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Welcome to Penn State! We are standing at Old Main, a historical landmark and one of the most photographed sites on the University Park campus. Old Main houses the University's administrative offices, and features the famous Land-Grant Frescoes that may be viewed on the 2nd floor lobby. Directly behind us, just across College Avenue, is downtown State College, the quaint community that is consistently ranked as one of the top college towns in the country. Downtown offers students an eclectic mix of restaurants, shopping, and entertainment options, as well as seasonal farmer's markets, music festivals, and the beloved summer event known as Arts Fest. Penn State students love their college town!
Nittany Lion Shrine
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The Class of 1940 presented a gift of a Nittany Lion sculpted from a large block of Indiana limestone to Penn State in 1942. The work of noted sculptor Heinz Warneke, the crouching, powerful figure is now the popular Nittany Lion Shrine, located near the Recreation Building. It is said to be the most photographed site on campus! In fact, one beloved tradition is to take a picture with the Nittany Lion Shrine on your first day on campus, and your last day before graduation.
East Residence Area
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Wondering where you might live as a first-year student? There is a good chance it will be East Halls, which accommodates around 4,000 first-year students and is the largest residence hall complex on campus. The 15 co-ed residence halls are a mix of renovated and traditional; renovated halls feature climate control and shared private bathrooms, while traditional halls offer shared common-use bathrooms. In the center of the complex is the Findlay/Johnston Commons, which offers a computer lab, a cultural lounge, study lounges, and many food options, including the all-you-care-to-eat Findlay Dining Commons and EDGE Coffee Shop.
Pollock Residence Area
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Pollock Halls is the third largest housing area on campus housing over 2,700 students. Approximately 2,000 first-year students call Pollock Halls home, making it the second largest housing area for first-year students. Pollock Halls offers students coed traditional halls featuring shared common-use bathrooms on each floor. Many Living Learning Communities are housed in Pollock Halls, making it a vibrant and active residence area. Pollock Commons offers a cultural lounge, study lounges, and many food options including the all-you-care-to-eat Pollock Dining Commons, and Market Pollock convenience store. Students living on-campus are required to purchase a Campus Meal Plan, which can be used at any on-campus dining location.
HUB-Robeson Center
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Welcome to the HUB-Robeson Center, or HUB for short, which is literally the hub of campus with approximately 18,000 students, faculty, and staff passing through daily. In addition to a bookstore and a wide variety of dining options, the HUB is home to the offices for the more than 900 clubs and organizations at Penn State. Also located in the HUB is the Paul Robeson Cultural Center, providing programs and support services to encourage and cultivate the appreciation and celebration of the diverse perspectives, experiences, and cultures of many under-represented communities at Penn State. One walk through the HUB, and you will really get a sense of the involved community that is Penn State!
Berkey Creamery
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The Penn State Berkey Creamery's mission is to support the teaching, research and outreach programs of the Department of Food Science, to provide quality dairy products to students in on-campus housing, and to maintain an economically viable retail outlet for dairy products to the University community. Visitors rarely leave Penn State without a stop at the Creamery, which is why we hand-dip about 750,000 cones and bowls of ice cream each year in the Creamery store. One well-known fact that makes Penn Staters proud of their ice cream – the famed ice cream makers of Ben & Jerry's got their start with a correspondence course in ice cream-making from Penn State.
Schreyer Honors College
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Across the green space of the HUB lawn, we have Atherton Hall, the home of Penn State's honors program, the Schreyer Honors College. Recognized as one of the best and most comprehensive honors programs in the country, the Schreyer Honors College challenges its students to achieve academic excellence, build a global perspective, and create opportunities for leadership and civic involvement. With approximately 1,700 students University-wide, Scholars graduate with honors upon taking required honors courses and completing a senior thesis.
Pattee and Paterno Library
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Named for Fred Lewis Pattee, author of the Penn State Alma Mater and regarded as the first professor of American literature, Pattee Library was built between 1937-1940. Pattee Library includes the technology-rich Knowledge Commons, and the Music and Media Center. Paterno Library, formerly East Pattee Library, underwent expansion and was rededicated as Paterno Library for its fundraising campaign chairs. It is home to Foster Auditorium, along with MacKinnons Study Lounge. The first floor also features Starbucks, an always-popular stop for your coffee fix or to hang out with friends.
