This article appeared in the Fall 101 issue of Collegian Magazine.
Penn State’s President Rodney Erickson may have a lot on his plate at the moment, but he still has time to welcome new students to Penn State for the first time.
During move-in weekend, Erickson will be on campus at various times to meet students and their families.
He will be eating in the dining hall and talking to students at the HUB-Robeson Center, said Penn State Spokeswoman Lisa Powers .
During that weekend, Erickson has some official meetings, but he still will be meeting students and their families because he enjoys it, he said.
“It’s a special treat to meet with our new students and their families and hear where they are from, what their proposed majors are, and their plans for the future,” Erickson wrote in an email. “I hope that students and their families will understand that all of us at Penn State, including the president, are here to support them in their educational pursuits, and to welcome them into the Penn State family.”
Some students said they think that the president’s idea of greeting students is a good experience for newcomers transitioning to Penn State.
“It’s pretty cool that he is greeting the incoming freshmen. It’s nice to see that the president is willing to see the students personally and not just sending an email that goes out to everyone,” said Thomas Byrne (freshman-math education).
For Emily Shea (freshman-communications), the meet-and-greet opportunity is a good idea because it makes the moving in experience more comfortable for new students.
Erickson’s idea of eating at the dining hall with students and families sounded exciting to some students.
“It’s would be an honor and a privilege to eat with someone like him,” said Jayanth Srinivasan (freshman-division of undergraduate studies).
Faris Hasan (freshman-engineering) echoed the sentiment.
“It would be nice, because you don’t usually eat with someone like him. That’s cool,” said Hasan.
Besides meeting students and their families during move-in weekend, Erickson will be attending other events during the fall.
He will be at the new scholar orientation in the Schreyer Honors College and on Aug. 25 he will be host the New Student Convocation for all incoming first-year students.
This event will be at the Bryce Jordan Center at 7 p.m., and will introduce new students to Penn State’s academic life and community, said Powers.
“He also plans to meet student-athletes at a BBQ in late August, will be guest speaker at the Penn State Filipino Association meeting with students and will meet with student tour guides in early September,” she said.
