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I remember when I first learned about the Paterno Fellows program. A single page of information tucked into the rest of my Penn State Accepted Student packet that arrived in my P.O. box in May three years ago. In small font on the glossy page was a short description of the requirements of the program, and a student's endorsement. It was a good introduction, but it wasn't enough.

So if that letter didn't paint a picture of the full scope of the Paterno Fellows experience, what would? Well, allow me to paint a few pictures for you.

Paterno Fellows is where you go. Being a Paterno Fellow gave me the financial assistance I needed to study abroad in Kenya and Tanzania. Imagine a soft, watercolor sunset spreading above the windswept grasses of the Serengeti. In the dark silhouette of an acacia tree, a leopard leaps along the trunk and settles to rest on a branch. You can just make out the twitches of her tail as she watches you, watching her. As your camera clicks away, you think, "Well, she's not the Nittany Lion, but she's pretty darn amazing too!"

Paterno Fellows is what you see. As a Paterno Fellow, I've been able to watch theater performances, visit exhibits and hear lectures I otherwise wouldn't be able to attend. Now, imagine you're back from Africa and sitting in a plush seat in the Schwab Auditorium. On stage, four actors from a British theatre company act out The Merchant of Venice. Though you've read Othello, Hamlet, and Romeo and Juliet, you've never had time to explore this gem of Shakespeare's creativity. The play is a new and exciting adventure as the plot unfolds and the twentieth century performance hall rings with renaissance English.

Paterno Fellows is how you feel. As a Paterno Fellow, you hold yourself to high standards in regards to your moral choices, your academic efforts, and your participation in school events. Each of your actions and choices reflects your commitment to better your school as an intellectual institution and yourself as an intellectual individual. You will take challenging honors courses, attend classes on ethics, and strive towards excellence in leadership and communication. Picture yourself at graduation, your head bowed as you receive your golden Schreyer Honor's College medal. In that moment, the words of the alma mater settle on your heart as realize your experiences with Paterno Fellows have shaped and molded you in these four years. You see now how much your love and loyalty to Penn State has challenged you to be the best student you can be, and now how all that effort has set a bright and hopeful future before you.

Being a Paterno Fellow is more than a checklist of requirements, a set of goals, or an itinerary of events. Truth be told, a single page is never enough to contain the full spectrum of experience you will have as a Paterno Fellow and Schreyer Honors Scholar. But the good news is four years can be just enough!

For those of you who don't know me, which is probably a good deal of you, my name is Sean Dooling. I am a freshman Paterno Fellow and Schreyers Honors Scholar majoring in Biological Anthropology and French. I come from Bensalem a suburb of Philadelphia, PA. However, Dear Old State is quickly becoming home for me. But more about me later...

For now I wanted to give a shout out of congratulations to the Paterno Fellows who were recently recognized Monday, January 9, 2012!

I thought this recognition ceremony was a great way to kick off the new semester and to reward students for all the hard work they have put in so far. Plus, it was also really special to have all of the Paterno Fellows and Aspirants together for the night since we rarely ever gather like that. The event definitely had a strong community feel - especially with members of the Paterno Family in attendance, as well as alumni such as Rick Barry returning to give some words of wisdom. It wouldn't be possible to have this program without the generous contributions of our PFP supporters.

Danielle Mackintosh '13, our student speaker, also gave a great speech, recounting some of her experiences such as honors mythology courses and studying abroad in the Netherlands. She really made me excited for all the connections and opportunities I hopefully will have in the future as a Paterno Fellow.

Last but not least, we also got awesome sweatshirts! I wear my hoodie all the time when I do homework. While simple in design, they are incredibly warm and comfortable - perfect as the snow and temperature begins to fall on campus.

Hope everyone is having a fantastic beginning to the second semester!

