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Taking it all in

by | Apr 14, 2024 | 2 comments

State College is unthawing. Signs of life emerge: tulips creeping ever upward, trees getting their first bloom, even my apartment’s heating bill taking a well-deserved break. It’s like David Attenborough descended upon the valley we call home and...

Which university is the oldest?

by | Apr 1, 2024

My favorite PLA blog I’ve written was this one, which gave an overview of the university, spanning from its inception, iteration, and the present state of higher education. I would recommend you read that post before reading this one, because it sets the stage...

Geoguessr

by | Mar 20, 2024 | 5 comments

I first signed up for a Geoguessr account in late high school. As a history buff, geography nerd, and tech enthusiast, Geoguessr checked off all of the boxes for me. I was hooked instantly. In many ways, Geoguessr gamified the things I liked to do anways: pore over...

Reflecting on a week in Texas

by | Feb 13, 2024

This past week I had the opportunity to travel to San Antonio, Texas as a member of the Music Technology Leadership Academy thanks to the generous support of TI:ME and NAMM. This conference coincided with the Texas Music Educators’ Association conference, the largest...

Think regions, not cities

by | Jan 30, 2024

In May of 1339 Italian painter Ambrogio Lorenzetti completed The Allegory of Good and Bad Government (Allegoria ed effetti del Buono e del Cattivo Governo), an expansive series of three frescoes detailing a number of elected officials and the effects of their policy...

Building well

by | Jan 21, 2024

America is the country of the future. It is a country of beginning, of projects, of vast designs and expectations. – Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844 America is in decline, but not for the reasons you might think. By all accounts, we are a prosperous, strong, and...

Tales of water and mountains

by | Dec 3, 2023

Geography is deterministic. For some, geography is destiny. For others, geography is fate. For Williamsport–a moderately large city situated on the West Branch of the Susquehanna River, as well as the principal cultural, economical, and commercial node of...

A Brief History of the University

by | Nov 3, 2023 | 1 comment

Here’s a scoping account of the university, including its contribution to Western values such as liberalism and democracy, and the changing nature of the university in response to demographic and economic trends. The Big Picture The tradition of the university...

Ohio State away

by | Oct 18, 2023 | 1 comment

On Saturday, the Blue Band will march out in front of 102,000+ fans in Ohio Stadium, the nation’s third-largest football stadium. As a student at Penn State, I’ve witnessed four contests between the Nittany Lions and the Buckeyes, and played at my first...

Cultures of excellence

by | Oct 10, 2023 | 3 comments

One of the best bits of advice I’ve received is this: “live your life excellently”. When I think about organizations that are exceptional, it is because they are excellent in all of their capabilities. For this reason, I still believe in American...