Student Health Center
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University Health Services is an all-inclusive health care service at University Park offering medical, pharmacy, lab, imaging, physical therapy, medical records, insurance, and emergency services in one convenient on-campus location. University Health Services also offers Counseling and Psychological Services, or CAPS, which provides group and individual counseling, crisis intervention, and evaluations, as well as consultation services for the University community.
Bank of America Career Services Center
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Penn State offers students a variety of services on campus to help them be successful, and one of the largest and most utilized resources is Career Services, which is located in the Bank of America Career Services Center. Inside this massive facility, Penn Staters of all ages can take advantage of career coaches, resume and networking workshops, mock interviews, career counseling, the career library, and more. In addition to helping students look for internships and jobs year-round, Career Services also hosts two University-wide career fairs that bring over 500 employers to campus and are the largest University-based career fairs east of the Mississippi.
Intramural Building
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As its name suggests, the Intramural Building is the home for IM sports at Penn State. And while many students participate in IM sports, the IM Building offers so much more for active Penn Staters. Recently renovated, this workout facility features a state-of-the-art fitness center with the latest in cardio and free weights, racquetball courts, numerous basketball and volleyball courts, a climbing wall and bouldering center, an indoor turf field, and an indoor track. The IM building also has a number of multipurpose rooms for fitness classes, meetings, and more.
Pasquerilla Spiritual Center
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The Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, which is the largest multi-faith center of its kind in the country. As the home for the Center for Ethics and Religious Affairs, it offers space for the almost fifty religious and spiritual student organizations on campus and a welcoming, supportive environment to practice religion. Pasquerilla hosts worship services for many different religions and supports a variety of events that all members of the Penn State community are encouraged to attend, regardless of faith. We offer a welcoming environment for students to practice or explore these faiths in an open-minded setting while promoting appreciation and respect for religious and spiritual diversity.
Arboretum
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While an arboretum has existed on campus since Penn State's early days, the current Arboretum went through a major renovation in 2009. Penn State dedicated the H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens in 2010, which includes 5 acres of developed gardens, the Overlook Pavilion, and improvements to 30 acres of the surrounding area. The Arboretum is now a popular location for social functions and hosts many community events.
Beaver Stadium
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As the second largest college football stadium in the country with a seating capacity of 106,572, it is hard to miss Beaver Stadium as you drive into Happy Valley. Originally built on the west-side of campus and named Beaver Field, the field moved to its current location in 1960 and has grown in size since that time. One football tradition is the creation of Nittanyville, the formal name for the congregation of students that camp outside of Gate A in the week prior to a home football game. In addition to cheering on the Nittany Lions in the stadium, fans enjoy performances by the revered Blue Band, including their signature pre-game drill, the Floating LIONS.
Bryce Jordan Center
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Welcome to the Bryce Jordan Center – or the BJC, as we call it – home of Penn State's Men's and Women's Basketball teams. With 16,000 seats, fans get to see some of the best college basketball in the country. Additionally, the BJC is a multi-purpose facility, presenting many events and performances, including some of the top musical acts in the country. The BJC also hosts many important Penn State events, like graduation, career fairs, and THON weekend, the 46-hour dance marathon that raises money for the Four Diamonds Fund and the fight against pediatric cancer. THON has raised more than $100 million for the Four Diamonds Fund since 1977.
Rec Hall
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Whether students like to participate in athletics or cheer on their favorite teams, the Recreation Building, or Rec Hall for short, is one of the busiest venues on campus. Built in 1928, it was considered one of the premiere field houses in the nation, and now hosts some of the elite athletic programs in the country, including Men's and Women's Volleyball, Men's and Women's Gymnastics, and Men's Wrestling.
Pegula Ice Arena
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Welcome to Hockey Valley! The Pegula Ice Arena is home to Penn State's Division I Men's and Women's Ice Hockey teams; but the arena is so impressive, you might think it is home to an NHL team. Opening in 2013, this $102 million arena features a main rink with seating for almost 6,000 fans, including a 1,000-seat student section, and a full-size community rink that is open daily for public use.
