SCHUYLKILL HAVEN - With blue and white balloons, decorations and special blue velvet cookies called "Skookies," Penn State Schuylkill kicked off its yearlong 80th anniversary celebration Thursday in the Student Community Center on campus.
Students, faculty, staff, advisory board members and the community were invited to the event that unveiled the campus's plan for the upcoming year.
The event kicked off about noon Thursday with Penn State Schuylkill Chancellor Kelly M. Austin welcoming all to the campus, providing opening remarks and sharing about the campus's long history.
"On this special occasion, we recognize the dedication and ongoing commitment of our community to the continued success of our campus," he said.
Austin thanked not only the Penn State Schuylkill Advisory Board for its commitment to higher education, but also campus faculty and staff.
"The campus has been able to provide a high quality world class secondary education for the residents of our county due to the foresight of community leaders 80 years ago," Austin said.
According to Austin, Penn State Schuylkill traces its origins to the years of the Great Depression in the 1930s when a citizen's group in Pottsville began to explore options for local, affordable, post-secondary education.
Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania State College adopted guidelines on May 22, 1934, for the establishment of undergraduate centers throughout Pennsylvania in an effort to bring its services to more of the commonwealth's citizens.
Pottsville, along with Hazleton and Uniontown, were approved by the state superintendent of schools on July 25, 1934, as locations for undergraduate centers. Classes began at the Pottsville Undergraduate Center at the Bunker Hill building on Schuylkill Avenue on Sept. 19, 1934, with Walter R. Van Voorhis as administrative head.
There were 20 freshmen enrolled by opening day. They were taught by six faculty members.
In 1944, an advisory committee of local citizens was incorporated as the Schuylkill Education Foundation and is now known as the Advisory Board of the Schuylkill Campus of Penn State University.
Space constraints in Pottsville led the Schuylkill Educational Foundation to begin a search in the 1950s for a new campus site, which eventually led to a county-owned tract of more than 200 acres south of Schuylkill Haven, which had been used since the 1830s as a "poor farm," providing a home and livelihood for the county's indigent and mentally ill.
The county agreed to sell a 42-acre parcel to the university for one dollar.
Following renovations completed by the end of 1966 at a cost of $576,743, the Schuylkill campus opened for classes at its Schuylkill Haven location in January 1967 with an enrollment of 468.
The campus currently offers five baccalaureate degrees and four associate degrees that can be completed without leaving Schuylkill County. More than 11,000 alumni have completed their education at the campus and many more started their education at the campus prior to completing their degrees at other Penn State campuses, including University Park.
Following Austin, Allen Keifer, president of the campus advisory board since 1986, spoke more about the campus and advisory board.
He said the foundation of the board was specifically for supporting, promoting and fostering education and furthering the advancement of learning in the arts, sciences and occupations at the Schuylkill campus.
"I want to say happy 80th anniversary, Schuylkill campus," Keifer said.
Three special guests attending the kickoff were state Sen. David Argall, R-29, state Rep. Mike Tobash, R-125, and state Rep. Jerry Knowles, R-124.
Argall presented a proclamation from the state senate, while Tobash and Knowles presented a proclamation on behalf of the state house.
"This place brings back many fond memories," Argall said. "The first member in my family in recorded history to get a college degree, received it because of the old campus in Pottsville. My grandfather Argall needed to come to Penn State and my father told me it was an accomplishment in which he was very proud."
Argall also said that the best class that he ever took during his 17 years in college was at Penn State Schuylkill and was called the "History and politics of Schuylkill County."
"Eighty years is very respectable," Tobash said. "We are proud to have this jewel here in Schuylkill County."
In addition to thanking the advisory board, faculty and staff, Knowles commended the students that chose Penn State Schuylkill for their education, saying that without them, the campus wouldn't be here.
At the end of the event, Jane Zintak, director of development for the campus, talked about other upcoming events during the yearlong celebration.
Zintak said The Nittany Players will be presenting "The Wedding Singer" on April 10 to 13 and it was chosen since it takes place during the 1980s.
There will be numerous speakers throughout the year in the John E. Morgan Auditorium, all of which will be free events but tickets will be required.
Richard L. "Dick" Yuengling, president and owner of the D.G. Yuengling & Son brewery, will be speaking April 22.
There will also be a gala at the Walk In Art Center, Schuylkill Haven, from 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 9.
More information about the events is available at www.sl.psu.edu/80anniversary.
"I hope you'll come celebrate this entire year with us, Zintak said.