MANSFIELD, PA— When the decision was made to remove a dead tree from the Student Mall area last fall, Mansfield University President Fran Hendricks, working with the University’s Marketing Committee, saw an opportunity.
“We thought, why not use what nature gave us, enhance our already beautiful campus and deliver a message for generations of Mounties, past, present and future,” Hendricks said.
Instead of taking the tree out completely, the Marketing Committee approved a plan to leave the tree stump. Artist William Schlegel of Wellsboro was then commissioned to carve a piece of art that would bring new beauty to campus.
The original plan to carve a replica of the MU Mountie mascot was not possible because the stump was not big enough for something of that scale and detail.
The Marketing Committee suggested an American Bald Eagle clutching a tablet engraved with the four tenets of the Mansfield Creed; Character, Scholarship, Service and Culture.
“The eagle is a symbol of strength, freedom and opportunity,” Hendricks said. “It and our Creed complement each other.”
Schlegel began the work on April 23 and put the finishing touches on the new addition on May 14.
The Eagle is located at the corner of Alumni Hall’s Student Mall entrance.