Since its dedication in April 2001, the Hintz Family Alumni Center has played a central role in the activities of alumni and the University. During its brief history, the Center has hosted thousands of events, including more than 800 last year. From alumni group meetings to presentations by foreign dignitaries, the entire Penn State family is finding the Center to be an ideal venue for a wide variety of events.While the Center has hosted renowned American artists—most recently Glenna Goodacre—and major corporate executives—including those from IBM and Ingersol Rand—its primary purpose remains unchanged—to serve as a welcoming home on the University Park campus for all Penn Staters. Since opening its doors to the Penn State community, more than 50 alumni groups have utilized the Center for events ranging from board meetings to dinners, football pre-game receptions to career fairs.
A number of University offices and colleges have also found the Center to be an attractive venue. The Smeal College of Business, the School of Information Sciences and Technology (IST), and the Huck Institute of the Life Sciences all held groundbreaking events at the Center. President Spanier recently hosted his President’s Retreat at the Center. Faculty continue to utilize space for dinners, receptions, and meetings. And many University offices have used the Center when hosting colleagues from fellow Big Ten institutions.
While the attraction of the Center as a desirable meeting location continues to grow, the founding principles of the building remain the same—to serve as a home for Penn State alumni. The Association continues to welcome use of the Center by alumni groups—after all, it is your home at Penn State. And while holding events in the Center is not free of charge, affiliate groups of the Association do receive a 50-percent discount on all space reservations.
Mary Seaton ’88 Lib, event coordinator with the Association, handles all of the Center’s space reservations. If you are interested in holding an alumni group event at the Center, or if you have questions about the Alumni Center, please contact Mary Seaton at 814-865-8081 or mbs13@psu.edu.
