[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 7195-7196]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 PENN STATE MONT ALTO 100TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BILL SHUSTER

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 20, 2003

  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Penn State Mont 
Alto for its 100th Anniversary as a well respected institution of 
learning. When this institution was first established, in May 1903 by 
the governor of Pennsylvania, it was known as the Pennsylvania State 
Forest Academy in Mont Alto. The academy was only the third forestry 
school in the entire nation, behind Yale and Biltmore respectively. The 
school was founded by Dr. Joseph T. Rothrock to train men for service 
in the state forests. To this day, the Forest Academy still educates 
America's foresters in addition to students in many other academic 
programs.
  The earliest goal of the academy was to reforest much of the 
surrounding land, especially in areas made barren by forest fires and 
charcoal production. On Arbor Day in 1905, the academy's first 
administrator, George Wirt assigned students to search for native tree 
species not found on campus. These students returned with over 400 
specimens reflecting 30 different varieties of species. These collected 
specimens were the beginning of the Mont Alto arboretum. An arboretum 
that to this day continues to provide a training ground for students, 
as well as a research site for the development of new hybrids.
  The Pennsylvania State Forest Academy in Mont Alto has been 
constantly evolving throughout its history. In 1929, the academy merged 
with the Pennsylvania State College

[[Page 7196]]

(now University) becoming one of the Commonwealth campuses. At that 
time, the campus was used only for the first year of training for Penn 
State forestry students. The students would then complete their three 
remaining years at the main campus in University Park. The campus 
continued to grow and by 1963 the first one or two years of most Penn 
State majors were being offered at the Mont Alto campus. The school 
completed its evolution in 1997, when students were able to earn their 
baccalaureate degrees at the Penn State Mont Alto campus.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in commending Penn State 
Mont Alto for its 100 years of commitment and dedication to providing a 
quality education to so many young people.

                          ____________________