GREENER IS BETTER AT THE CENTRE COUNTY VISITOR CENTER
The $3.5 million, 15,000-square-foot building, located at Park Avenue and Porter Road near Beaver Stadium, is a joint venture of the Centre County Convention and Visitors Bureau and Penn State. "We tried to apply the principles of green architecture, or architecture that is sensitive to the area, to the building," Richard Riccardo, project manager in the Office of Physical Plant, said. "We tried to use only materials indigenous to the region. Green Architecture suggests that you don’t do anything that the site wouldn’t allow you to do." The building, which was officially dedicated last month, was designed by Susan Maxman architects, of Philadelphia, known for sustainable architecture and recognized by the state’s Growing Greener program, and Andropogon Associates of Philadelphia, a nationally renowned landscape architecture firm. "The team focused on an eco-friendly design of the Visitor Center," Eliza Pennypacker, director of campus planning and design in the Office of Physical Plant, said, "It seemed to be an ideal project to celebrate the region’s indigenous features, whether it’s building or plant materials. It provides visitors an opportunity to see the best that the region has to offer. For more on this story by Bill Campbell, go to http://www.psu.edu/ur/2000/epennypacker.html
WEB-BASED RESEARCH TOPIC OF UPCOMING CONSORTIUM
The Institute for the Study of Business Markets in Penn State's Smeal College of Business Administration is holding its Market Research Consortium in Philadelphia, PA.
The theme of the consortium is 'Web-Based Primary Research' and the event takes place October 30 at the Philadelphia Airport Marriott. Speakers are scheduled from IBM Corporation, Penn State's Smeal College of Business Administration, and Burke Marketing Research, one of the nation's 20 largest marketing research firms.
The Institute for the Study of Business Markets (ISBM) is a center of excellence in the Smeal College of Business Administration at Penn State. It is networked with researchers, educators and practitioners in business-to-business marketing in companies and universities throughout the world. The ISBM was founded in 1983, and is supported by over 60 member corporations. For more information on the upcoming consortium or to register, contact the ISMB at 814-863-2782 or go online to http://www.smeal.psu.edu/isbm/web/index.html
WATERBURY FORUM DISCUSSES "CORPORATE" UNIVERSITIES
The Waterbury Forum for Education and Cultural Studies will present "The Knowledge Factory: Beyond the Politics of the Corporate University" by Stanley Aronowitz on Wednesday, November 1 at 7 p.m. in 101 Chambers Building. Aranowitz, distinguished professor of sociology at the Graduate Center, City University of New York, will present the forum. He is the author of more than 18 books, including: False Promises: The Shaping of the American Working Class Consciousness; Post-Work: The Wages of Cybernation; From the Ashes of the Old: American Labor and America's Future; The Knowledge Factory: the Corporate University and Creating True Higher Learning. The Forum is sponsored by the College of Education in conjunction with the Cultural Politics and Policy Group.
COUNT BIRDS AT SHAVER’S CREEK FOR NATIONAL PROJECT
Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center invites birdwatchers old and new to participate in Cornell University’s Project FeederWatch–a national bird-counting event. Shaver’s Creek will host the Project FeederWatch Training program on Sunday, November 12, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. During the training, participants learn how to count the birds and record the data. As an official project participant, each winter and spring Shaver’s Creek sends counts of local bird populations to Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology to be compiled with data from across the nation and the Canadian provinces. Upon completion of the training program, volunteers are asked to participate in the counting by observing the Shaver’s Creek feeders (from the comfort of the center’s feeder-watching room). Interested educators can also implement the program in their classroom and school. This program is open to all ages. There is no fee. More information about the program can be found at the Cornell University Web site: http://www.birds.cornell.edu Visit the Shaver’s Creek Web site at: http://www.outreach.psu.edu/ShaversCreek/
BACKCOUNTRY TRAVEL, LITERATURE COURSE OFFERED IN JUNE
Penn State students who enjoy backpacking, camping and American literature can register for English 297 -- the Wilderness Literature Field Institute , June 6—21. It will be led by Bob Burkholder, associate professor of English and an experienced backcountry traveler. The institute will combine backpacking in the Dolly Sods Wilderness area in the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia and class sessions where students will explore texts about how American culture has been affected by nature. For more information go to http://www.outreach.psu.edu/C&I/WildernessLit.
CENTER FOR WATERSHED STEWARDSHIP OFFERS TWO LECTURES
The Center for Watershed Stewardship , a joint program of Penn State's School of Forest Resources and the Department of Landscape Architecture, is offering two public lectures next week.
-- Ann Vileisis, author of the award-winning book on wetlands, Discovering the Unknown Landscape, will speak on Sunday, Oct. 29, at 7:30 p.m. in room 101 of the Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building. She will present a look at how Americans have thought about, and used, wetlands from colonial times through the present day and discuss factors that influence land use.
-- Tim Palmer, author of The Heart of America and other books, will speak Monday, Oct. 30, at 7:30 p.m. in the Palmer Lipcon Auditorium in the Palmer Museum of Art. He will explore and assess the landscapes of the United States, and discuss the geography and ecological value of each landscape, including historical patterns, threats what is being done to protect the lands for future generations. For more information on the center, go to http://www.larch.psu.edu/watershed/home.html
A QUESTION FOR DR. SPANIER:
-- BRIAN HEALY ON FACULTY POLITICS
Editor's Note: Each Beaver Stadium Pictorial this season contains a column in which distinguished individuals pose questions about Penn State to President Graham Spanier. Today’s question is from Brian Healy, the Washington producer for the CBS News program SUNDAY MORNING, covering politics, religion and the arts. He has been at CBS since 1972. Healy is a 1967 journalism/communications graduate of Penn State.
Brian Healy: Does a university President have any responsibility in balancing political ideology among its faculty? Do Penn State faculty represent a cross section of conservatives, moderates, and liberals? Or do you not care?
Graham Spanier: Any time you bring together thousands of well educated individuals who oftentimes spend a lifetime passionately pursuing knowledge you will get an interesting mix of views. Judging by the e-mail I receive and conversation at faculty senate meetings, I think we have some faculty who would tell you they believe Penn State is a hotbed of liberal thinking while others will tell you that the institution is a bastion of conservatism.
Of course, they all work for the same university, but their own frame of reference leads them to view the institution they work for quite differently.
Those differences, however, are something that we value. We do not seek faculty, staff or students who all view the world through the same lense. Being exposed to faculty with at times wildly different perspectives is part of a university education.