The Pennsylvania State University (commonly known as Penn State) is a state-related land-grant university with a flagship campus located in University Park, Pennsylvania, and 22 additional campuses located throughout Pennsylvania in addition to a virtual World Campus. The enrollment at Penn State is over 84,000 students, placing it among the ten largest public universities in the United States. Penn State offers over 160 majors and boasts a $1.2 billion (USD) endowment. The University was ranked 11th in a 2003 Gallup poll of best colleges or universities.^*

The University's fight song is "Fight On State" and other notable songs performed at public celebrations include the Alma Mater and "Nittany Lion".^* The marketing slogan is "Penn State, making life better" and the student chant is "We are...Penn State!"

History

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Penn State 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 became the home of the new school when James Irvin of Bellefonte donated 200 acres (809,000 m²) of land—the first of 10,101 acres the University 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 Act, Pennsylvania selected the school in 1863 to be the state's sole land grant college. In the following years, enrollment fell as the school tried to balance purely agricultural studies with a more classic education, falling to 64 undergraduates in 1875, a year after the school's name changed once again to The Pennsylvania State College.

George W. Atherton became president of the school in 1882, and began working to broaden the school's curriculum. Shortly after he introduced engineering studies, Penn State became one of the ten largest engineering schools in the nation. Atherton also expanded the liberal arts and agriculture programs, and as a result, was rewarded with regular appropriations from the state beginning in 1887. For this, Atherton is widely credited with saving Penn State from bankruptcy, and is still honored today by the name of a major road in State College. The namesake of Atherton Hall, a well furnished dormitory, is not named after George Atherton but his wife, Frances Atherton. George Atherton's grave rests in front of Schwab Auditorium near Old Main and is marked by an engraved marble block resting in front of his statue.

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