Sean

Hello Fellows! Recently the Advisory Board met to discuss some of the upcoming events and future plans for the program. To begin, we discussed the recognition event that took place on January 10th and its pros and cons. Overall we were very pleased with the event and are hoping that you all enjoyed it as much as we did. Next, we discussed the upcoming Paterno Fellows Program event: play The Beaux Strategem on February 25th. I know this event is scheduled for a Friday, but you get a dinner and a show for just $5. Tickets are on sale now in 119 Sparks if you are interested (and you can bring a guest). Finally in old/rapidly approaching business, Dr. Selzer was approached about the permissibility of substituting two minors for the 24-credit minor or second major that is required for graduation with the Paterno Fellows Program. He has deemed it acceptable to do this, but only with his explicit permission based on the student's unique academic goals. This would require you to meet with him in order to discuss and explain your reasoning behind the request. If you have any questions about this, please contact Dr. Selzer via email.

In addition to those things in the immediate past or future, the Advisory Board also looked at some long-term goals for the program. A few of us have decided to take on some side projects that we feel would be interesting for Fellows and Aspirants to participate in. Caitlin is currently planning a Sustainability Fair for students which will feature different eco-friendly organizations. Danielle is looking into maybe having a THON team for the program. Olivia is trying to figure out what it would take to have a presence at Homecoming next fall. Finally, I am proposing a mentoring program where Fellows and Aspirants would be matched based on academic interests and majors. Fellows would be able to give advice about different professors and classes in addition to anything else that an Aspirant might have questions about, including fulfilling program requirements. As you may be able to tell, all of these events will begin or take place in the fall, but we are currently in the planning stages, so this is why we are asking for your help. In the coming weeks, you will be receiving messages asking you to work with each of the people named above in order to make these projects come together smoothly. We would greatly appreciate any assistance that you can provide with these projects. Like I said, most of these projects are in the early planning stages, so we are basically working from scratch. So remember, play on February 25th, watch your inboxes for solicitation about helping with these projects, and pass your first exams. Hopefully your semesters are going well and let's keep up the great work.

Hello Fellows and Aspirants! Hopefully you all had a great break and are beginning some amazing semesters. I would first like to thank all of the Fellows and Aspirants who were in attendance during the recognition event last Monday on the behalf of the entire Advisory Board. I thought that the turnout was very impressive and that the overall proceedings went quite smoothly and hopefully you all felt the same way. In case you missed it (for classes or otherwise), I will give you a quick recap of what happened.

Throughout the event, our musical guest, "Irreconcilable Differences," which consists of six members of the Penn State history faculty, played a variety of songs including the Alma Mater. Following their initial performance, Associate Dean Long welcomed everyone to the event and explained what it signified--a transition into a program founded upon honor and integrity. Next, Dean Welch presented Joe Paterno with the Sparks Centennial Medal which he was unable to receive at the fall of 2009 College of the Liberal Arts Centennial Reception because of his coaching duties. Ginnelle Sroka, a Fellow and Advisory Board member, gave a wonderful speech about the opportunities that the program has allowed her to take advantage of. The Paternos were then presented with their own sweatshirts, which matched the ones that all entering Fellows received. Next, Associate Dean Upneja of the Schreyer Honors College spoke about the admittance of the Fellows into the Honors College and what really makes an honors student. Finally, after a short closing from Dean Long, all in attendance enjoyed refreshments and some one-on-one time with the Paternos.

I feel as though this event exemplified some of the best qualities of the College of the Liberal Arts and the amazing endeavors of its students. It was definitely a night worth attending. Hopefully such attendance and enthusiasm will be present at the various events that the Advisory Board is planning for this semester. More details about these will be available to you in the coming weeks but I am surely excited for them. Hopefully I will see you there.

In the meantime, take a look at some photos from the Paterno Fellows Program Recognition Ceremony.

Hello Paterno Fellows and Aspirants! As you may have read already, this January will mark the First Annual Paterno Fellows Program Night of Recognition. This has been the focus of the Advisory Board's efforts for the past few months and it is finally coming together. This short event will include what I like to call the Penn State student triple threat: free Paternos, free stuff, and free food. Seriously, what else do you need? As of right now (and it looks pretty concrete), both Joe and Sue Paterno are expected to be there and we will be recognizing JoePa with his College of the Liberal Arts Centennial Medal which he unfortunately did not receive last year because of his coaching duties. Also in attendance will be College of the Liberal Arts Deans Welch and Long, Schreyer Honors College Dean Brady, and President Spanier, as well as other Paterno family members. With this star-studded cast, every Paterno Fellow and Aspirant should be excited to attend on January 10th in Heritage Hall. Is there any better way to make all of your non-PFP friends insanely jealous?

