Fans have a new landmark to behold as they enter Beaver Stadium. The We Are sculpture that stands on Curtin Rd. is the latest addition to the game day environment. To celebrate the monument, the university will hold a dedication ceremony today at 2:30 p.m.

Visitors at the ceremony will hear from Jonathan Cramer, a 1983 graduate and the statue’s sculptor. Cramer’s vision was to design a statue “that meets the exuberance, energy and pride of the school, its alumni and its location…The reflective nature of the steel creates a dialogue between the viewer, the surroundings and fellow peers, which further solidifies the ‘We Are’ slogan.” The We Are statue is twelve feet tall and weighs four tons. Cramer made the statue from steel donated by the Pittsburgh-based Allegheny Technologies. The Brooklyn artist won the commission to create the statue after a national competition.

President Eric Barron will also address the ceremony, as well as Morgan Delaware, the 2013 class gift chair. The event will be held rain or shine.

The Class of 2013 voted for the We Are statue as its Class Gift, and the 2013 Class Gift Campaign raised more than $200,000. Then-President Rodney Erickson hailed the student’s choice. “A ‘We Are’ sculpture enhanced with the words of the Penn State Alma Mater combines two of Penn State’s most cherished expressions of who we are…It will certainly become a ‘must see’ landmark on campus.”

The 2013 Class Gift Committee intended for an inscription of the “Alma Mater” in Fred Lewis Pattee’s handwriting to appear on the statue. Geoff Hallett, Assistant Director of the Office of Annual Giving, informed Onward State inscribing the “Alma Mater” onto the sign would have been cost-prohibitive and “would have impacted the artistic message that Jonathan was trying to accomplish with the piece.” After consultation with the committee, the Alma Mater now appears on a sign next to the statue.  The university installed the sculpture in July.