricultural studies with a more classic education.
In 1953, the university sought a name change for the town called State College to reflect the new status of the school as a university. As the name change referendum failed to pass, the resolution ended with a new postal address to be called "University Park".
Media originating from University Park include Onward State; the world's most-read student-run news website, WKPS, a student run radio station; and the Daily Collegian, a student run newspaper.
Within the campus, a student government is a set of elected positions by the student body to represent the students with relations with the university. It is divided between undergraduate and graduate students.
Special interest groups representing minorities also exist within the campus also have an influence towards university policies that get enacted by the university.
The Penn State Nittany Lions have won 54 NCAA team national championships, as well as 34 national team titles in current and former NCAA sports that were not bestowed by the NCAA.
Sport | Club | Founded | Venue | National championships | Championship years |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Basketball | Penn State Nittany Lions Men's Basketball | 1897 | Bryce Jordan Center | 0 | N/A |
Basketball | Penn State Lady Lion's Women's Basketball | 1965 | Bryce Jordan Center | 0 | N/A |
Football | Penn State Nittany Lions football | 1887 | Beaver Stadium | 2 | 1982, 1986 |
Ice Hockey | Penn State Nittany Lions men's ice hockey | 1939 | Pegula Ice Arena | 0 | N/A |
Ice Hockey | Penn State Nittany Lions women's ice hockey | 1996 | Pegula Ice Arena | 0 | N/A |
Soccer | Penn State Nittany Lions men's soccer | 1911 | Jeffrey Field | 12 | ISFA: 1926*, 1929, 1933*, 1949*, 1954, 1955*; Claimed: 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940; Soccer Bowl: 1949 (tie), 1950 (* shared) |
Volleyball | Penn State Nittany Lions men's volleyball | 1976 | Rec Hall | 2 | 1994, 2008 |
Volleyball | Penn State Nittany Lions women's volleyball | 1976 | Rec Hall | 7 | 1999, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014 |
Wrestling | Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling | 1909 | Rec Hall | 13 | 1921, 1953, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
In addition to the above, Penn State women's and coed fencing teams have won 16 national championships, and the men's and women's gymnastics teams have won 15 national titles, including NCAA, AIAW, and AAU titles. University teams have also won national titles in men's boxing and cross country and women's bowling, field hockey, lacrosse, rifle, and soccer.
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