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Penn State plans to renovate Beaver Stadium, opens door to using it 'beyond football game days'

Beaver Stadium.
Min Xian
/
WPSU
Beaver Stadium.

Penn State plans to renovate Beaver Stadium, home to Nittany Lions football, and the university will be looking to fans to help foot the bill.

Speaking during the university’s board of trustees meeting Friday, President Neeli Bendapudi gave little information about the project, other than to say that after review, the university has decided to renovate Beaver Stadium rather than build new.

"I know there will be many questions, but candidly, all we are at this point is to say we’ve decided we will renovate, not build new," she said. "There’s not much else to add."

The announcement comes as the university is dealing with a budget shortfall. Renovating would be more economical, according to the university's announcement.

Bendapudi noted that Athletics is “self-sustaining” financially.

“So, no tuition, no student fees. None of the educational budget funds will be used for this project," she said.

Instead, they’ll be looking to other sources.

“Certainly we hope to count on our dedicated and loyal fans to pitch in with philanthropy to help us make this a reality," she said.

According to the university, the project would happen in multiple phases and could mean that Beaver Stadium gets used “beyond football game days.”

Bendapudi said the project will have to go to the board for review and a vote.

Copyright 2023 WPSU. To see more, visit WPSU.

Anne Danahy is a reporter at WPSU. She was a reporter for nearly 12 years at the Centre Daily Times in State College, Pennsylvania, where she earned a number of awards for her coverage of issues including the impact of natural gas development on communities.