Two of Penn State University’s local campuses —
Brandywine and Abington — are looking to construct residence halls as a way to
compete for students and give them a traditional college experience.
Both Brandywine and Abington are early in the process of
planning these projects but are on track to have the dorms built over the next
couple of years. Penn State has 20 undergraduate campuses across Pennsylvania,
half offer housing, which can effect matriculation. Some students choose not to
attend Penn State if the campus they are accepted to doesn’t provide housing.
“Currently, if a student wants to complete a degree and
have an on-campus experience, they can’t do that,” said Bill Tyson, spokesman
for Penn State-Brandywine. “There is demand for it. There are students in
southeastern Pennsylvania or outside the region who express an interest in
housing and we’re a four-year college that doesn’t have on-campus housing.”
Both the Abington and Brandywine campuses offer four-year
degrees.
Penn State-Brandywine is proposing a more than $40
million project that would involve a four-story dorm that has 248 beds. It is
also looking to construct a two-story student affairs center that would have a
dining facility, health center, recreational facilities as well as other operations
needed to support on-campus living. Penn State has 1,500 students attending the
Brandywine campus.
Abington's project is still being tweaked.
“We continue to shape our plan,” said Chuck Marsh,
spokesman for Penn State-Abington.
Abington expects to submit something to the township this
May or June.
Brandywine hopes to break ground early 2016, and, if all
goes according to schedule, the residence hall and student union would be
opened by fall 2017. It has a total of 122 acres in Middletown, giving it ample
room for additional housing to be constructed. But, for now, it is focused on
this project, Tyson said.
“We’ll evaluate the success of the project and how it
impacts our campus and community,” he said. “It’s a big step for us.”
Source: Philadelphia
Business Journal
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