Metzgars’ Gift Creates Admissions and Alumni Center
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| Robert and Sally Metzgar |
Robert D. and Sally Nelson Metzgar of Warren have committed $2 million to Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, for the creation of a new admissions and alumni center.
“The Metzgars generously proposed the idea for a facility that will serve to bookend our students’ time on campus,” said Chancellor Jack Burke. “The center will be the first place Penn State Behrend students visit on campus and it will be the same building that welcomes them back as alumni.”
The two-story Robert and Sally Metzgar Admissions and Alumni Center will be situated off the northeast corner of the Reed Union Building parking lot. The facility will house the college’s admissions, financial aid and alumni relations offices. Each department will have space within the center to accommodate the varying needs of those served—incoming students, current students and alumni.
“We felt this facility would be an asset both physically and symbolically,” Robert Metzgar explained. “Physically, this adds the quintessential front door that welcomes visitors to campus. Symbolically, this center will mark the end of students’ collegiate careers and encourage graduates to embrace their newfound status as alumni.”
The Metzgars felt that the admissions and alumni functions complement each other well. Admissions activities largely occur during the day as the staff welcomes prospective students and their parents while alumni events are often held during the evening and weekend hours, allowing for maximum use of the new facility.
At the Metzgars’ request, current Penn State architecture students were included in the process to provide them with a glimpse into their chosen profession.
As part of their coursework for the semester, students enrolled in an Architectural Design course last spring created designs based on the project’s actual parameters. In doing so, the students needed to integrate and complement the architecture of five existing structures: the Metzgars’ home, a restored castle-like residence from the mid-19th century called Cobham Castle; Glenhill Farmhouse, the core of the Behrend estate that currently houses the college’s administration, admissions, financial aid and human resources offices; and Lilley Library, Kochel Center and Reed Union Building, each of which will be nearby the new facility.
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| This new sign marks the site of the Robert and Sally Metzgar Admissions and Alumni Center, expected to open in 2010. |
The Architectural Design course was taught by Herman Weber, a visiting associate professor who is design principal and founder of Weber Murphy Fox. Weber selected three of the students to intern with the firm this summer to work side by side with him and his clients.
The total cost of the Metzgar Admissions and Alumni Center is $4 million, which includes construction, furnishings and miscellaneous expenses.
Robert Metzgar is owner and president of Warren-based North Penn Pipe and Supply, Inc., a wholesale supplier of materials, goods and services to oil and gas exploration companies and industrial suppliers.
He is a University Trustee and member of the Penn State Behrend Council of Fellows, which is composed of community and business leaders who advise the college’s administrators on issues related to economic development and regional need. In 1996, Metzgar was named the Penn State Behrend Alumni Fellow, the most prestigious honor bestowed by the Penn State Alumni Association and administered in cooperation with Penn State’s academic colleges. Since 1973, the award has been given to a select group of alumni who are leaders in their professional fields.
Metzgar attended Penn State Behrend for two years and earned a Bachelor of Arts in business administration from the University Park campus. He and Sally have two adult children, a son, Kelly, and a daughter, Kathy Metzgar Lang, who are both Penn State alumni.
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, is a comprehensive residential college offering 34 baccalaureate, six associate, four pre-professional and two graduate degree programs with 22 minors to more than 4,400 students. Focused on providing a student-centered environment, Penn State Behrend is the link that connects its students to a major research and land-grant institution on a campus enriched by more than 110 clubs and organizations, 21 NCAA varsity teams and 19 intramural sports.
Penn State Behrend is named in recognition of a donation by Mary Behrend, widow of Ernst Behrend, who founded the Hammermill Paper Co. in Erie in 1898. The Behrend family lived on the 400-acre Glenhill Farm, which is the core of the Penn State Behrend campus today.
For more information, visit behrend.psu.edu.