Jan 11, 2016

Penn State Fruit Research Center to open new graduate housing

The Penn State Fruit Research and Extension Center will host a grand opening on Jan. 28 for its new graduate-student housing. The building, which replaces two house trailers on the site, will be dedicated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house for dignitaries, industry representatives and others.

The State Horticultural Association of Pennsylvania financially supported the project. The association and its member companies provided more than $250,000 to fund construction of a new building to house graduate students and visiting researchers at the center.
Discussions began in 2014 about replacing the old trailers with expanded facilities to accommodate more graduate students. In spring 2015, the State Horticultural Association of Pennsylvania, comprised of fruit growers from throughout the state and neighboring regions, agreed to provide funding for the new facility and launched a capital campaign.

Within nine months, numerous fruit growers and several affiliated businesses pledged the necessary funds, which will come in to the association’s endowment committee over the next several years. In the meantime, the committee advanced the funds to allow the project to go forward without delay.
Site preparation began in August 2015, and the structure was finished by the first of the year.

The grand opening event will start at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 28, in the center’s auditorium — at 290 University Drive in Biglerville — with a reception and brief remarks of appreciation for those companies and individuals who pledged funds for the project. Attendees then will move to the new building at the end of Rice Avenue for a ribbon cutting by current and former graduate students and tours of the structure.