Penn State to add residence halls to Abington, Brandywine campuses

Aiming  to draw more students and stay competitive in the Philadelphia area market, Pennsylvania State University is poised to spend more than $100 million to add residence halls and a student union to its campuses in Abington and Media.

Neither the Abington or Brandywine campus currently has residence halls, so the projects would allow some students to live on campus for the first time. The new student union with dining services is slated for the Brandywine campus in Delaware County.

The board of trustees' finance committee on Thursday endorsed the projects, which will be considered for final approval by the full board on Friday.

The new residence halls would open in fall 2017, said Ford Stryker, associate vice president for physical plant.

In presenting the projects, university officials underscored the importance of the Philadelphia area market, which is saturated with colleges and universities.

"It's an area of growth for us," said Penn State President Eric Barron. "A lot of Philadelphia residents want to come to Penn State and they would like to have that first experience in Philadelphia. There's really a lot of interest in Brandywine and Abington."

Stryker showed a map with many other universities in the Philadelphia area that offer on-campus housing and said not having residence halls puts Abington and Brandywine at a disadvantage.

University officials cited Pennsylvania Department of Education data that shows the Abington and Brandywine areas combined are projected to enroll 28,000 high school seniors by 2021, the largest number of any region in the state.

Barron also said retention and graduation rates are better at campuses with housing. Students can get a sense of community and become more involved with the campus if they live there, he said.

Both campuses, Stryker said, since 2009 have attracted increasing numbers out of state students and international students, who would benefit from the new housing. Many of them currently live in off campus apartments.

Under the plan, a 402-bed apartment style residence hall would go up a half mile from the Abington campus at the site of a former car dealership off of Old York Road and near the Abington Township Public Library. A shuttle will transport students back and forth, and each apartment will house four to six students.

Price tag: $50.6 million.

Stryker noted that Abington is the third largest of Penn State's 20 branch campuses with 3,966 students.

Brandywine, the sixth largest campus with 1,457 students, would get a 256-bed residence hall, built behind its library. Price tag: $31.5 million.

A 31,000 square foot student union with dining services, meeting rooms, book store, recreational space and other services, would be erected between the library and an academic building. Price tag: $19.6 million.

If the projects get final approval on Friday, ten of the 20 branch campuses will have on-campus housing. The others are: Harrisburg, Erie, Altoona, Berks, Mont Alto, Hazleton, Beaver and Greater Allegheny.

Also at the finance meeting, Penn State officials said they will ask for a $53 million increase in state funding for 2016-17, and if the money comes, in-state students will get a second year with no tuition hike.

Of course, the 2015-16 budget hasn't even passed yet. But Penn State officials typically begin planning for the next budget ask in the fall.

"A lot of things have to happen," Barron acknowledged. "We've watched the struggle trying to get a budget this year. I don't have any reason to think it will get very simple."

The $53 million boost would return the university to funding levels not seen since 2010-11. Penn State, like other state and state-related colleges, have taken cuts or zero increases in funding over the last few years.

But Barron said the funding is important to allow the university to invest more in student financial aid and hold down the cost of tuition. Barron said the university also will look to cut about $20 million in expenses in the next budget year.

Also, finance trustees delayed a decision on whether to tighten security at its recreation facilities. Its main recreation center currently has 72 doors and access is not restricted. The plan would cost $420,000 annually – salaries for students who would be required to man the main doors at the three recreation centers and check identifications.

Some trustees urged the board to act, citing safety concerns. Stryker said the university gym has experienced thefts – 145 in 2014-15 - and confrontations between students and community residents who come in to use the gym.

"To control access through a single door makes a great deal of sense," Barron said.

But other trustees, including a student, said they saw no need for the additional security and were concerned the cost would be passed on to students.

Stan Latta, assistant vice president for student affairs, said the university was considering charging staff and faculty higher fees for the gym usage and adding a visitor's fee for community residents.

Finance chair Mark Dambly told the administrative team to come back with a better financing proposal for the board's next meeting after the new year.