Because I am a firm believer that students really do want to learn, I am inviting the confident Ben Stevenson and the convinced John Meredith to visit us at Allentown so they can view first-hand what they already appear to have determined from their experience as members respectively of a Commonwealth Educational System student governing body and the CES Future Committee.

They can come unannounced if they wish to follow the lead of courageous truth-seekers of the past or we will happily set up meetings with whatever groups they wish to meet, or they can visit and just informally gather evidence to support their objective decision-making.

Perhaps they will learn that what they think they know is based on some statistics some believe critical while ignoring or flat out denying the obvious. Allentown Campus is not just efficiently operated with only 500 students and two buildings, but parents happily send and the vast majority of students who enroll, happily select Allentown for the services, activities and yes, academics that are provided at the campus.

Do you seek more? And at the same time, we admit students to Allentown that leave University Park or another campus after only a few days of a semester. That is the way it is. In a Univrsity as diverse as Penn State, it is disheartening to hear bright young people mouth the stereotypes and biases.

We have families who have sent four and five of their children directly to us without hesitancy -- bright students, eager learners, young people who could wait for the rest of the University to unfold for them at University Park, while they developed their best college habits, participated in student government and life in an environment immediately open, nurturing and supportive.

But while some on campus gripe what we offer more than satisfies the vast majority of students who choose to come here. How do I know that? Because we do student assessment surveys, and they clearly document that our students are overwhelmingly supportive of what happens at Allentown.

Are we perfect? No, but we don't deny our problems -- we keep working at them -- efficiently, caringly and creatively. And, yes, some do come here with hopes of "building" a different campus. Some of them probably leave us disappointed, but happily continue at University Park or at another campus.

By the way, at Allentown a dozen of our students compete successfully against national collegiate powers in cycling powers and local colleges in ice hockey. Our bowling club remains quite active and competitive in regional play; and we have a large skiing program with over 20 percent of our students involved annually.

Do we rely on Penn State's reputation for our quality? You bet. We are Penn State. Our faculty are excellent teachers and productive researchers, available in and out of class. Students appreciate the extra mile we walk with them.

Our students range from a select group of honors students and students who are seeking to make amends for not doing their best in high school or who are coming to college later (and fearful) after years of doing different things.

The services to which we limit ourselves are the services our students need to progress to University Park, Harrisburg or Penn State Erie.

Please, look us over in person. Be scientific. You've studied (some of) the data. Be curious. Now visit the actual site and see for yourself. Don't believe everything you read or hear. Observe. Ask questions.

If you are openly advocating the closing of a campus -- any campus, know exactly what it is you are urging and why. Conviction, without first-hand knowledge, is not conviction, but acceptance of other's knowledge of others.

We welcome you to visit. The suggestion of a campus not being viable below a certain number was dismissed by the CES strategic planning group. No surprise. We already know 500 works just fine, thank you. But I'm biased. I work here.