I've know you in various ways now for almost 20 years. I've taught some of you, advised some of you, listened to you and spent time among you. You've always impressed me. However, on Saturday, you brought me to tears.

I walked into Beaver Stadium to watch a bit of our Blue-White game and I expected to see a few Va. Tech T-shirts, but what I saw, a sea of orange and maroon, transported me to another time and place, a time when I was your age and spent many Saturday afternoons in Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Va.

I am a Hokie. I grew up in the shadow of Virginia Tech, some 10 miles away from Blacksburg, so I've always been a Hokie.

I am also a Nittany Lion, and I want all of you, the entire student body of Penn State, to know that your outpouring of support for and your solidarity with the Virginia Tech community has filled me with pride and further respect for you.

I can assure you that your gesture of kindness and goodwill is felt deep in the heart of this Hokie and all Hokies. Thank you.

You truly are Penn State.