MONT ALTO, Pa -- Students and faculty members from Penn State Mont Alto’s Allied Health programs -- Nursing, Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) and Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) -- commemorated the start of the 2021-22 academic year by sealing a time capsule in the campus’ latest construction project — the 22,000 square foot Allied Health Building (AHB).
The placement took place on Thursday, Aug. 26 inside the construction perimeter of the project. The capsule, which is located under the main stairwell between the first and second floors and will be marked with a plaque, is scheduled to be opened in 25 years, on Aug. 26, 2046.
“This is our first new building in over 20 years,” said Penn State Mont Alto Chancellor Francis K. Achampong. “I’m really excited about it. Moving these three programs together is a great opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration – health care is team-based.”
Items for the capsule were selected by students and included scrubs, Crocs, name tags, business cards and blue and white pom-poms.
The AHB will house the learning and lab spaces and be a collaboration hub for Mont Alto’s Allied Health programs. The building will feature simulation laboratories and an ambulance port for the Nursing program, a simulated living space for the OTA program and enhanced clinical space and equipment for the PTA program.
The building is scheduled for completion in October 2021 and slated for occupancy for the spring 2022 semester.