The nation's media will focus attention in the coming weeks on the winter meeting of the National Governors' Association (NGA) -- the same group that will gather at University Park and in State College later this summer, hopefully bringing similar recognition to Penn State and the region.
NGA is scheduled to meet from Feb. 26-29 in Washington, D.C., where the nation's governors will examine ways that states "can lead and prosper in the new economy for the 21st century," according to Utah Gov. Michael O. Leavitt, NGA's chair.
This summer, NGA will hold its 92nd annual meeting on Penn State's University Park campus and in the State College community, from July 8-11. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge will be the host governor for this meeting. The summer meeting typically attracts about 1,200 to 1,600 attendees, including some 250 to 300 media members.
Founded in 1908, NGA is a bipartisan, national organization that represents the governors of the 50 states and the five U.S. territories and commonwealths -- American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Through NGA, the governors identify priority issues and deal collectively with issues of public policy and governance at both the national and state levels.
About 45 governors usually attend the annual summer meeting, as well as their families. Planning is in full swing for the summer gathering.
For more information about NGA, point your Web browser to http://www.nga.org/.