About Penn State Altoona Campus

Our History

In the spring of 1939, a citizen's committee led by Altoona Chamber of Commerce Chairman J.E. (Ted) Holtzinger convinced Ralph D. Hetzel, president of the Pennsylvania State College, to support an undergraduate center in Altoona. In July, the citizen's committee launched a campaign to raise money to renovate an abandoned grade school building to house the new center. More than $5,000 was raised from 8,000 local contributors in just two months -- an astounding amount considering that many in this area were still unemployed.

Webster grade school building

On September 13, 1939, the Altoona Undergraduate Center opened in the Webster Grade School Building in downtown Altoona. The freshman class of 119 commuter students was taught by nine faculty members. In 1940, the citizen's committee was reorganized into an Advisory Board for the Center. The Board raised another $3,000 for a second downtown building, Madison, to make room for sophomore science courses.

World War II almost forced the AUC to close as men went to war and women went to work. To keep the center open, the Advisory Board financed operating deficits and opened a women's dormitory from 1944 through 1947 for female students from out of town.

Returning World War II veterans overfilled the Webster and Madison buildings in 1946 and the Center desperately needed more space. After raising $50,000, the Advisory Board purchased Ivyside Park in 1947, an abandoned 38-acre amusement park on the outskirts of the city, for a new campus. The park was home to the world's largest concrete swimming pool, now a parking lot for the college. Existing park buildings such as the bathhouse, a huge two-block-long dressing room, were renovated for the Center's use — hence the Center's affectionate nickname, "Bathhouse U." The Ivyside Park campus opened in 1948 with approximately 600 students and 30 faculty members.

Ivyside Park Swimming Pool, Bathhouse, and Roller Coaster

During the 1950s, associate degree programs were added and brought many more out-of-town students to Altoona. As enrollment increased, so did funds from the community. Money was pledged to build the E. Raymond Smith Building, a classroom and administration building that replaced the Bathhouse. In 1958, with the opening of the Smith Building, the AUC's name was changed to the Altoona Campus of The Pennsylvania State University. On July 1, 1997 the Penn State Altoona Campus became Penn State Altoona, a four-year baccalaureate degree-granting college of the University.

Penn State Altoona offers baccalaureate degrees in business; criminal justice; English; environmental studies; electro-mechanical engineering technology; human development and family studies; integrative arts; letters, arts, and sciences; nursing; and science. The college also offers third-year course work for elementary education majors, as well as the first two years of course work for more than 180 Penn State majors. Also available are associate degrees in electrical engineering technology; mechanical engineering technology; business administration; criminal justice; human development and family studies; information sciences and technology; science; nursing; and letters, arts, and sciences.

Over the years, the Advisory Board has purchased land bordering Penn State Altoona as it became available. The Ivyside Park campus now contains 167.2 acres with more than 20 buildings centered around a pond, the original warming dam from the old Ivyside Amusement Park.

The first residence hall (Oak) and the Harry E. Slep Student Center opened in 1964. Six more buildings opened in 1970: a second residence hall (Maple), a dining hall, the library, the science and engineering buildings, and the chapel, which was built entirely with privately subscribed funds. The Steven A. Adler Athletic Complex was built in two stages in 1972 and 1977. Five more new buildings were built during the 1980's, which essentially completed the college's physical plant. The bookstore building was completed in 1985, a third residence hall (Spruce) in 1987, the Community Arts Center and the Computer and Learning Resources Center opened in 1989, and a maintenance building was completed in 1993. The Slep Student Center was renovated during the 1995-96 academic year, and a free-weight room was added to the Adler Athletic Complex during the summer of 1996. Construction for the Cedar residence hall and the Ralph and Helen Force Advanced Technology Center broke ground in the spring of 1996, and both were completed in the fall of 1997.

Devorris Downtown Center and Aaron Building

In 1999, the College added its first location in downtown Altoona with the leasing of the Downtown Conference Center, formerly the Playhouse Theater. Managed by the continuing education and training office, programs and courses for individuals, businesses and the community were offered. Soon thereafter, the entire continuing education and training office relocated to downtown Altoona and the Conference Center was purchased by the College in 2005.

In 2001, the Cypress Building was constructed which now is home to faculty offices and classrooms. The Sheetz Family Health Center opened its doors in 2002, providing a home for the College's nursing degree programs, Health and Wellness Center, and a private urgent care center open to both the College and community.

Designed in 2003 by Laurencio Carlos Ruiz, instructor in theatre arts, the Adam and Mary Christodoulos Gazebo is dedicated in September 2006.

Spring Run Stadium, home of Penn State Altoona's men's and women's soccer teams, was added to the College's athletic complex. The Stadium features a regulation soccer field, 8-lane track and 2,000 seat grandstand.

With the purchase of land on Gwin Road across from the residence halls, the College again expanded its landscape. The Beech House, home to the Office of University Relations, as well as the Larch House, a guest house offering temporary accommodations to special guests, are located on this site.

Hawthorn classroom building

In 2005, the College's newest classroom building celebrated its grand opening. The Hawthorn Building houses 56 faculty offices and 24 classrooms, including a music rehearsal room and three computer classrooms.

In May 2006 the Community Arts Center was renamed the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts in honor of Altoona philanthropist Anthony Misciagna and his family.

In 2007, the college’s Downtown Conference Center is rededicated as the Devorris Downtown Center to honor the philanthropy of local entrepreneur Donald Devorris and his wife Nancy. The Aaron Building in downtown Altoona also is acquired by the college and ABCD Corporation, paving the way for the college to provide multi-campus course offerings. Over the next two years, the building was renovated to include the Dining Car Downtown eatery, state-of-the-art facilities devoted to the nursing and communications programs, as well as the Office of Continuing Education and Training.

In 2008, Chancellor Lori J. Bechtel-Wherry and Head Librarian Timothy Wherry presented a leadership gift to the college to name the Eiche Library study. That same year, Wm. Dennis "Denny" Stewart, the college’s senior director of business operations, and his wife, Dianne, provided the college with a gift to name the athletics fields.

Formerly the WRTA radio broadcast facility in downtown Altoona, the Kazmaier Family Building opened in 2009 as the home to the college’s Development and Alumni Relations Office, thanks to the philanthropy of John Kazmaier, his wife Dede, and his mother, the late Jane Patterson Kazmaier Lower.

On September 13, 2009, Penn State Altoona celebrated the college 70th anniversary with a street festival in downtown Altoona featuring food, activities and live entertainment. The celebration concluded with a concert by The Doobie Brothers at Altoona's Jaffa Shrine.

Through the generous donation of philanthropist, Penn State graduate, and businessman Steve Sheetz and his wife, Nancy, The Sheetz Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence opened its doors in fall 2011. The Center's mission - underscored by a deep interdisciplinary nature - is to develop entrepreneurial leaders and foster the creation of successful ventures within the Penn State Altoona community. It also serves as the home for Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE). SIFE is an international non-profit organization that works with leaders in business and higher education to mobilize university students to make a difference in their communities while developing the skills to become socially responsible business leaders. Participating students form teams on their university campuses and apply business concepts to develop outreach projects that improve the quality of life and standard of living for people in need.