ture
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•f the Glenhill Farmhouse on Oct. 30,
"My husband always had time to talk
his ability," she said. "No matter how
the problems young people would bring
nd's
-Ben Lane
to Professor
us of English
holds on to much of its history
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it:
trip
Greg Geibel/The Colic
spurt began in 1953 when Erie
Hall was erected. The addition of
the gymnasium, organized and
funded through a community
sponsored campaign, provided a
regulation basketball floor, a
stage, locker rooms and showers,
a recreation room, and several
small offices.
With a new auditorium, the
Center's athletic department
formalized, resulting in regular
basketball, baseball and soccer
seasons. Since initial team
members competed without the
financial support of the College
of Physical Education, students
were charged annual activity fees
of $l5. The money accumulated
from these fees financed all
sports, as well as the Center's
clubs, dances and publications.
"I've always looked at
Behrend's students as agents of
change," he explains. "Some of
the early student representatives
didn't say much, but they were
there -- they were getting
involved, and that's what
counted."
ill
1■
I
ill
Some may argue that student
involvement has actually
decreased throughout the years.
Few of today's students can
picture themselves donating an
afternoon to clean the bottom of
the Behrend pool, one of many
clean-up efforts the student body
undertook during "Work Day."
The event, held each spring
during the Center's early years,
found classes cancelled and
students combing the campus on
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it's
been "
organized cleaning patrols.
The campus continued to
grow, however, and much of this
campus unity dissipated during
the transition.
By 1959, the University had
established its commonwealth
campus system, and Behrend
became a branch campus. The
Campus' enrollment had doubled,
and administrators began looking
toward a bigger picture.
This period led to the
construction of two buildings
that would completely shift the
focus of the campus: the Otto F.
Behrend Science Building (named
after Ernst Behrend's brother) in
1962, and the J. Elmer Reed
Building (named after the head of
the College's development
committee) in 1968.
"The science building truly
was the watershed of development
for Behrend," Lane recalls. "We
finally found ourselves with
adequate classroom space and
advanced resources for the
sciences."
The use of the Reed Building,
however, was less defined. The
area that currently serves as the
library was originally intended for
use as a ballroom.
"Fancy balls were quite
popular at the time," Lane
explains. "But eventually, it just
made sense to use the space to
invest in a larger library.
"The construction of the Reed
Building, and of the first
residence halls, really did
transform the University."
The first residence halls, Perry
and Niagara, were dedicated in
November of 1969, providing
adequate housing for the campus'
still-growing student body.
Behrend entered the 1970's
with yet another new structure,
the Nick Building. By this time,
enrollment had topped the 1,200
mark, and the campus accepted its
first junior class. In June of
1971, the College graduated its
first three baccalaureate students,
two of which had completed all
their course work at the Behrend
Campus.
On January 20, 1973, the
University's Board of Trustees
decided to rename the campus
Behrend College.
Lawrence Hall and a new
resident cafeteria, Dobbins Hall,
had been added two years earlier,
and the campus map came much
closer to its current view.
Student apartments and the
Hammermill/Zurn Building
followed in 1984, ending the next
phase of the College's
development.
But change is inevitable. As
students returned to campus this
fall, they were met with new
access roads, stairwells and
parking lots. Some students
unpacked their bags in new
resident suites. Discussions range
from the much-delayed library
groundbreaking to the future use
of campus land near Kanty Prep
and the Mack house.
While the future of these
projects, as well as the future of
the College, is unpredictable, Ben
Lane is sure of one factor -- Mary
Behrend would be impressed.
"She'd be euphoric," he says.
"This is by far the most
beautiful campus in the entire
branch campus system.
"In fact, this is one of few
institutions where the dream of
one person was so strikingly
fulfilled."
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