UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — For the 11th year, Penn State will celebrate its annual Military Appreciation Week in November by honoring Penn State faculty and staff members who serve or have served in the U.S. armed forces.
The weeklong series of events — featuring both in-person and virtual festivities open to all University, local and military community members — will kick off on Nov. 4 and conclude on Nov. 12 with a tailgate celebration and Penn State military appreciation football game against the University of Maryland. Additional details about this season’s planned Military Appreciation Week events, including the annual Veterans Day Ceremony, will be shared in the fall.
“Military appreciation is a proud tradition at Penn State, and as a university we are committed to recognizing the contributions of military members and their families, including the many Penn State faculty and staff members who have served honorably in various capacities to support and defend our nation,” said Col. (ret.) Eugene McFeely, senior director for Veterans Affairs and Services. “Across Penn State, faculty and staff members who are veterans or are currently serving in the National Guard or Reserve work in nearly every unit, college and campus and are vital members of our community. As a Penn Stater, I am honored to work alongside these veterans and service members.”
Along with the 5,600 students who have military ties as either service members, veterans or military dependents across all of Penn State’s campuses, including World Campus, Penn State faculty and staff members who serve or have served in the military are an ever-present and important part of the Penn State community, according to McFeely.
Penn State hosted its first Military Appreciation event in 2012, and today the University’s celebrations are among the largest of their kind in the Big Ten. Past Military Appreciation Weeks have recognized veterans, women who have served, members of the Pennsylvania National Guard, Vietnam veterans and the Greatest Generation.