Penn State to Honor 9/11 Victims with Flag Display, Memorial Events Marking 25th Anniversary

Penn State will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks this week with a series of remembrance events at University Park and several commonwealth campuses. 

Events include the placement of 2,977 American flags on the Old Main lawn, representing each person who died in the attacks, along with a memorial service, a documentary screening and an exhibition honoring Penn State alumni who were killed at the World Trade Center. 

Penn State’s College Republicans and College Democrats, joined by community members, led the flag placement at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday on the Old Main lawn. The display will remain on the lawn through 11 a.m. Saturday. 

On the day of the anniversary, a memorial service led by College Republicans will be held at 5 p.m. Friday on the Old Main lawn. 

The McCourtney Institute for Democracy is also set to host a screening of “9/11: Reclaiming Ground Zero” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10 at Carnegie Cinema in the Carnegie Building. 

The documentary follows thousands of New Yorkers as they share how Ground Zero should be rebuilt following the attacks. A panel discussion featuring Penn State faculty members John Gastil, Ekaterina Haskins and Brad Vivian will follow the screening. 

An exhibition at the Stuckeman Family Building will highlight the lives of 10 Penn State alumni who died at the World Trade Center. The 9/11 Memorial Exhibition, on display through Friday, Sept. 25, features student work exploring potential memorials for the alumni. 

The exhibition grew from a proposal by the Architecture Alumni Group to create a permanent memorial on the University Park campus. Architecture students developed memorial concepts during a fall 2025 design research studio, incorporating material studies, prototypes and augmented reality into their work. 

Fifth-year architecture students Jeremy Lynn and Rich Padula, who graduated from Penn State in May, were selected as finalists for the memorial project. Their proposed designs were developed for the Hintz Family Alumni Center.

“What resonated with the jury members was how strong the students’ ideas were in tying the individuals who lost their lives to their backgrounds and who they really were as people both at Penn State and beyond,” Frank Dittenhafer, a 1978 Penn State graduate and jury member, said in a statement. 

The 9/11 remembrance events extend beyond University Park, as Penn State DuBois will hold a memorial from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. Friday at Schoch Plaza. 

Penn State Harrisburg will host its “9/11 Never Forget Project” at 11 a.m. Thursday at Vartan Plaza, where community members can help place flags. The flags will remain through Tuesday, Sept. 15. 

At Penn State Hazleton, the Student Government Association will place flags at 9 a.m. Friday along the Mall Walkway. The display will remain through Monday, Sept. 14.