MONACA, Pa. – On July 17 Penn State Beaver Interim Chancellor Donna J. Kuga provided the Penn State Board of Trustees with an overview of campus history and progress as well as a look to the future as the campus celebrates its 50th anniversary.
The Board of Trustees is holding its summer meeting at the western Pennsylvania campus.
In the early 1960s, county legislators and commissioners asked Penn State to consider establishing a local campus. As a result, Penn State Beaver opened with 97 students in fall 1965.
The late Michael Baker Jr., former president of Michael Baker Corp. and former president of the Penn State Board of Trustees, and the late Senator James E. Ross, were instrumental in planning and developing the campus. By the late 1970s, campus enrollment had grown steadily, along with the construction of academic and administrative buildings.
In 2004 the old Administration Building was replaced with the new Ross Administration Building. In 2012 the state-of-the-art Gary B. Keefer Wellness Center, named in honor of Beaver’s chancellor emeritus, was added to the gymnasium. Current renovation of the Michael Baker Science and Engineering Building is under way with support and funding from the University and the Board of Trustees.
Academic offerings at the campus have also changed. Beaver now offers five baccalaureate degrees as well as the first two years of Penn State’s 160 majors. By fall 2014, almost 30 percent of Beaver’s 720 students were enrolled in the campus’ four-year programs.
Approximately 90 percent of students are full-time, 14.5 percent are adult learners, and 12 percent are out of state. Ten years ago, 6.75 percent of students were from under-represented groups but, by fall 2014, that number increased to almost 20 percent with significant gains in all ethnic groups, including Hispanic and Asian students.
Beaver has 32 full-time faculty members engaged in all aspects of teaching, research, scholarship, creative activity and service. Several have been recognized for their teaching and research through University, international, state and community awards.
The campus raised $3.1 million in the latest University-wide fundraising campaign. Gifts primarily supported scholarships, but also were designated for support of faculty research, study and travel abroad, and the Wellness Center on campus. Last year Beaver students received almost $600,000 in scholarships.
Students frequently engage in academic and research projects with outside companies and have presented at national and international conferences. They also participate in annual international travel with faculty to places as diverse as Singapore, Ireland and Turkey.
In addition to numerous student leadership opportunities, the campus has 130 student-athletes participating in eight intercollegiate sports. In 2015 the Beaver Lady Lions basketball team made history when it won the USCAA Championship (U.S. Collegiate Athletics Association), making it the first Penn State University Athletic Conference team to win the title.
Community outreach continues through programs such as the Brodhead Cultural Center, which presents free summer concerts for the public; Continuing Education courses for nursing home administrators; on-site management training; and summer youth camps; and Adult Literacy Action, which continues to provide literacy and life skills training for participants.
Kuga noted that changes coming to Beaver County will impact the campus.
“Beaver County could be at the center of what many people, including some government leaders, believe is the largest economic development opportunity we’ll experience here in decades,” Kuga said.
Because of large Marcellus shale gas deposits in the area, Royal Dutch Shell is considering construction of a $2.5 billion ethane cracker facility several miles from campus.
“This facility could generate numerous temporary construction jobs as well as permanent positions and upstream and downstream industries and businesses,” Kuga said. “In addition, Penn DOT has announced plans for an $81 million roadway project connecting Beaver County to Cranberry Township, which is just 15 miles from campus and one of the state’s fastest-growing residential and retail areas.
“Looking ahead, we’re hopeful that so much growth will create a surge in employment, providing numerous possibilities for new academic program delivery and training at Penn State Beaver.”