Plans approved for Harrisburg residence hall
Hershey, Pa. Penn State's
Board of Trustees today (March
20) approved the final design
and authorized. the awarding of
contracts for the construction of a
new residence hall at
Penn State Harrisburg.
The four-story,
100-bed apartment
style project to serve
first-year students
was designed by the
architectural firm
of SMP Architects
of Philadelphia
and construction
is expected to be
completed in time for
the fall 2010 semester.
The new building
will bring the number
of students housed
on campus to 430.
With the continued growth
in enrollments at Penn State
Harrisburg, the need to increase
housing capacity has prompted
the project. The waiting list for
housing continues to grow each
year as the campus and University
Housing and Food Services work
to implement a plan for replacing
Faculty member earns Northeastern teaching award
The Northeastern Association
of Graduate Schools (NAGS) is
honoring Penn State Harrisburg
faculty member Peter Kareithi
for what his students and
colleagues in the School of
Humanities have known all along
he is a remarkable teacher.
An associate professor of
humanities and communications,
Kareithi has just been named
winner of the prestigious 2009
NAGS Master's Teaching Award,
presented to a faculty member in
the Northeast in recognition of
excellence and creativity in the
teachingofgraduate 'students at the
master's level. The award will be
formally presented April 3 during
the organization's annual meeting
at the University of Delaware.
NAGS is one of four regional
affiliates of the National Council
of Graduate Schools with a
membership of 101 U.S. and 21
Canadian institutions of higher
beds previously available to
students on campus when
Meade Heights and Church and
Wrisberg Halls were in operation.
"With our increasing enrollment
and demand for on-campus
housing, the new residence hall
will fill a critical void and will
serve us well in meeting the
needs of our first-year student
population," said Penn State
Harrisburg Chancellor Madlyn
L. Hanes. "We are grateful the
trustees have approved the plan
education from 10 states, the
District of Columbia, and six
provinces. Members include
Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth,
Penn, Cornell, Syracuse, Boston
College, Temple, Georgetown,
Rochester Institute of Technology,
Maryland, and Penn State.
"Overwhelmed" at the news
of the award, Kareithi says, "I
am happy my style of teaching
is acknowledged. It's what I call
a personally engaged student
centered approach in which I try
to get to know students not just in
the classroom, but in their lives
outside of class. That way I get to
learn where their academics and
personal lives intersect. We need
to break down power barriers
between teacher and student
and although it can be risky, it
is also powerfully productive."
Kareithi adds that his winning
this award is the result of the type
of environment for teaching and
and look forward to the completion
of the construction phase."
In keeping with the University's
commitment to environmental
sustainability, the $lO million,
30,000-square-foot project is
planned to be LEED (Leadership
in Energy and Environmental
Design) certified and considers
energy efficiency, including
a ground-coupled geothermal
system, which will heat and
cool the building. "The design is
conceived as a living and learning
learning fostered at Penn State
Harrisburg. "The environment
truly allows faculty and students
to examine issues from multiple
perspectives. It's an environment
which encourages faculty to
view seriously different ways
of teaching and learning, and
even take risks. And due to
the interdisciplinary nature
of our college's curriculum,
faculty and students from across
disciplines can learn from each
other. Another help has been the
indispensable mentoring from my
highly capable and experienced
senior faculty colleagues since
my arrival on campus in 2001.
Associate Dean for Research and
Graduate Studies Marian Walters,
commenting on the honor, says,
"Having faculty from Penn State
Harrisburg receive significant
national awards is a strong
reflection ofthe high quality of our
faculty and their achievements.
opportunity for students to
understand the daily impact they
have on our environment," said
Edward Dankanich, director of
Business Services. "Faculty are
alteady engaged in developing
educational opportunities
including storm water
management, landscaping,
soil conservation and energy
saving mechanical systems."
"The floor plan for the
second, third, and fourth floors
are identical," said Donald
Holtzman, senior director of
Student Services. "The design
is not simply a dormitory. The
primary guiding principle
of the new housing is the
grouping of student rooms
around community spaces
that will encourage student
interaction." Each group of
student rooms includes four double
suites with shared bathrooms for
a total of 16 students and four
bathrooms per pod. Each floor
consists of two groupings with
a study area and lounge in the
center. There also is a resident
assistant apartment on each floor.
The new residence hall, the
We at Penn State
Harrisburg have
always known
that quality,
but recognition
from outside
the University
is an important
demonstration that
their achievements
and abilities are also
recognized by the
larger community
within their
academic fields
Students are
quick to point
out Kareithi's
contributions in the
classroom. Typical
comments about his courses
include "important," "relevant,"
"exciting," and "challenging."
Bringing a unique blend of
in-depth cultural knowledge,
theoretical sophistication, and
adjacent Student Community
Center and existing apartments
will frame a new exterior quad,
which will include new walkways
connecting all buildings. The
facility's look will mirror the
previous housing. The entire
complex is conveniently located
close to the library, academic core
ofcampus, andrecreationfacilities.
The first floor main entrance
will lead to a reception desk and
sitting area. Also included on
that level are a housing office,
two-bedroom staff apartment,
mechanical rooms, laundry and
building storage. The facility
also is serviced by an elevator.
The advent of all-new student
apartment-style housing at
Penn State Harrisburg began in
August 2002 with the opening
of accommodations for 300
students. That was followed in
2005 with additional similar
housing for 32 first-year students.
Story and Photo courtesy of Penn
State Live (www.live.psu.edu)
total commitment to teaching,
Kareithi's "teaching style inspires
Please see KAREITHI
on page 12