"One out of every eight Pennsylvanians and one in every 720 people in the United States, as well as one out of every 50 engineers and one out of every four meteorologists has a Penn State degree"
About this Quote
The choice of professions isn’t random, either. Engineers and meteorologists carry a particular cultural authority: competence, technical rigor, the people who build things and predict storms. Claiming “one out of every 50 engineers” and the almost comically large “one out of every four meteorologists” isn’t just about alumni reach; it’s about borrowing credibility. The subtext is: this institution produces the people you trust when bridges stand and forecasts hold. It’s a backdoor way of saying: trust us, we run the place.
There’s also an inside-the-state political context. A Pennsylvania politician invoking Penn State is speaking to a civic identity that functions like a sports team, a jobs engine, and a social network all at once. The line flatters multiple constituencies simultaneously: graduates, families, employers, and taxpayers who want their flagship school to feel indispensable.
The rhetorical trick is that the numbers are unverifiable in the moment, which is exactly the point. They’re meant less to be checked than to be felt.
Quote Details
| Topic | Graduation |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Sherwood, Don. (2026, January 15). One out of every eight Pennsylvanians and one in every 720 people in the United States, as well as one out of every 50 engineers and one out of every four meteorologists has a Penn State degree. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/one-out-of-every-eight-pennsylvanians-and-one-in-169179/
Chicago Style
Sherwood, Don. "One out of every eight Pennsylvanians and one in every 720 people in the United States, as well as one out of every 50 engineers and one out of every four meteorologists has a Penn State degree." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/one-out-of-every-eight-pennsylvanians-and-one-in-169179/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"One out of every eight Pennsylvanians and one in every 720 people in the United States, as well as one out of every 50 engineers and one out of every four meteorologists has a Penn State degree." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/one-out-of-every-eight-pennsylvanians-and-one-in-169179/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
