Spent the day on campus at Penn State and it gave me a great opportunity to spend time with students, faculty, and members of the administration.

My schedule on campus began with a meeting of the Information Sciences & Technology Advisory Board, and a brief Q&A with President Erickson, including a discussion on the future of funding for our University, the role of the State, and the continued need for the University to properly manage costs to remain competitive and affordable.

While that dialogue is critically important, it remains unfinished.  We have much more to do as we work to ensure that “For the Future” is not just a beloved line from our Alma Mater but also a constant reminder of the obligation we have to ensure Penn State remains accessible to all regardless of their financial need.

This is an obligation that’s important because it’s about the promise made by our Commonwealth and the promise made by our University. I think it’s important to keep our promises.  But it’s also important for other reasons, and those reasons are about education and research as an engine for economic growth and opportunity.  They’re about the “Great Things” we have to offer, the incredible assets of this University that make its whole represent so much more than the sum of its parts.

And speaking of those incredible assets . . . my day wrapped up with a celebration.  Over 150 students from across the University came together to celebrate their new careers at PwC, as interns and full time hires in our offices across the country.  They are the students of today and the business leaders, philanthropists, entrepreneurs and public servants of tomorrow.  They are brighter, more tech savvy, more community-minded and better connected than I ever hoped to be, and they inspire confidence that our future is in very good hands.  Congratulations to all of them.