Also included in your visit to this amazing night will be a sweatshirt to commemorate this ceremonious transition into the program. And what's better, it is completely free of charge! However, this cannot be given to you without a little help from every Fellow. In the next few days, Fellows will be receiving an email which will ask you for the size of the sweatshirt that you would like to receive in January. I cannot stress enough how important it is that you respond to this as soon as possible when you actually receive it. Without this information we will have no idea what to order and therefore, we will not be able to order one for your individual preferences. So again, please respond to the sweatshirt size message in a timely fashion. Finally, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact any of the Advisory Board members and be sure to read Dr. Selzer's original post. Oh, and be sure to tell your friends about this if they are unaware of it (and while you're at it, have them bookmark this page for future readership). Have a great end to all of your semesters and good luck on any finals that you have! See you all on January 10th in Heritage Hall.

We're almost there, Fellows. The end of the semester is almost here and hopefully everything is going well for you. I am writing to you in order to bring you up to speed on what is happening with the Advisory Board and how what we're doing will affect in the near future. This week at our meeting, the Advisory Board discussed our progress on the recognition event that will be occurring in January. We are currently in the process of getting our wearable item created for the event and putting together a program. When we get all of the kinks worked out, we will be creating an order form of sorts that you will be receiving via email within the next month. It will be very important that you complete and return the form as soon as possible because this will tell us how many people plan to attend the event and who will be recognized. Again, this will be pivotal in our planning, so I cannot stress enough how important it is that you actually respond when you receive this email.

In addition to the January, we are currently planning a forum for April in conjunction with the LAUC and the Center for Democratic Deliberation. More news about this will be made available when the specifics are finally decided, but we will most likely be looking for people to help with this at some point next semester. Finally, I have received some questions about some of the requirements of the Paterno Fellows Program and how to know whether or not you are on track to graduate as a Fellow. Currently, the program is working to create a database that will answer some of these questions and help you plan what you need to do in order to finish the program. It is currently in the testing phase (actually the Advisory Board and some others are being used as the guinea pigs for the database) and will be available to all Fellows and Aspirants when all of the glitches are fixed. Hopefully this entry answers some of your questions about upcoming events and requirements. Have a great Thanksgiving break!

Hello Fellows! Hopefully your semesters are going well and those incessant exams and papers haven't completely burned you out because I am very excited to say that the rest of the Advisory Board is planning quite the event for all of you to be a part of, Aspirant and Fellow alike. In the near future, all Fellows who have been admitted into the program will be receiving an invitation to a recognition event, which is being planned for the beginning of next semester. And for all of you Aspirants out there, you're welcome to join in on the fun. This event will mark the transition from the status of Aspirant to Fellow and will even include a wearable gift from the program to you. This way, you will be able to show, rather than say, that you are truly a Paterno Fellow. When we get a final design and development plan going, you will learn a lot more about this. And it will be very important for you to respond to any emails you may receive about this if you actually want this item (I mean seriously, it's free; why wouldn't you want it?).

At the same time, the purpose of this event will also be to create an increased sense of the values that are associated with being a Fellow and to acknowledge the people who have donated their time and money into making this program work. We're planning to have some special guests and food (now you're listening). Since I am fully aware of how busy everyone is, I am going to wrap this report from the Advisory Board up by asking you to be on the lookout for some more important information about the event that I am describing. You'll be hearing from me in about two weeks when a lot more will be set in stone. Until then, good luck with all of your classes and everything else that you are juggling, Fellows (and Aspirants)!

Hello Fellows! I know it's been a while since I last posted, but here I am again. This past Tuesday, Dr. Selzer, Christine, Ginelle, Brian, Danielle, Olivia, Doug, and I met to discuss some very exciting events and ideas about the program for the coming months. This post is meant to function more as minutes on our meeting because, while we have some great events in the works, we don't have official plans yet. I felt that it was necessary to clue you all into what we're thinking about.

