New Panther Sculpture

A sculpture of PSU’s mascot, the panther, is being built outside the HUB. It is anticipated to be finished and standing by the end of the month, although the project could be delayed to later in the semester. This was decided by the student senate this past spring. It was the desired senior class gift from four graduating classes, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. Success of their fundraisings, when put together made this possible. The purchasing process took place over the summer, and into the beginning of the semester. This sculpture has been long awaited by students. The sculptor of the project is Harlan Rose, proud owner of the company the Randolph Rose Collection. He advised the most cost effective model for the sculpture. Due to his organization, a second panther sculpture is confirmed to be eventually built across the river, for the PSU athletes. The precise location for it is to be determined.

The mentality for the sculpture being built outside the HUB is that it is in the center of campus, and will be seen by the most amount of people. This decision was of the students, and ultimately by Alumni Green. Brian Dye, who is working with the student representatives on the project, believes it will bring our campus community further together. “Providing a panther statue provides opportunities for traditions”, he said, “Traditions create institutional collectiveness for the student body.” For example, when seniors take part in the march around campus during graduation, they will now be marching essentially from panther to panther. This creates a sense of community involvement, in that the sculpture is a symbol of panther pride.

The President of the University, Dr. Donald Birx, believes that the project will be rewarding, based on the positive impact mascots have had at other schools. “I can’t say if it will have the same impact as Penn State’s Lion”, he said, “But I will tell you that the statue there became a very important icon of the school over the years and was extremely popular with students, community, and visitors alike. Thousands of pictures are taken each year with the sculpture.” Hopefully, this new sculpture will have a similar result. It would be ideal for it to attract visitors, and serve as an inspiration to high school aged people to attend school here. It would serve as an icon for the university in the same way our Robert Frost statue does; in that people will be aspired to take pictures in front of it, in order to get a first sense of what it feels like to be a part of the PSU campus community.

The panther itself and the rock where it will stand guard is made of bronze, atop a granite base. The panther will be 30 inches wide, and 103 inches long including the tail, at 44 inches tall. The rock will be 28 inches wide, and 73 inches long. The base will be 84’ by 26’ by 24’. Altogether, it will stand at three feet tall. The material for the base is being supplied by Swenson Granite Works in Concord. The selected granite’s color is called Rocked Woodbury Grey.

The sculpture will incorporate our campus community with an engraving. It will be engraved with the PSU logo, and underneath it will read “Home of the Panthers”. Below that will also read that it is a gift from the graduate classes of 2016 to 2019 . The sculpture will represent that we are all panthers in this community, as we take part in this shared experience