HARRISBURG (June 8) -- As the host of the 92^nd Annual Meeting of the National Governors’ Association (NGA) in State College, Centre County, next month, Gov. Tom Ridge today announced a schedule of meeting events that highlight the best of Pennsylvania’s food, art, culture, history, music, athletics and technology.

The meeting -- July 8 through July 11 in State College, Centre County, the home of the Pennsylvania State University -- is expected to draw between 1,000 and 1,200 participants, including the nation’s Governors, their families, key staff, corporate leaders, state and national policy experts, and media.

"We’re proud to host America’s leaders -— the nation’s Governors -— in Pennsylvania for their first annual meeting of the 21^st century," Gov. Ridge said. "We plan to showcase our state’s best attributes. Our prestigious visitors will discover that Pennsylvania is a great place to live, work and play."

The theme of this year’s meeting, chaired by Gov. Mike Leavitt (R-Utah), is "Strengthening the American States in the New Global Economy." Noted speakers at the meeting include Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan and nationally syndicated columnist David Broder.

During the NGA Annual Meeting, Governors’ spouses will participate in business sessions focusing on several priority issues, including early childhood education and development. They also will have an opportunity to tour a Pennsylvania family-literacy program and to read with children who are part of this project. The spouses will visit historic sites in nearby Bellefonte, and such Penn State landmarks as Old Main, as well as view the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition’s "67 Women -- 67 Counties: Facing Breast Cancer in Pennsylvania" traveling photo exhibit. The Governors' spouses are effective advocates for literacy, education and cancer awareness in their states.

Gov. Ridge said State College, in the heart of Pennsylvania, is the ideal community to spotlight the vibrancy and opportunities of the global high-tech New Economy.

"At Penn State, our guests will find a model collaboration among government, the private sector and our leading academic institutions," Gov. Ridge said. "That collaboration helps fuel the development of new products and ensures that Pennsylvania’s best and brightest young minds get the high-tech training they need to excel in the digital-jobs marketplace."

On Saturday evening, July 8, Penn State University President Graham Spanier will host the Governors at a private reception in his home.

"Penn State is honored to be a host for the upcoming NGA meeting, and I'm delighted to be able to host the Governors at Schreyer House," Dr. Spanier said.

After the reception, Downtown State College Partnership Inc. (DSCP) -- the nonprofit group representing more than 180 downtown professionals, businesses, property owners, residents, State College and Penn State University -- will sponsor "An Evening Under the Stars." Guests may sample complimentary desserts and coffees while strolling through the central business district that will feature fresh floral decorations courtesy of the 34th Annual Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. Many business owners plan in-store demonstrations and activities for the NGA attendees. The Tarnished Six, a local jazz group, will entertain the crowd.

"We’d like to give the merchants, who have worked so hard to help us put together a dynamic meeting, a chance to show their businesses’ vitality to our guests," Gov. Ridge said. "This event is a great way to engage them and the entire State College community in this important meeting."

Martha Starling, interim executive director of Downtown State College Partnership Inc., said, "The NGA meeting really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase our community. State College is one of America’s all-time great college towns.

"It’s vibrant, and it’s family friendly. That’s the Pennsylvania we want our national guests to experience when they come to State College."

The DSCP is a cooperative effort to maintain the vitality of Downtown State College.

On Sunday evening, July 9, Gov. Ridge will host the "Pennsylvania Tailgate!" -- a celebration of the state’s legacy of athletic achievement. Pennsylvania sports stars will help kick off the party. Sports stars include Nittany Lions coach Joe Paterno; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb; Eagles Hall of Fame hero Chuck Bednarik; former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive great Dwight White; and Philadelphia 76ers general manager Billy King. Throughout the athletics complex, fans of all ages can enjoy a host of interactive sports-orientedgames.

"I can’t think of a better way to show our guests true Pennsylvania hospitality than at a Penn State tailgate party! We are proud to have some of our state’s greatest athletes -— both active and retired —- join us to welcome these illustrious visitors to Pennsylvania," Gov. Ridge said.

Country music star Kenny Rogers will perform his classics in a concert to conclude the evening’s festivities.

On Monday evening, July 10, Gov. Ridge will welcome the NGA attendees to a "Taste of Pennsylvania."