As of right now, we're planning to coordinate five different events for all Paterno Fellows Program participants (this includes you too, Aspirants). While I am not at the liberty to say exactly what these events are, I will tell you a little bit about them. Our first event will be taking place very soon (November, actually) and those details will be sent to you very soon. This is going to be more of a leisure event, something that will bring you back to your childhood even. The rest of the events, however, are being planned for the Spring 2011 semester.

The second event of the year will be more of a recognition event for those that have been accepted into the Paterno Fellows Program (but attendance will be open to Aspirants as well). For this we are planning to have an item of recognition, which will not be a stuffy award or plaque, but something you can actually use. And of course, no recognition event would be complete without food, so be on the lookout for that and be sure to put it on your calendar! The last three events to be held before May will consist of a play (for those who like comedy), a musical (for those who like plays, but prefer to have music with them), and a forum of sorts (for those who aren't really "artsy"). Again, these events are still in the works, but I will say that you have definitely heard of the musical before; it's based off a famous book (or infamous depending on how you look at it).

This is really where my new information ends and your excitement should begin. I know that none of this information really told you anything, but that's something to look for in the next few weeks because we are excited for the events that we're planning, as should you. Please keep following this blog for more information about the mysterious events that I have described which will be coming soon and for your eyes only.

Finally, I would like to ask you to keep telling your friends about this blog and the other Liberal Arts blogs (LAUSatPSU, LAUS Announcements, and The Education Abroad Experience). Check out what's happening within the College of Liberal Arts and what LAUC is planning and doing (the tab is found in the top right-hand corner of the page). As a Liberal Arts student, expand your knowledge about the college and opportunities available exclusively to you by reading these blog entries. You never know what you may find!

Here begins the official posts of the Paterno Fellows Advisory Board by yours truly, Nathan Hollister. I would like to introduce you to the Advisory Board, but first I think a little bit of an explanation is in order.

Right about now I'm sure that you're thinking: "What is the Advisory Board?" "What does it do?" And finally, "why do I care?" So let's take these questions one at a time. First of all, the Paterno Fellows Advisory Board is a group of nine students in all levels of the Paterno Fellows Program; some are current Fellows, while others are Aspirants. We have members from every age group and multiple majors within the College of Liberal Arts. But most importantly, we are students, just like you.

As a part of the Advisory Board, it is our job to listen to the concerns of our Paterno Fellows classmates and bring them to the attention of Dr. Jack Selzer, Director of the Paterno Fellows Program. And who better to talk about your needs and concerns with the program that will be so influential in your Penn State career than people in your classes, in your major, or maybe even in your building? We are your liaisons for feedback to the program and we gladly want to hear from you and in return we will let you know what is going on in the program. This is the exact reason why you should seek out one of the Board members if you have a grievance or suggestion for the betterment of the Paterno Fellows Program (hopefully you will have more of the latter than the former, but we're really here for both). We are also in charge of creating events for Fellows and Aspirants alike, as a way to meet people in the same program that you are, or maybe even in the same major. We hope to have events planned within the next month, so be on the lookout for that; we're looking into some pretty exciting events, both of the educational and social nature.

Now for some introductions... Below you will find information about each of the Board members (in no particular order), including contact information so you can get in contact with us. We look forward to hearing from you about anything regarding the Paterno Fellows Program.

