Penn State head coach James Franklin press conference: Final camp
Penn State’s athletics department has announced another eight-figure donation to the Beaver Stadium renovation project. An anonymous donor is contributing $10 million toward the $700 million plan to renovate the stadium’s 107,000-seat west side and perform various other work around the 64-year-old stadium in the coming years.
“This generous family has supported our department in many ways and we are so grateful to have them lead our revitalization fundraising efforts,” Nittany Lions athletic director Pat Kraft said in a statement. “This gift is a unique symbol of a deep commitment to an important priority. We are so grateful for the support we received during the initial fundraising phase for this project.”
University President Neeli Bendapudi added in a press release:
“We are deeply grateful for the generous support of this family, who wish to remain anonymous. The members of this family truly embody what it means to be Penn Staters and have internalized the ‘We Are’ spirit. The revitalization of Beaver Stadium will have a tremendous impact on our campus and community, and we are excited to have loyal Penn Staters drive this forward and make it a reality.”
Penn State continues to raise funds for Beaver Stadium renovation
News of this $10 million donation comes exactly one week after longtime sports supporters the Misitano family and PAM Health launched the fundraising efforts. with a donation of 25 million US dollars.
“Upon completion of the Beaver Stadium revitalization project, the naming of the newly constructed West Tower will recognize their generous donation,” Penn State wrote in a press release about the donation. “The West Tower will house a university welcome center, expanded concourses with unobstructed field views and modern amenities, private luxury suites, loge boxes and two distinct club seating experiences with lounge access. It will also feature more than 59,000 square feet of publicly accessible event space.”
The Welcome Center is one of many new amenities Beaver Stadium will receive once renovations are complete, which will begin after the 2024 season and are scheduled to be completed by the start of games in 2027. However, some work is either already underway — such as new concessions, entry gates, tape and video boards and escalators — or already completed, such as winter preparations needed to potentially host a home College Football Playoff game in December.
“We’re expanding the halls,” Kraft said in July. “More food options, more restrooms, but there are bottlenecks that you have to work around. It’s just tight. And it’s expensive to build in Happy Valley. All in all, it wasn’t a fluke. That’s the cost we have to incur to rehabilitate the building, fix it up and bring it alive, and then fix a lot of other problems. When you do that, you have to pay for it, and the West Side Premium will help a lot with that.”
