I wrote in May about Penn State’s “HIST 197- History of Penn State” course that debuts this fall semester. Penn State News featured the course’s creation at that time:

“The History of Penn State” grew out of discussions with several Penn State alumni who serve on the board of the Nittany Valley Society (NVS), which works to “cultivate appreciation for the history, customs, and spirit of the Nittany Valley.”  NVS Board member Steve Garguilo, 2009 alumnus in information sciences and technology, provided financial support for the course through the Stephen D. Garguilo Nittany Valley Society University History Endowment.

“This course has been a long time coming,” notes Michael Milligan, Penn State senior lecturer in history, who created and will be teaching the course. “Using Penn State as the backdrop, I want students to be able to analyze and interpret significant developments not only in American higher education, but in American history as well.”

Back in May, more than half of the course’s 49 seats were still open. Sometime in July, the course filled up. Now, there’s a wait list with 10 students on it. I expect that waitlist to grow. Here’s a screenshot from Penn State’s course catalogue:

I’m not sure when, but I’m still planning to sit in on a class at some point in September. I hope the popularity of this first-time offering results not only in it becoming a permanent part of Penn State’s course catalogue, but that it means more sections will be offered in the future.