How did President Atherton shape Penn State into a premier institution?
George W. Atherton was the seventh president of Penn State, and served in this capacity from 1882-1906. President Atherton is known as the "second founder" of Penn State, taking an unrecognized agriculture school into a premier land-grant university. In 1882 the graduating class was seven students, and at the end of Atherton's tenure, the size of the university had grown to 86 in 1906. During this time period, the institution saw a fair share of change in academics in which short courses were offered in agricultural subjects, like the dairy short course. Atherton passed away in 1906, and is buried along Pollock Road near Old Main and Old Botany. Certainly President Atherton had a profound impact on Penn State's rich history.
