Since the Penn State board of trustees officially approved the major renovation plans for Beaver Stadium last May, tens of millions of dollars have been donated to the project.
The trustees approved spending up to $700 million on renovating the stadium, home to the Penn State football team, although the university has said the renovations will open the door to hosting non-athletic events at the stadium, like concerts. It’s a hefty price tag—one that has drawn criticism from the public and some board members—but the university has also received several large donations for the project.
The university has received at least $66 million in donations toward the project, according to releases about the project and donations.
Three of the seven donations publicly announced have been Beaver Stadium Founders gifts, or donors who make gifts in eight figures or more, the university said in a release
“As Founders, these benefactors play a vital role in allowing Penn State Athletics to execute a renovation plan that will not only preserve the rich history of Beaver Stadium but also modernize the facility while making it a year-round venue,” the release states. “The generous gifts of the Beaver Stadium Founders will be recognized in a plaza outside Beaver Stadium at the completion of the renovation.
In August, Penn State Athletics announced a $25 million Beaver Stadium Founders Gift from the Misitano family, Anthony and Catherine Misitano, and their daughter, Brittany, and PAM Health for the project. It was the second-largest gift in Penn State athletics history. The Misitano family has held Penn State football season tickets since 1978 (and also have season tickets for men’s basketball and hockey), a release states, and they’ve previously made other significant gifts and endowed scholarships at Penn State.
When the project is complete, the new West Tower—which will be home to the University Welcome Center—will be named to recognize the gift.
The second gift to the project was a $10 million Founders’ Gift from an anonymous donor. In a release, Pat Kraft, vice president for intercollegiate athletics, said the family has “supported our department in a number of ways.”
A tiring Founders Gift was another $10 million donation from an anonymous donor.
Trustee emeritus Ira Lubert and his wife, Pam Estadt, committed to donating $10 million to name the new welcome center the Lubert Family Welcome Center. It will serve as the entrance for fans on football game days and as the first stop for prospective students on campus tours, a release states.
“With space for organizing and orienting campus tours, offering individualized visit experiences, and presenting interactive exhibits about the university’s strengths, the center will place Penn State at the forefront of higher education nationwide. In addition to its role in the pre-admissions experience, the Lubert Family Welcome Center will provide a year-round hub for campus and community activities,” the release states.
In late September, Playfly Sports, the university’s multimedia rights partner for athletics, contributed $5 million toward the revitalization project.
“As a Pennsylvania-based company, Playfly Sports understands the economic and cultural significance Beaver Stadium and Penn State Football hold in our community, region, and state. Their generosity will have a lasting impact on all 31 of our sports programs as these renovations play a critical role in increasing revenue to support all of Penn State Athletics,” Kraft said in a release.
Another $5 million gift came in October from Frank and Jennifer Marzano. A release states the West sideline’s primary club in the renovated stadium will be named the Marzano Club.
“The Marzano Club will offer a tremendous game day experience and will be a hub of campus and community activities on non-game days. This space will be one of the premier event spaces in all of Pennsylvania, filling a critical need for both the university community and the Centre Region,” the release states.
Another anonymous family with multiple Penn State alumnus and longtime supporters of Penn State donated $1 million in November.
Although the final design has not been made public yet, renovations include adding a 21,000-square-foot welcome center at the stadium, improved circulation to alleviate congestion, concourse expansion, an improved press box, new restrooms, upgraded concession offerings, new premium seating offerings, improved field lighting, allowing for state-of-the-art and future entertainment, and enabling year-round events and entertainment. Some work has already started, and a major part, the demolition of the press box, took place on Saturday.
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