Witness to Change: The Penn State Experience
A time of turmoil highlighted by a president with approval ratings hovering in the low- to mid-30s, American troops fighting unpopular conflicts, and women’s rights and civil rights being the main topics of many conversations, and protests, 1968 was also marked by technological advances and other innovations that transformed the way Americans live, work and play. College campuses across the nation, including Penn State, found themselves at the epicenter of the country’s social, cultural, and economic evolution — which sometimes took the form of revolution.
The College of the Liberal Arts, Department of History, and DPS teamed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of 1968 through the “Moments of Change: Remembering ’68” project. This experimental, college-wide effort created an undergraduate theme for the academic year, featuring panel discussions, movies, lectures and various other programs that explored, considered, reflected on, and celebrated the global, national, and local milestones of that year. “Moments of Change” endeavored to give all individuals in the Penn State community a better understanding of, and greater appreciation for, how events that took place in 1968 have helped shape America since then.
The Witness to Change web archive collects the digital materials produced for and during the Remembering ’68 project. It houses video interviews, documentaries, and archives of digitized editions of the Daily Collegian, as well as oral history interviews conducted by students of the World of 1968 interdisciplinary course.
