Beam-signing ceremony celebrates construction milestone at Penn State Brandywine

Penn State Brandywine residence hall and student union buildings.

Director of Enrollment Management Deborah Erie signs one of the final structural steel beams that was set in Penn State Brandywine's new student union building. 

Credit: Michael McDade

MEDIA, Pa. — Penn State Brandywine held a beam-signing ceremony on July 18 to celebrate one of the final structural steel beams being set in the campus’s new student union building. Also currently being constructed is the campus’s first residence hall. Both buildings are scheduled to open by August 2017.

“It is beyond exciting to see the dream of becoming a residential campus turn into a reality,” said Deborah Erie, who has served as the campus’s director of enrollment management for the past 22 years. “Serving both commuter students and on-campus residential students has been a strategic goal of the campus for over 15 years.”

Penn State Brandywine residence hall and student union building time lapse

Penn State Brandywine's first residence hall and new student union building are scheduled to open by August 2017. 

Credit: Michael McDade

The student union is a two-story, 31,000-square-foot building that will include a dining hall with seating for more than 300 students, student recreation areas, the campus bookstore, conference space and student affairs offices. The residence hall is a four-story, 73,000-square-foot building that will house 254 students and will also include student recreation space.

“We will always stay true to our roots as a commuter campus by providing a quality Penn State education to our local communities, but this residence hall and new student union will enable us to expand our reach beyond our commuter borders, particularly for athletes, international students and students interested in experiencing campus life at a Penn State campus close to the history and culture of Greater Philadelphia,” Erie said.

Penn State Brandywine is located just 20 miles west of Philadelphia and enrolls approximately 1,500 students. The campus offers two associate degrees, 12 baccalaureate degrees and the first two years of more than 150 additional baccalaureate degrees that can be completed at another Penn State campus. In addition, the campus offers internships, undergraduate research opportunities, international study programs and varsity sports.

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