Penn State Intercom......April 10, 2003

Scholars to hit the road for annual tour

The itinerary is set, the buses are reserved and President Graham B. Spanier is ready to play host for the annual Road Scholars tour, set this year for May 12-14.

The Road Scholars tour has continued to grow in popularity among faculty from all University locations. This year's tour will take faculty through the southeastern part of Pennsylvania.

President Graham B. Spanier organized the first tour in 1996, as a way to help faculty connect with each other across disciplines and across campuses, as well as to learn about how Penn State works with business and industry throughout the state. Past tour participants have formed collaborative partnerships, and there has been at least one marriage as a direct result of the trip.

The three-day tour has will give participants a glimpse of the variety of attractions, businesses and communities found in Pennsylvania, as well as a look at how the University contributes to this statewide community through its mission of teaching, research and outreach.

The tour begins at 9 a.m. Monday, May 12, as participants gather at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel on the University Park campus for breakfast, registration and orientation. Participants will board buses at 10 a.m. and head to the Capitol for a tour and lunch. From there, stops include a tour of Hershey Foods Corp. and dinner at Hershey Medical Center. The day ends at Penn State Harrisburg.

Tuesday's leg of the trip will stop at Gettysburg, the Lancaster Farm and Home Center and Penn State Berks, while traveling through Amish country.

On Wednesday, the group will tour Lockheed Martin Corp., have lunch at the Reading Terminal Market in downtown Philadelphia, tour Independence National Historic Park, stop at Penn State Abington for a tour and dinner, and then return to University Park.

There is no cost to faculty participating in the tour; transportation, meals and lodging are provided by the Office of the President.

For more information or to register for the tour, call (800) 778-8632. Registration deadline is April 18.

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