Reading in Public

In fulfillment of its public reading mission, the Center will:

    • Host periodic Community Read events for the university and central Pennsylvania communities
    • Offer alumni outreach and development programs such as author-themed travel opportunities (for example, Franklin's Philadelphia; Whitman's and Melville's Manhattan)
    • Provide free lectures and events for the university and Centre County communities
    • Work together with the Penn State Commonwealth College campuses and local libraries to organize community events on reading
    • Contribute to--and play a leadership role in--the civic life of central Pennsylvania through collaborative ventures
    • Form partnerships with businesses, institutions, and other foundations in order to make the case for the broader importance of American literature
    • Highlight Penn State's contributions to the future of the humanities in the twenty-first century