Pennsylvania State University

Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) was founded in 1855 as the Farmers’ High School of Pennsylvania.

In 1862, the school’s name was changed to the Agricultural College of Pennsylvania. In 1874 it was changed once again, this time to Pennsylvania State College, at which time a classical liberal arts curriculum was married to the agricultural training program.

In 1953, under the presidency of Milton S. Eisenhower—the brother of former US Army Supreme Commander and then–US President, Dwight D. Eisenhower—the college was upgraded to Pennsylvania State University.

With 23 campuses statewide in addition to the flagship University Park campus, Penn State is the first-tier public university system in Pennsylvania (the University of Pennsylvania being a private institution). With a total student population of more than 96,000, it is one of the largest universities in the US.

Prominent Penn State connected individuals include the following:

• Poet, Theodore Roethke
• Novelists, John Barth, Joseph Heller, Alan Furst & Richard Russo
• Screenwriter, Steven E. de Souza
• Computer scientists, Jef Raskin & John M. Carroll
• Physicists, David Bohm, Roger Penrose & Lee Smolin
• Nobel laureate in chemistry, Paul Berg
• Climate scientist, Michael E. Mann
• Plant geneticist, Nina Fedoroff
• Population geneticist, Masatoshi Nei
• Anthropologist, Nina Jablonski
• Radical social critic and Catholic priest, Ivan Illich
• Online education pioneer, Michael G. Moore
• Former US Senators Richard Schweiker, Rick Santorum & Kelly Ayotte
• Prime Minister of Bhutan, Jigme Thinley

Pennsylvania State University's most influential alumni faculty include professors and professionals in the fields of Education, Mathematics, and Earth Sciences. Pennsylvania State University’s most academically influential people include Paul Berg, Valerie Plame, and Steven Levy.