When I first visited Penn State, it’s what I noticed the most.

The spring bustle feels like this: thousands of people walking in between classes, most with sweatpants on, most with iPods, some protesting, others smiling. Students weave in and out of tours like the tangy smells of Chinese from Panda Express weave with the sweetness of blossoms near the HUB. The athletes you saw on last night’s game usually tower over the rest of us, easily identifiable by the finely stiched Penn State logo blazed onto the shoulders of their jackets. Conversations from the classroom spill out onto Pollock Road, where students and professors discuss the last question raised.

According to Penn State Live, the Nittany Lion Inn has recently commissioned artist Karl Leitzel to capture that very energy:

Entitled “Change of Classes,” the 3-foot by 4-foot piece will capture the essence of Penn State in the spring during class change in one of the most noted and busiest parts of campus…

“We wanted something unique to Penn State,” Jim Purdum, general manager of Hospitality Services for Penn State, said. “The piece needed to be timeless so that any person who has walked through campus — student or visitor — can relate to the painting. It’s going to anchor that lobby.”

There’s this energy that cannot be matched when people change classes. Because even if you’re dragging your sleep-deprived body to class, you can feel that big things are always happening at this university.

[Photo courtesy of Penn State Live]