"We will transform the Hetzel Union Building -— the HUB -- into a virtual digital roadmap of Pennsylvania," Gov. Ridge said. "Our guests can sample the very best of Pennsylvania cuisine, art, music, culture, history and technology as they traverse the breadth of this outstanding building -— the very heart of the Penn State campus."

Among the attractions at "A Taste of Pennsylvania" will be: culinary specialties from each region of the Commonwealth; works by local and regional artists, including the annual juried regional exhibition for two-dimensional artwork and small sculpture at the Robeson Gallery, sponsored by the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts; and musical entertainment by the Steel Pan Band from the Pittsburgh YMCA (adult and young musicians), the Bellefonte High School Dixieland Band, Les Shaw’s Swingin’ Dixie featuring some of State College’s finest musicians, and a Penn State School of Music string quartet. Interactive exhibits across the virtual indoor highway will showcase technology initiatives such as the PA PowerPort, the Pittsburgh Digital Greenhouse, Lightning Manufacturing, Link-to-Learn, Pennsylvania’s new online E-business site -— http://www.paopen4business.state.pa.us

and the Penn State School for Information Science and Technology; and examples of cutting-edge Pennsylvania-based companies representing industries such as agribusiness, pharmaceuticals, digital cabling, chromatography, HDTV (high-definition television) and plasma screen video.

Historic markers dotting the "roadway" will commemorate the Commonwealth’s key technological, cultural, artistic and historical milestones, as well as Pennsylvania trivia.

The National Governors’ Association is the only bipartisan national organization of, by and for the nations' Governors. Its members are the Governors of the 50 states, the commonwealths of the Northern Mariana Islands and Puerto Rico, and the territories of American Samoa, Guam and the Virgin Islands. The NGA was founded in 1908 after the Governors met with President Theodore Roosevelt to discuss conservation issues. The Governors decided to form an association through which they could come together to discuss their mutual concerns and act collectively. In 1967, the Governors established an Office of State-Federal Relations in Washington, D.C.

Through NGA, the Governors identify priority issues and deal collectively with issues of public policy and governance at both the national and state levels. The association's mission is to provide a forum for Governors to exchange views and experiences among themselves; assist in solving state-focused problems; share information on state innovations and practices; and offer a bipartisan forum for Governors to establish, influence and implement policy on national issues.

The Pennsylvania State University is one of the nation’s best public universities, with more than 80,000 students and 4,000 faculty. Founded in 1855, its mission is to make life better for the people of Pennsylvania, the nation and the world through integrated programs in teaching, research and public service.

Penn State's University Park campus, near the geographic center of the state, is the university's administrative and research hub. With its 24 locations across the state, Penn State has a campus within commuting distance of virtually every Pennsylvania resident. It offers more than 160 baccalaureate and 150 graduate degrees in the natural and applied sciences, social sciences, arts, humanities, and selected professions.

?The Penn State system includes the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, in Hershey, Dauphin County, which houses Penn State's College of Medicine, a medical school, teaching hospital and research center. The Dickinson School of Law, founded in 1834 in Carlisle, Cumberland County, joined ranks with Penn State in 1997. The Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport offers many skill- and technical-training programs. Penn State Great Valley, a graduate studies and continuing education center, serves the needs of Philadelphia-area businesses and employees.

Nineteen other locations offer a variety of associate and baccalaureate-degree programs. Among these, Penn State Harrisburg and Penn State Erie also offer selected graduate programs geared to the needs of regional businesses, industries and government agencies. Penn State's World Campus, a "virtual campus" with no walls, enables students across the country and the world to get a Penn State education via the Internet and other new information technologies.

?Gov. Ridge, Dr. Spanier, the Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County, Downtown State College Partnership Inc., and the Centre County Convention and Visitors Bureau lobbied the NGA to select State College as the site of the first Annual Meeting of the new millennium. The NGA Executive Committee in 1998 chose State College because of Pennsylvania’s emerging status as a technology leader, Penn State’s reputation as a top academic and research institution, the community’s state-of-the-art conference facilities and Central Pennsylvania’s natural beauty and recreational amenities.

The NGA Annual Meeting is a secure environment. There is no registration fee for media who are covering the meeting. Media will need to be registered and credentialed to cover any of the meeting events, including social events.

Media already should have received registration packets, including a request for hotel accommodations, in the mail. If your news organization did not receive one, please contact Nell McCormack Abom, Deputy Director of Communications in Gov. Ridge’s Office, at (717) 783-1116 or . The advance registration deadline is Tuesday, June 27.

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