Have you “herd” about the cows coming to central Pennsylvania for CowParade® Harrisburg 2004? A whole herd of them, in fact, is grazing on the lawn at the Dixon University Center – 14 cows, one representing each of the 14 Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education universities.

Student artists, who competed with their campus peers for the right to have their creations displayed in what has become the world’s largest public art exhibit, designed most of the cows. Their designs were turned into three-dimensional works of art – cows in a variety of shapes, styles and colors.

Besides having their winning works on public display for thousands to see, the students also will share $28,000 in scholarship money donated by Educaid, the student loan division of Wachovia, M&T Bank and PFM. Each of the 14 universities will receive $2,000 in scholarship funds to be distributed among the student artists.

The State System chose to participate in CowParade to show its support for the arts in the Harrisburg area, and to offer student artists the opportunity to participate and earn scholarships by creating the unique designs. The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Foundation, Inc. purchased the 14 cows for the universities.

“What better way to show our support, and to show the world what our students can do,” said Foundation Director Nelson Swarts. “It has been a great experience for everyone involved.”

CowParade began in Chicago in 1999. Exhibits have been featured in recent years in such cities as New York, Atlanta, London and Tokyo. Events are being held this year in Manchester, England; Stockholm, Sweden; Prague, Czech Republic; and Harrisburg.

In CowParade, life-size, fiberglass cows serve as the artists’ canvas, allowing them to express their creativity and artistic vision in a unique way. Indeed, these are not your average cows.

Some tell stories, such as “Liberty Belle,” which was designed by students in Cheyney University of Pennsylvania’s fine arts program. The students used “Belle” as their way to “tell the story of history, slavery and oppression to the eventual discovery of liberty.” The cow stands atop a set of railroad tracks, symbolic of the community’s historic role as a stop along the Underground Railroad, which was used to lead former slaves to freedom in the early to mid-1800s.

The “Trojan Cow,” designed by Katlyn Basilone and Brett Davis from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, is patterned after the Trojan horse of literary fame.

Millersville University of Pennsylvania’s “Falling Cow” and Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania’s “Blanketed Bovine” were designed to reflect the natural beauty and richness of life in Pennsylvania. “The Elusive Sea Cow” designed by a Kutztown University of Pennsylvania? You just have to see it.

The State System herd will remain on display at the Dixon University Center through the end of April. After that, the cows will be rounded up and moved to the State Capitol Complex, where they will stay until the end of May. The cows then will be brought back to the Dixon Center again, where they will continue grazing on the Failor Green for most of June before being returned to their campus homes in early June.

Cows designed for CowParade often are auctioned off, and miniature versions are made to sell as collectibles. Each university will decide what to do with its cow, and whether to produce any miniatures or other souvenir memorabilia. All proceeds from such sales would go to the universities. CowParade collectibles currently are among the biggest sellers on eBay, the popular online auction site.

CowParade Harrisburg 2004 was organized primarily as a fundraiser for the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts.

With more than 104,000 students, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth. Its 14 universities offer more than 250 degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. Nearly 400,000 System alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.

The state-owned universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The System also operates branch campuses in Clearfield, Kittanning, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg. The regional centers are part of the Educational Resources Group, which is responsible for coordinating statewide programming.