If there’s one thing that separates Penn State from all other universities, it is pride of the school. Penn State has given out more than 700,000 degrees in it’s history. It started with 12 degrees back in 1861 and now every year, more than 18,000 degrees a year are handed out. As you can see, the Penn State family is large. There are about 631,000 living alumni in all 50 states and in over 160 countries in the world. The Penn State Alumni Association is the highest dues paying alumni association in the world and has been for the last 10 years (Source).  “We Are Penn State” really represents a worldwide family brought together by dear old State. 

While it seems hard to house all of this pride, Penn State does have a building on campus designated to the alumni association. The Hintz Family Alumni Center is located on the west end of campus tucked right behind the Engineering building. What makes the alumni center special is that a section of the alumni center is the original University House that Penn State presidents have lived in since the 1860s.

The alumni center is a great place for not only Penn State alumni but also current students. The building has various meeting area, reception rooms, and places to simply hang out. The center if full of Penn State memorabilia and yearbooks. What also makes the alumni center special is the alumni garden. It is full of bricks that alumni have inscribed with messages of support and pride of their Alma Mater.  The alumni building is a beautiful building both inside and out. It is also a great place to study for finals (shhh, don’t tell too many people!)

The center is open Monday through Friday from 8:00am until 5:00pm. It is also open on Saturdays from 11:00am until 3:00pm. The center also stays open during special weekends such as THON, homecoming, graduation, and special sporting events from 11:00am – 3:00pm on Saturdays and 10:00am until 2:00pm on Sundays. If you’re free tomorrow after the football game, why not stop by!