Nathan Hollister Year: Sophomore Major(s): Spanish and World Languages Education, focusing in Spanish and ESL From: Montrose, PA in northeast PA, about an hour above Scranton Email: njh5083@psu.edu Fun Fact: Huge fan of How I Met Your Mother and many other television shows, Member of Liberal Arts Undergraduate Council (which you can join as a Liberal Arts student), Looking to study abroad.	Caity Embrey Year: Senior Major(s): International Politics and National Security, Minor: Media Studies From: Carlisle, PA currently, but has lived all over as an Army Brat Email: cme5074@psu.edu Fun Fact: Vice President of Silver Wings, a civilian-military community service club (ask her for more information), Loves old movies and baking, Two years of experience on Advisory Board.
Nachuan Chen Year: Freshman Major(s): Philosophy with a possible double in Marketing From: Beijing, China Email: nvc5074@psu.edu Fun Fact: Member of World Taekwondo Federation, International Student	Ginnelle Sroka Year: Junior Major(s): English and Sociology From: Philadelphia, PA Email: gls194@psu.edu Fun Fact: Studying abroad in Florence, Italy in the spring
Danielle Mackintosh Year: Sophomore Major(s): Crime, Law, & Justice and Sociology From: Chalfont, PA, in Bucks County Email: dlm5322@psu.edu Fun Fact: Loves music, Favorite bands include Brand New and Circa Survive, Involved in THON (through Morale last year)	Olivia Hoover Year: Freshman Major(s): Psychology, Minor: Spanish From: Small town near Harrisburg, PA Email: orh5010@psu.edu Fun Fact: Wants to study abroad, Likes to read and spend time with family and friends, Football fan
Caitlin Ogram Year: Junior Major(s): Psychology (neuroscience option), General Science, and Religious Studies From: Unionville, PA Email: cmo168@psu.edu Fun Fact: Original member of Advisory Board, Co-founder of Psych Squad (open to all majors), Research Assistant for Hillary Neuropsychology Lab, Loves autumn, Attempts yoga	Brian Prewitt Year: Freshman Major(s): Crime, Law, & Justice From: Hyde Park, NY Email: brp5121@psu.edu Fun Fact: Percussionist, Sports fan (including baseball, basketball, and the ever popular, football), Son of two alumni, Fountain of Penn State football knowledge, Golfer, Favorite sports teams include the Yankees and the Jets
Christine Theberge Year: Junior Major(s): Communication Sciences and Disorders and Spanish From: Drexel Hill, PA Email: mwt5073@psu.edu Fun Fact: Trilingual, Black belt	Douglas Smith Year: Freshman Major(s): CAMS and International Politics From: Columbia, MD Email: das5559@psu.edu Fun Fact: Huge Baltimore Ravens fan, Wants to study abroad in Italy or Greece

So there it is: the Paterno Fellows Advisory Board. Please contact any of us with any questions or concerns about the program and we will be able to make your voice heard with Dr. Selzer. And finally, as the blogger for the group, it will be my goal to get as many readers as possible, not only for the Advisory Board, but also for the rest of the bloggers on the Liberal Arts Blog. Tell your friends, tell your enemies, even tell that kid that sleeps in your 8 AM about this blog. This is your way to learn about and contribute to a program that will give you so many opportunities as a student. Also look for my future posts to learn about how you can get involved with the Paterno Fellows Program and what we as a Board are planning for you.

  It's five am. I've slept maybe four hours tops. And I've just downed three cups of Dunkin Donuts coffee and a cream cheese bagel. I do not want to get on a three hour bus to Baltimore.

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By the website definition, Kayam Farm embodies and inspires social and ecological responsibility by transforming our community through hands-on Jewish agricultural education. So think Jewish CSA? Well, right, but wrong. It's much more.

Picture 160 acres of rolling hills, spotted with fruit orchards, cross hatched with grape vines (named for the 3 Patriarchs) and patched with gardens of carrots, okra, cabbage and beets. That's what I saw as I spun around in groggy circles from my view on the hill by the parking lot. Lots and lots of farmland. Kayam farms vegetables organically according to Jewish Laws. Lots and lots of vegetables.

And for the next nine hours that's exactly what our little tour group did. We joined the caretakers of Kayam, many who live on or near the grounds, in planting, picking, seed saving and harvesting. We carried our veggies (literally) from the field to the table. And in the process I learned about how the laws and traditions of Hebrew culture from centuries past influence the dinner table today at Kayam. Every veggie must be carefully cleaned over (bugs are not Kosher, if you were wondering). But more than scrutiny goes into the meal, a lot of attention and care does too.

When you take your food literally from the ground to the dinner plate you take a whole lot more responsibility for what you're about to eat. You become more than a passive presence in your own food chain- a lot more involved than just standing in the dining hall lunch line.

So even if you're not harvesting your own dinner (which is fantastic, I might add) you can take a more involved roll in your food. Buy local - and by local I mean literally down the street, locust street for that matter. Donate to the Centre County Food bank, to make sure you're not the only one eating up. And if you're interested in the savory flavors of Jewish Culture with a side of organic greens, look into Kayam. Just wear work clothes if you visit, okay?