The Penn State board of trustees approved three projects totaling $42.7 million during the board’s meeting on Friday.

The finance committee of the board approved the projects during its Thursday meeting and sent them to the full board for final approval. The projects include the first phase of a microchip packaging cleanroom at the Millennium Science Complex, bathroom renovations and additional bedrooms at McKee Hall, and repurposing the 331 Building in Innovation Park for the Applied Research Laboratory.

Microchip Packaging Cleanroom

The first phase of a microchip packaging cleanroom project will renovate and expand cleanroom spaces in the Millennium Science Complex, according to Mark Miller, associate vice president and chief facilities officer at Penn State, who spoke during the Thursday committee meeting.

The project is listed as a $31 million project in the capital plan, but it was split up into two phases, with the first phase totaling $15 million. The second phase will come before the board for approval at a later date, Miller said.

The project will have a three-fold impact, Miller told the board committee, which will all enhance Penn State’s capabilities and national prominence in the advanced semiconductor packaging field. “... (I)ncluding driving corporate sponsorship and engagement opportunities, allowing for new, highly sought after courses to be developed in the field of semiconductor technology, and advancing research opportunities while creating a home for the Center for Heterogeneous Integration of Micro Electronic Systems (CHIMES) research team,” Miller said.

Both phases of the project will take place on the first floor of the Millennium Science Complex. The existing space is an open corridor, which will be repurposed to create the new micropackaging cleanroom and reroute corridors. Four offices near the space will be eliminated, and those impacted faculty and staff members will be relocated.

Because of the type of project, equipment costs are “quite high,” Miller said, which drives the overall cost up. The funding sources include $5.6 million universitywide, $4.4 million from the president’s strategic fund, $4 million in gifts and $1 million from the office of the senior vice president of research.

Construction is expected to begin later this month and be completed by August 2026.

A rendering of the first phase of a microchip packaging cleanroom project that will renovate and expand cleanroom spaces in the Millennium Science Complex

McKee Hall

The board approved an $11.37 million project to renovate original common bathrooms in McKee Hall to shared private bathrooms, as well as add more bedrooms. The project will be paid for by the housing and food services reserves, Miller said.

“This project aims to improve the overall student experience at McKee Hall by renovating the original bathrooms and creating private amenities that better align with today’s college students and their families’ expectations,” Miller said. “Bathroom renovation will also reduce operational risk associated with 75-year-old bathroom infrastructure and reduce maintenance costs.”

The layout of the existing bathrooms at McKee Hall compared to the new layout that will be completed as part of an $11.37 million project to renovate original common bathrooms in McKee Hall to shared private bathrooms, as well as add more bedrooms.

McKee Hall has 282 beds — about 17% of West Hall’s population — with two bathroom stacks, Miller said. Similar work to update bathrooms in other residences halls has been successfully completed, he said, most recently at Hamilton Hall. The project will improve accessibility and privacy, and student feedback has been “overwhelmingly positive,” he said.

Once McKee Hall is complete, there are 14 other bathroom stacks at the University Park campus that can be brought forward for approval.

More in U.S.

To bring additional beds to University Park, Miller said the design team found the opportunity to convert attic space into dorms. Thompson and Hamilton Halls have seen similar projects with positive feedback, he said.

“The attic conversion in McKee will add seven new rooms with 19 beds, while similar renovations elsewhere in the building will generate two additional beds with improved ADA accessibility, for a total of 21 beds,” Miller said.

Construction will begin in December and will be completed by August 2026.

This room in Thompson Hall is an example of what the new rooms in McKee Hall will look like after a project to convert attic space into dorms is completed.

331 Building in Innovation Park

A $16.4 million project approved by the board will repurpose the 331 Building, which is currently lease space, at Innovation Park. The project cost will be funded by the self-supporting Applied Research Lab.

“331 Building repurposing is the next step in implementing the ARL master plan and allows for the eventual end of occupancy at the ARL main lab, which is currently in need of significant reinvestments,” Miller said. “(The) project aims to relocate operations with critical adjacencies to other ARL facilities in Innovation Park.”

The master plan was presented to the board in 2023, he said, and showed growth opportunities for ARL in Innovation Park.

Those currently using the 331 Building will be relocated to the smaller, vacant space at the 329 Building.

“This saves the university expenditures and leases, and provides a strategic location for ARL to relocate some of their personnel and operations adjacent to other ARL facilities that are currently under construction or planned in the future,” Miller said.

Beside its location to other ARL facilities, the 331 Building also increases the total assignable square footage for ARL programming, he said.

Construction is expected to start this month and be completed by September 2026.

The ARL master plan at Innovation Park shows where the different buildings are located.