Time teaches us appreciation of the past. This book examines Penn State's past and compares it with the present. Pat Little takes us on a fascinating journey through the perspective of old and new photographs. Sprinkled throughout are gems of historical information that guide the reader through history and inform us of little-known facts. This is a historical treasure all Penn Staters will enjoy.

Chartered in 1855 as an agricultural college, Penn State was designated Pennsylvania's land-grant school soon after the passage of the Morrill Act in 1862. Through this federal legislation, the institution assumed a legal obligation to offer studies not only in agriculture but also in engineering and other utilitarian fields as well as liberal arts. By giving it land-grant status, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania made the privately chartered Penn State a public instrumentality and assumed a responsibility to assist it in carrying out its work. However, the notion that higher education should have practical value was a novel one in the mid-nineteenth century, and Penn State experienced several decades of drift and uncertainty before winning the confidence of Pennsylvania's citizens and their political leaders. The story of Penn State in the twentieth century is one of continuous expansion in its three-fold mission: instruction, research, and extension. Engineering, agriculture, mineral industries, and science were early strengths; during the Great Depression, liberal arts matured. Further curricular diversification occurred after the Second World War, and a medical school and teaching hospital were added in the 1960s. Penn State was among the earliest land-grant schools to inaugurate extension programs in agriculture, engineering, and home economics. Indeed, the success of extension education indirectly led to the founding of the first branch campuses in the 1930s, from which evolved the extensive Commonwealth Campus system. The history of Penn State encompasses more than academics. It is the personal story of such able leaders as presidents Evan Pugh, George Atherton, and Milton Eisenhower, who saw not the institution that was but the one that could be. It is the story of the confusing and often frustrating relationship between the University and the state government. As much as anything else, it is the story of students, with ample attention given to the social as well as scholastic side of student life. All of this is placed in the context of the history of land-grant education and Pennsylvania's overall educational development. This is an objective, analytical, and at times critical account of Penn State from the earliest days to the 1980s. With hundreds of illustrations and interesting vignettes, this book is a visually exciting and human-oriented history of a major state university.

Football is an unmistakable part of the culture of Penn State, though the experience of a Nittany Lions home game—from the crowds and tailgates to the spectacle of the game itself—has changed significantly over the years. This richly illustrated and researched book tells the story of the structure that has evolved along with the university’s celebrated football program: the iconic Beaver Stadium. Historian Lee Stout and engineering professor Harry H. West show how Beaver Stadium came to be, including a look at its predecessors, “Old” Beaver Field, built in 1893 on a site centrally located northeast of Old Main, and “New” Beaver Field, built on the northwest corner of campus in 1909. Stout and West explore the engineering and construction challenges of the stadium and athletic fields and reveal the importance of these facilities to the history of Penn State and its cherished traditions. Packed with archival photos and fascinating stories, Lair of the Lion is a celebration of the ways in which Penn State fans, students, and athletes have experienced home games from the 1880s to the present day, and of the monumental structure that the Lions now call home.

Perfect for Penn State fans who think they already know everything With traditions, records, and Nittany Lions lore, this lively, detailed book explores the personalities, events, and facts every Penn State fan should know. It contains crucial information such as important dates, player nicknames, memorable moments, and outstanding achievements by singular players. From trivia on legendary players—such as John Cappelletti, Kerry Collins, Larry Johnson, LaVar Arrington, and Paul Posluszny—to knowing the best places to catch a game, 100 Things Penn State Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die is the ultimate resource guide for true fans of the Nittany Lions.

From New York Times bestselling author and Michigan football expert John Back, an analysis of the state of college football: Why we love the game, what is at risk, and the fight to save it. In search of the sport’s old ideals amid the roaring flood of hypocrisy and greed, bestselling author John U. Bacon embedded himself in four college football programs—Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, and Northwestern—and captured the oldest, biggest, most storied league, the Big Ten, at its tipping point. He sat in as coaches dissected game film, he ate dinner at training tables, and he listened in locker rooms. He talked with tailgating fans and college presidents, and he spent months in the company of the gifted young athletes who play the game. Fourth and Long reveals intimate scenes behind closed doors, from a team’s angry face-off with their athletic director to a defensive lineman acing his master’s exams in theoretical math. It captures the private moment when coach Urban Meyer earned the devotion of Ohio State’s Buckeyes on their way to a perfect season. It shows Michigan’s athletic department endangering the very traditions that distinguish the college game from all others. And it re-creates the euphoria of the Northwestern Wildcats winning their first bowl game in decades. Most unforgettably, Fourth and Long finds what the national media missed in the ugly aftermath of Penn State’s tragic scandal: the unheralded story of players who joined forces with Coach Bill O’Brien to save the university’s treasured program—and with it, a piece of the game’s soul. This is the work of a writer in love with an old game—a game he sees at the precipice. Bacon’s deep knowledge of sports history and his sensitivity to the tribal subcultures of the college game power this elegy to a beloved and endangered American institution.

Although Dr. Erwin Runkle wrote this history of Penn State during the 1930s, only now is it widely available through The Nittany Valley Society's first-time publication. His meticulous reconstruction of the University's birth and growth-from the revolution in American education that sparked its founding to its establishment as Pennsylvania's land-grant college-brings the Penn State story to life with a rare blending of keen attention to detail and uncommon warmth. Runkle's opinionated, but affectionate narration offers a revealing vision of the Nittany Valley's rich past. Virtually every page holds a new treasure for any heart that truly loves the name of Dear Old State. Captured directly from Runkle's type-written manuscript and presented for a contemporary audience with an original introduction by former University trustee and renowned collector of Penn State historical artifacts George Henning, this book will make a rare and special addition to the library of any Penn Stater.

"A bibliography of poetry composed in what is now the United States of America and printed in the form of books or pamphlets before 1821"--Provided by publisher.