Where do we go from here? Ask President Erickson. This Wednesday at 6 p.m., Professors Sam Richards and Laurie Mulvey will moderate a roundtable discussion between President Rodney Erickson and seven other senior administrators in Heritage Hall, before an audience of exclusively students.

The roundtable conference is being organized by student leaders from the CCSG, GSA, and UPUA, and the questions posed to our University leaders will focus on the future of Penn State, leadership in the future, and President Erickson’s Five Promises to the Penn State Community.

The other administrators in the roundtable are:

• Acting Executive Vice President & Provost Robert Pangborn
• Vice President for Student Affairs Damon Sims
• Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses Madelyn Hanes
• Vice President for Research & Dean of the Graduate School Henry Foley
• Vice President for Outreach Craig Weidmann
• Vice President for Development & Alumni Relations Rod Kirsch
• Vice Provost for Educational Equity Terrell Jones

The roundtable will take place on Wednesday, November 30, at 6 p.m., in Heritage Hall. Tickets are available beginning today at 11 a.m. in the HUB. Only active students are permitted to be in the audience, so you must bring your student ID to get a ticket. There will also be overflow seating available in Alumni Hall, and the discussion will also be broadcast live on UStream and the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN), and remote viewing locations will be set up at Commonwealth campuses.

This roundtable with the President marks a distinct difference from the administration’s behavior while the news of the Sandusky scandal was left to foment around campus, with not so much as a whisper of guidance to be found. Erickson promised transparency to us, and now, the students will receive the first installment of it.

Full Text of Email

The past few weeks have been difficult for everyone in the Penn State community. We feel great pain for the victims, and mixed emotions about the multitude of other issues that have impacted our University in ways unimaginable just months ago.

We all have questions about President Erickson’s Five Promises and what the coming months will be like for this great University. President Erickson is committed to making this healing process a community effort. As the University moves forward, there is a critical need for the student body and administration to have a dialogue about our plan for the future.

It is with this in mind that President Erickson and we, the student presidents of The Council of Commonwealth Student Governments (CCSG), The Graduate Student Association (GSA), and The University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA), are pleased to announce the first-ever Penn State Student Town Hall Forum.

On Wednesday, November 30, at 6:00 p.m., President Erickson and seven of Penn State’s highest-ranking administrators will join moderators Sam Richards and Laurie Mulvey in a discussion with an exclusively-student audience. During the two-hour conversation, students from both the in-person audience at Heritage Hall and remote viewing locations across the Commonwealth will be able to ask questions directly to University decision-makers and maintain President Erickson’s promise of a transparent Penn State.

Tickets will be available at the HUB Information Desk starting Monday at 11:00 a.m. Please bring your Penn State id+ Card, as status as an active student will be required for ticket-holders. There will also be overflow seating available in Alumni Hall.

Students at Commonwealth Campuses should watch their email inbox for information about on-campus viewing parties, from which students will be able to submit questions remotely through their Student Government President.

The Student Town Hall Forum will also be viewable live through UStream and on the Pennsylvania Cable Network.

We sincerely hope that you all will participate in this event. Remember, even though times are hard, #WEstillARE.

Sincerely,

Peter Khoury, President, Council of Commonwealth Student Governments
Jon Lozano, President, Graduate Student Association
TJ Bard, President, University Park Undergraduate Association

Moderators
Sam Richards and Laurie Mulvey of the World in Conversation Project

Administrative Representatives
President Rodney Erickson
Acting Executive Vice President & Provost Robert Pangborn
Vice President for Student Affairs Damon Sims
Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses Madlyn Hanes
Vice President for Research & Dean of the Graduate School Henry Foley
Vice President for Outreach Craig Weidemann
Vice President for Development & Alumni Relations Rod Kirsch