College celebrating its 15th birthday during annual Founders Day event
9/4/2012
The Schreyer Honors College will mark its 15th year during its annual Founders Day event on Wednesday. The event, which will be held from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. in Heritage Hall in the Hetzel Union Building, will feature birthday cake, ice cream, and remarks from former directors of the University Scholars Program. The University Scholars Program, which was established in 1979, was the precursor to the Honors College.
Special guests at this year’s event include Dr. Paul Axt, the founding director of the University Scholars Program, and Dr. Gerard Hauser, the program’s director from 1987 through 1993. When the Schreyer Honors College was founded, several of the hallmarks of the University Scholars Program, including honors courses, an emphasis on scholarship and research, and a thesis requirement, became part of the college’s distinguishing features.
Three current Schreyer Scholars will also be speaking about how their experiences at Penn State are fulfilling the Honors College's mission relating to academic excellence, global engagement, and civic leadership development.
"The Honors College is just an awesome place to be," said Toni Mastropieri, a sophomore Schreyer Scholar who is helping to plan this year’s event. "I love the classes and all the people who work here. At this event, we're going to acknowledge our history, celebrate what we have here today, and look ahead to our future. For those of us here as Schreyer Scholars, it's all about learning and growing and going out into the world and making it a better place."
The Honors College was established in 1997 when William A. and Joan Schreyer made a $30 million gift to Penn State to create the college. At the time, the gift was the largest ever received in the University's history. In 2006, the Schreyers made a second gift of $25 million to support the college's endeavors.
Wednesday's event is open to all members of the Penn State community.