Construction on Penn State’s $128M liberal arts building to start next month. What to know
Penn State is slated to start construction next month on the new $128 million Susan Welch Liberal Arts Building, following formal approval Friday by the university’s board of trustees.
The 143,000-square-foot building — which will house many of University Park’s social-science departments and institutes — received overwhelming approval by the trustees, with one dissenting vote from alumni-elected trustee Barry Fenchak. A groundbreaking ceremony at the site between Park Avenue and Fischer Road, between the Mateer and Ford buildings, is set for Aug. 12.
The new liberal arts building is expected to open in fall 2024.
“This new space will create dynamic learning opportunities for our students, spur even more innovative research encompassing an array of disciplines among our faculty, and strengthen the college’s reputation as one of the premier liberal arts institutions in the country,” Clarence Lang, Dean of the College of the Liberal Arts, said back when the project was first announced. “Most Penn State students regardless of their major take nearly one-third of their classes in the liberal arts, so it’s safe to say that nearly every Penn State student will benefit in some way from the construction of this new building.”
The new brick-and-limestone liberal arts building will house the departments of anthropology, political science, and sociology and criminology; the schools of public policy and international affairs; the Population Research Institute; the McCourtney Institute for Democracy; the Matson Museum of Anthropology; and the Criminal Justice Research Center. As a result, Oswald Tower — which now houses many of those units — will be demolished after the building opens, with its current small site likely turned into a green area.
The new building with lab, classroom and office space was first publicly announced in spring 2019, with construction initially expected to start in summer 2021 and end in fall 2023. But, because of the pandemic, that was delayed for a full year.
Based on public presentations to State College Borough boards earlier this year, additions to the building from previous plans include restroom entries with no doors, touchless restroom fixtures, automatic doors at the main entrances and a ventilation system that will provide “100% outdoor air in the labs and museum spaces.” The roof will also be designed to accommodate future solar considerations.
In 2019, the estimated cost of the the building was $113 million but, due in part to both inflation and the pandemic, that has now increased to $127.7 million. Primary funding sources include borrowing ($73.2 million), state funding ($40 million) and capital reserves. Demolition of Oswald Tower is also factored into the project.
The building is named after Welch, who died in March and had served 28 years as the dean for the College of the Liberal Arts (1991-2019). The building was set to share her namesake even before her death, as the political science professor left a long and storied legacy, one respected on a national level.
Welch said at the time she was “touched and honored” by the gesture, which was requested by two prominent Penn State philanthropists.
This story was originally published July 22, 2022 at 1:21 PM.
