MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — The following is a collection of upcoming events happening around Penn State Harrisburg.
Events
Red Cross Blood Drive – 10 a.m.-3 p.m., April 3, Morrison Gallery, 101 Madlyn L. Hanes Library. Make a reservation online (search zip code 17057). Participants must bring ID.
Spring Undergraduate Open House – 9 a.m.-2 p.m., April 5. This event is an excellent opportunity for prospective undergraduate students to learn more about the Penn State Harrisburg experience by meeting with current students, learning about academic opportunities from faculty, and so much more. Reservations are preferred.
Webinar: The Jews of Italy in WWII – Noon-1 p.m., April 7. Hosted by the Center for Holocaust and Jewish Studies, Shira Klein will present her research on the experiences of Jews in Italy during World War II. This webinar event is free and open to the public. Registration is required. Anyone with questions may contact chjs@psu.edu.
Performances
School of Humanities Spring Musical: Footloose! – 7:30 p.m. April 2-4 and 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. April 5, Mukund Kulkarni Theatre, Student Enrichment Center. Set to the rockin' rhythm of its Oscar and Tony-nominated Top 40 score, “Footloose” celebrates the wisdom of listening to young people while guiding them with a warm heart and open mind. Contains adult content, violence, language. Note: The matinee at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 5, will offer a sensory-friendly performance space with live-streaming of the play to the Spiritual Center, located on the second floor of the Student Enrichment Center. Tickets can be purchased online or purchased through the box office (717-948-4398), which is open on Tuesday and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
In-person exhibits (ongoing)
"Women as Food: An Exhibition on Depictions of Women as Edible Objects" – Through April 29, third floor, Madlyn L. Hanes Library. Featuring original color postcards from the archives' largest collection, this exhibition explores and challenges historical stereotypes of women as chickens, peaches, sweets, and other food puns as highlighted in printed ephemera from the Alice Marshall Women's History Collection. The exhibition was curated by Payton Becker, archives graduate student assistant and American studies doctoral student at Penn State Harrisburg. It can be viewed when the library is open. For more information, please contact Heidi Abbey Moyer, archivist and humanities reference librarian (hna2@psu.edu).
The 2nd Student Art Exhibition – Until May 5, first floor Art Wall, Madlyn L. Hanes Library. Curated with the assistance of Denise Saunders in the School of Humanities and the Archives Team, Katelyn M. Miller and Payton Becker, this student art exhibition will feature 10 charcoal drawings and self-portraits created by students in the School of Humanities.
The Classroom and Beyond: Student Life at Penn State Harrisburg – Through August 2025, first floor, Madlyn L. Hanes Library. This exhibit celebrates students and the evolution of student life at Penn State Harrisburg, including materials from the College History Archives. "The Classroom and Beyond," features over 30 unique items that date from the mid-1960s to the present, organized in seven different categories: academics, alumni, athletics, international students, student clubs, student publications, and the Harrisburg Rock Festival, which was a campus tradition from 1970 until 1978.
Archives and Special Collections Greatest Hits – Through August 2025, third floor Reading Room, Madlyn L. Hanes Library. From the Alice K. Marshall Women's History Collection to the Three Mile Island Collection, the "Greatest Hits" showcases a wide range of materials that are on display in the Reading Room of Archives and Special Collections. It is available for viewing whenever the archives is open (Mondays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) and by appointment.
"State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda" – Through August 2025, first floor Linda Schwab Holocaust Gallery and Reading Room, Madlyn L. Hanes Library. In partnership with the Penn State Harrisburg Center for Holocaust and Jewish Studies and the Penn State Harrisburg School of Humanities, this poster exhibition is based on the U. S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's exhibition by the same name, which was produced in collaboration with the Holocaust and United Nations Outreach Program. The posters encourage viewers to "think about what propaganda is, how it works, and how to respond when it aims to divide people and promote violence," according to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.