University Park

$10 million Stuckeman gift targets new home for SALA

University Park, Pa. -- Penn State's plans to construct a new home for its School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture are now becoming reality, thanks to a $10 million gift from a Pittsburgh couple, H. Campbell "Cal" Stuckeman and his late wife, Eleanor Stuckeman.

Cal Stuckeman, a 1937 Penn State graduate and a registered architect, is retired president and chairman of The Precise Corporation, a manufacturer of machine tools and measuring devices. Eleanor Stuckeman participated in planning for their gift before she passed away in January 2002.

The University's Board of Trustees will be asked to recognize the donors' generosity and vision by naming the facility the Stuckeman Family Building, according to President Graham B. Spanier.

Ground-breaking ceremonies were held Saturday March 29. Construction is scheduled for completion by August 2004.

"Cal and Eleanor have had a long relationship with Penn State," said Spanier. "Cal vigorously championed the idea for this new building, and it is Cal and Eleanor's extraordinary philanthropy that will now make this structure a reality. The building is critically important to our academic programs and to the physical development of the University Park campus."

The state-of-the-art facility will be located adjacent to the Palmer Museum of Art. It will provide studios, laboratories and office space for the school, which was created in 1996 and is one of the few of its kind nationwide. The projected cost of $23.5 million will be met with combined private gifts and University funds.

The School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, part of the College of Arts and Architecture, enrolls about 550 students and has 55 faculty. It is currently housed in a series of engineering units (A, B, C, D, and E) built between 1911 and 1920, which are located across the University Park campus from the college's other facilities. The new building will be located with the rest of the college to create a common learning environment.

"A new facility to modernize architectural education is long overdue," said Cal Stuckeman. "And while it came at some sacrifice to us, Eleanor and I wanted the privilege of making the cornerstone gift to launch this project. Uppermost in my mind is the substantial enhancement it will make to the learning environment for our faculty and students."

Spanier noted that the aging engineering units do not have sufficient electrical capacity for computers and other state-of-the-art technology, and lack adequate space for studios and galleries. "A new building is essential to supporting the level of academic excellence that our students, faculty and alumni expect from the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture," said Spanier. "It will approximately double the space now available to the school's students and faculty, and will provide a model educational environment, both indoors and out."

The Stuckemans have a long association with the University. Cal Stuckeman's father, Herman Stuckeman, and uncle, Howard Stuckeman, graduated from Penn State in 1909 and 1925, respectively. Also, Cal and Eleanor met at Penn State when Cal was an undergraduate.

The Stuckemans have been generous supporters of the College of Arts and Architecture, which has named its Stuckeman Center for Design Computing in their honor. Cal Stuckeman also serves as honorary chair of the College of Arts and Architecture's segment of the University's Grand Destiny capital campaign. The Stuckemans' grandson, Phillip, is an undergraduate in Penn State's Eberly College of Science.

In 2000, Penn State named Cal Stuckeman a Distinguished Alumnus, the highest honor it can bestow on one of its graduates, in recognition of his life achievements. He spent 30 years as an executive with the Pittsburgh-based Rockwell Manufacturing Corp. (later Rockwell International) before leaving in 1975 to become president and chief executive officer of The Precise Corporation. He and Eleanor Stuckeman served on numerous Pittsburgh-area community and civic leadership boards, such as those for Boy Scouts, Rotary International, and various hospitals and churches.

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Contacts:

Mike Bezilla Laura Stocker
(814) 863-4512 (work) (814) 863-4512 (work)
mxb13@psu.edu lstocker@psu.edu

Last Updated March 19, 2009

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