UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State School of Public Policy hosted its inaugural statewide Policy Simulation Competition on March 1 at the newly constructed Susan Welch Liberal Arts Building. More than 50 students from nearly a dozen Pennsylvania colleges and universities attended the event that included a day-long policy simulation and a local government panel discussion featuring Patton Township Manager Amy Farkas and Centre Region Planning Agency Director Mike Tylka. Farkas,
Tylka and Lilliard Richardson, director of the Penn State School of Public Policy, served as judges for the event.
Students were assigned governmental roles (including prime minister, home office secretary, and minister of labor) from four fictitious countries as part of the simulation, with each "country" being asked to create a plan for a refugee policy crisis while interacting diplomatically with the other nations. The overall goal of the simulation, which was provided by DMS Academy, was to create an interactive environment that allowed students to see the direct effects of their policy decisions.