By Marissa Carney, Penn State
With a ceremony and ribbon cutting, the Sheetz Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence and Rossman Park were officially dedicated Thursday, Aug. 18.
Chancellor Lori J. Bechtel-Wherry gave remarks along with James Broadhurst, immediate past chair of the Penn State Board of Trustees; senior business major Stephanie McConville; and local philanthropists Steve and Nancy Sheetz, in whose honor the building was named. Mayor William Schirf read a proclamation and declared Aug. 18 Penn State Altoona Entrepreneurial Excellence Day.
Steve and Nancy Sheetz also were presented with a replica of the building rendering carved out of limestone. The replica was created by Michael Lucas, associate professor of visual arts at Penn State Altoona.
Tours of the building were available after the program.
A $3 million gift from Steve and Nancy Sheetz helped purchase and renovate the former Meyer Jonasson building in downtown Altoona, now the Sheetz Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence, as well as Rossman Park. The building will support academic research, education and community engagement in entrepreneurship, and serve as the home for the Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) organization.