Intercom Online......July 17, 2000

He's back for seconds

With a quick wave, the nation's 42nd president, Bill Clinton, prepares to get into his limousine -- part of a 20-car motorcade that stopped at the Creamery on the University Park campus. Clinton was at Penn State on July 10 to deliver a talk to the state's leaders as part of the National Governors' Association meeting being held there from July 8-11. This is Clinton's second visit in four years to Penn State and the Creamery, where this time he ordered a scoop of Peachy Paterno ice cream. For more coverage of NGA, click here. Photo: Alan Klein
President Bill Clinton asked the governors to help him make the most of his final six months in office. Photo: Greg Grieco	Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan, left, greets Penn State President Graham B. Spanier after speaking to the governors at their plenary session Tuesday, July 11. Photo: Greg Grieco
Local and national media turned out in force to cover the opening press conference and the major speakers for the National Governors' Association Summer Meeting, July 8-11, on the University Park campus. Photo: Greg Grieco

National meeting draws big names,
shines spotlight on the University

Four memorable days on the University Park campus ended with a flourish last week as the president of the United States again stopped by the Creamery for a little Penn State hospitality and 38 governors made their way back to their home states.

From July 8 through 11, Penn State and State College were home to the National Governors' Association Summer Meeting -- an event that brought with it big-name speakers, big-time media and a big boost in the University's recognition factor.

"This was a tremendous event for Penn State and the Centre Region," said University President Graham B. Spanier. "It really raised the University's visibility and will help us in a number of ways. It not only allowed the nation's leaders to come away with a clearer understanding of Penn State, but also of what higher education can do for the economy of every state."

Spanier also said that student recruitment would be aided by the high-profile meeting and the University's ability to host large gatherings that promote local economic development was aptly demonstrated -- which should draw even more events of this magnitude.

The governors' meeting attracted widespread national media attention not only because the states' chiefs were gathered here to discuss state issues, but also because it featured talks by U.S. President Bill Clinton, Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, and retired Gen. Colin Powell. It also included sessions with David Broder, a national political correspondent for The Washington Post and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and Rob Reiner, actor/director and co-founder of a foundation that helps children.

President Clinton's second visit to the University in four years on July 11 lasted about three hours but clearly grabbed the attention of the region and nation as reporters from The Washington Post, The New York Times and Associated Press flew in to cover his talk that focused mostly on the successes of his two terms as president. After his talk, Clinton shook hands with governors and others in the audience and lingered near head Coach Joe Paterno's seat as they discussed Nittany Lion football.

"Not many people know this, but I'm a big Penn State fan," Clinton confided to a number of people he spoke with at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel. The nation's 42nd president left the hotel in a 20-vehicle motorcade that took him directly to the Creamery on campus for a taste of its famous ice cream.

The president passed on the new flavor, Ridge's Road, that was created especially for the NGA meeting and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge and features a blend of chocolate ice cream, peanuts and caramel. Instead, Clinton ordered a scoop of Peachy Paterno and told onlookers that he'd like to take some home to Hillary. Before leaving campus, the president again shook hands with bystanders and talked about State College as a great place to visit.

"This meeting may get people to realize some of the things going on in Centre County," said Paterno. "There's a lot of potential here. This was a great thing for State College, Central Pennsylvania and Penn State ... and it's been a lot of fun."

Throughout the weekend, governors and their families were able to kick back and relax at a number of events, including a Kenny Rogers concert, a tailgate party featuring an impressive lineup of Pennsylvania athletes, an "Evening Under the Stars" in downtown State College and "A Taste of Pennsylvania," a reception at the HUB-Robeson Center that showcased Pennsylvania's food, art and technology.

"We always wanted to be a national conference destination," said Mike Conti of Penn State Hospitality Services, whose employees prepared food for 1,200 people for the tailgate party held inside the Penn State Multi-Sport Facility. "This has given Penn State's facilities the national exposure that could pay dividends in the long run."

Food preparation for the tailgate party alone involved close to 125 people from Penn State Hospitality Services, including almost 100 on-site during the event.

"Of course, you can't prepare the food in advance, so we had 25 chefs on the job at about 4 a.m.," Conti said.

Those chefs cooked up quite a spread: roughly 500 pounds of ground meat became hamburgers, which were served along with 350 pounds of hot dogs, between 75 and 100 pounds of cole slaw and potato salad, fresh roast pork, lunchmeat sandwiches, baked beans and a variety of snacks.

Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman never thought he'd ever find himself at a Penn State tailgate, but enjoyed himself nevertheless.

"This has been a great experience. I'm really impressed with the wonderful facilities Penn State has here," he said.

Siegelman also was taken in by the architecture of some of the older buildings both on campus and in downtown State College, as well as the rural surroundings and said, "Happy Valley is a beautiful place."

On the final day of the meeting, Gov. Ridge -- host of the event -- told reporters he thought it was a success, due largely in part to the hard work of the 300 to 400 volunteers from both the community and the University.

"This was the perfect venue for something like this," Ridge said. "People know a lot about urban Pennsylvania, but we're also a very rural, agricultural state. We have some tremendous universities, and a pre-eminent research university right here in this rural setting."

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