Penn State’s Board of Trustees met Friday to unanimously approve plans for and authorize the use of funds to construct a new College of Engineering building on the west side of campus.
The building, known as Engineering Research and Teaching Space 1 or West 1, will span 290,000 square feet, easily making it the largest academic facility on campus. It will be located just off of White Course Drive north of the Earth and Engineering Sciences.
The facility’s $228 million construction is part of the university’s
multi-phase plan to boost the College of Engineering’s facilities and resources.
West 1 will house the college’s aerospace, architectural, civil, and environmental engineering departments. It’ll also feature research labs, classrooms, office spaces, a small library, food service, and even a few common areas for students.
The Class of 2021 s gift was officially approved during Penn Stateâs Board of Trustees meeting Friday.
Rachel Bruning, president of the Student Philanthropy Network, announced the gift at the end of the fall 2020 semester â the network will create the Student Access and Equity Fund.
The fund, according to Bruning, will be dedicated to helping students who contribute to the diversity of the university and who are in need of educational expenses not covered by their financial aid.
The Committee on Governance and Long-Range Planning approved the gift by vote of acclimation.
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An $85 million expansion and relocation of the Palmer Museum of Art was approved during Penn State s Board of Trustees meeting Friday.
The expansion will allow for more than a 185% increase in the museumâs collection since its last expansion in 1993.
Part of the proposal includes plans to relocate the Palmer Museum from its current location on Curtin Road to The Arboretum at Penn State.
Opposition to the project was voiced in the form of student food insecurity statistics â the argument was made that, if Penn State students are experiencing food insecurity, such a large sum of money should not be allocated toward art.
Bridget Lasda currently serves as the Chief Customer Officer at the King Juice Company. She worked for 14 years within the Coca-Cola system after graduating from Penn State with a bachelor’s degree in special education in 2002.
With a productive career in the business world in tow, Lasda is now running for one of the three available alumni-elected positions on Penn State’s Board of Trustees. She sat down with Onward State to discuss the upcoming election and several of her goals if she’s able to join the board.
“I could not have thought of a better decision or university for myself. I absolutely loved my time here,” Lasda said. “I didn’t really know anyone…But quickly I met some friends. I just loved the bigness of it.”
When looking around Happy Valley, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone with as rich of a Penn State background as Steven Wagman.
He graduated from Penn State’s College of Health and Human Development in 1982, met his wife on campus, and raised a daughter who earned a Penn State degree. He even has a freezer at home filled to the brim with Death By Chocolate ice cream from Penn State’s Berkey Creamery.
Now, he’s seeking a chance to continue guiding the university forward as one of three alumni-elected members to its Board of Trustees.
Above all else, Wagman said he seeks to use his rich background with the university as a catalyst when potentially serving on the board. He’s previously volunteered for Penn State as a mentor for students, sat on the Alumni Council for nearly a decade, and served as the Penn State Alumni Association’s 80th president from 2017 to 2019. Following his term, Wagman assumed a seat on the Board of Trustees in July 2019.