UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s Lion Caucus and Advocate Penn State will host Capital Day On Campus at University Park from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, April 12, at the Monumental Staircase in the HUB-Robeson Center to encourage students and the campus community to share their stories of the many ways Penn State impacts them and the commonwealth.
All Penn Staters are encouraged to go to advocate.psu.edu to participate in the University’s annual advocacy campaign by sending emails to their state legislators in support of fair funding for Penn State and its students.
“Days like Capital Day On Campus are vital to ensuring our students' voices are heard by those in Harrisburg,” said Mike Stefan, vice president for Government and Community Relations. “These efforts give our entire community the opportunity to show their overwhelming support for Penn State and why we deserve fair funding.”
Capital Day On Campus celebrates the day of advocacy with various giveaways throughout the event, including cookies, pizza, Berkey Creamery ice cream, Advocate Penn State swag, and additional items.
Capital Day On Campus also will include a rally at 3 p.m. with speakers from the Penn State community, including Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi, Penn State Alumni Association President Anand Ganjam, Lion Caucus President Mitch Scordo, Student Trustee Kevin Schuyler and 2024-25 UPUA President Zion Sykes.
Advocates both in-person and virtually can demonstrate support by filling out a brief form that will automatically connect them with their legislators to send a pre-written email asking them to level up Penn State’s funding.
Currently, Penn State receives between $3,000 and $3,700 less per student compared to Pennsylvania's other public universities. Nationally, Pennsylvania ranks 49th in investment in higher education on a per-student basis. The result is that, on a per-in-state-student basis, Penn State is among the lowest-funded public universities in American higher education.
Public investment is the foundation for Penn State's in-state tuition rate, which benefits more than 42,000 Pennsylvania students and families annually. Additionally, it allows for the continued investment in the high-quality academic programs that recruit and retain the best talent from Pennsylvania and beyond.
Advocate Penn State’s advocacy campaign urges members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly and Gov. Josh Shapiro to support fair funding for Penn State. State funding matters to all Penn Staters, whether you’re a current student, faculty or staff member, alumni, family member, or a Penn State fan.
Learn more about Capital Day On Campus and advocating for Penn State by following Advocate Penn State on Instagram, LinkedIn, X and Facebook.