1855

Penn State chartered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. First campus located in Centre County.

March 10, 1869

Ernst R. Behrend born to Moritz and Rebecca Wolf Behrend.

Feb. 22, 1896

Ernst R. Behrend arrives in America from Coeslin, Germany.

1898

Ground broken for Hammermill Paper Company in Erie.

1901

Ernst R. Behrend becomes an American citizen.

1907

Ernst R. Behrend marries Mary Brownell of Providence, R.I.

1927

Penn State offers graduate education courses at Central High School.

1932

Heated swimming pool added to Glenhill Farm.

Sept. 22, 1940

Ernst R. Behrend dies.

1946

Area business leaders seek to establish a Penn State center in Erie.

June 28, 1948

Mary Behrend officially donates Glenhill Estate, including more than 400 acres, to Penn State, creating the Behrend Center of Pennsylvania State College.

July 13, 1948

T. Reed Ferguson appointed head of the Behrend Center.

Summer 1948

First floor of the Behrend barn made into three classrooms and three laboratories. Carriage House becomes chemistry lab; family drawing room becomes the library. Kitchen and dining room become the cafeteria.

Ernst Behrend's library becomes Ferguson's office. Second floor of the farmhouse becomes dormitory housing for 20 women. Maid and chauffeur's quarters becomes faculty housing.

Fall 1948

146 students enroll; 21 full-time and part-time faculty supported by eight clerical and technical staff.

First edition of the Nittany Cub, school newspaper, published.

Oct. 30, 1948

Glenhill Farm dedicated as a Penn State facility.

1952

Erie Hall, the first building in the history of Penn State to be constructed with private funds, completed.

1953

First two-year associate degree programs established at the center, electrical engineering technology and drafting and design technology. These were the first two Penn State degrees that could be completed at a location other than University Park, which at that time was called the State College campus.

1954

Irvin H. Kochel named administrative head of the Behrend Center.

1955

Penn State attains university status. Second year of course offerings added at Behrend.

1959

Penn State establishes the Commonwealth Campus System and the Behrend Center became the Behrend Campus. Enrollment stands at 300.

1963

Otto F. Behrend Science Building completed, built with funds willed by Ernst's brother, Otto.

1968

J. Elmer Reed Union Building completed, named after the chairman of the initial Behrend Center Planning Committee; constructed with private funds.

1968

Behrend Center establishes Perry Hall, its first residence unit, built with University and private funds.

1969

Niagara residence hall completed, using University and private funds.

Edwin T. Nick Laboratory-Classroom Building dedicated. Built with state funds.

Lawrence Hall, residence unit, completed. Daniel Dobbins dining hall built with University and private funds. There are 600 resident students and 600 commuting students enrolled.

1971

Board of Trustees of the University meet with the Behrend Advisory Board and announce Behrend will become the first location outside University Park with the authority to develop baccalaureate program and confer degrees locally.

1972

Enrollment stands at 1,500. Three baccalaureate majors are offered.

Jan. 20, 1973

Board of Trustees grants four-year and graduate degree status to Behrend. The Behrend Campus becomes the Behrend College of the Pennsylvania State University.

1976

Mary Brownwell Behrend dies.

1980

Fourteen baccalaureate degrees are offered by the college.

Dr. John M. Lilley appointed dean of The Behrend College. The title of provost is added in 1983.

1982

Enrollment reaches 1,850.

1984

Ground broken for Hammermill and Zurn Buildings.

1987

Glass-enclosed atrium added to the Reed Union Building.

The undergraduate program in plastics engineering technology launched.

Penn State Behrend Alumni Society established.

Behrend alumnus Tom Lawless hits a three-run homer for the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series.

1989

WPSE radio goes on the air.

1990

Music at Noon: The Logan Wintergarden Series begins. Enrollment increases to 2,787.

1991

Kay Logan donates Mack Estate to Penn State Behrend. College lands now increase to more than 700 acres.

First Athletic Hall of Fame class inducted.

Penn State Educational Partnership (PEPP) created.

1992

College wins Distinguished Lecture Program Award for having best university speakers' program in the nation.

1993

Annual faculty research grants top $1 million for first time.

1994

100,000-square-foot Library and Academic Building opens.

1996

55,000-square-foot Engineering Complex completed, including Fasenmyer, Prischak, Witkowski, and Benson Buildings, Roche Hall, and Loranger Plaza.

Enrollment reaches 3,208.

1996

Dr. Steven DeHart leads Behrend's first Study Abroad program.

1997

Logan House refurbished and dedicated.

Almy Hall, residence unit, opens.

1998

Penn State Erie celebrates 50th anniversary.

School of Business receives $20 million endowment gift, the third largest gift in Penn State's history.

1999

First-ever All-Class Reunion held.

Ohio Hall, residence hall, opens.

Knowledge Park at Penn State Erie dedicated.

2000

$10.2 million Athletics and Recreation Center dedicated. (The facility will be renamed the Junker Center in 2001).

Mehalso Observatory and telescope erected.

2001

Enrollment stands at 3,700.

Dr. John M. Lilley leaves Behrend after twenty-one years as provost and dean to become president of the University of Nevada, Reno. Dr. Jack D. Burke named interim provost and dean effective July 1.

New baseball and softball complex opens.

Three new buildings open in Knowledge Park: a second office building, the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Technology, and the Penn State Behrend Child Care Center (relocated from Station Road).

The Larry and Kathryn Smith Chapel and Floyd and Juanita Smith Carillon opens, located across from the Library.

Construction begins on the Eastside Access Highway, which will run through campus and will connect the college and Knowledge Park to the Bay Front Parkway and downtown Erie.  

2002

Design begins on the $30 million Research and Economic Development Center, which will house the School of Business and the School of Engineering and Engineering Technology.

Two existing facilities named in honor of previous Behrend administrative heads. Students now study in the Irvin Kochel Center and the John M. Lilley Library.

2003

A Bachelor of Science degree in Science and a Master of Project Management are added to the curriculum. Penn State Erie now offers thirty majors, nineteen minors, and three graduate-degree programs.

The college breaks ground on a new residence facility, named Senat Hall, to open in fall 2004.

Behrend's 725-acre campus earns official recognition as an aboretum from the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta.

Dr. Jack D. Burke named campus executive officer and dean, succeeding Dr. John M. Lilley as the college's top official.

The Sam and Irene Black School of Business named in honor of the Blacks' $20 million estate gift for school endowments, originally announced as an anonymous gift in 1998. The Black School also achieves accreditation from AACSB International.

2004

A Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in creative writing is added to the curriculum. Penn State Erie now offers thirty-one majors, nineteen minors, and three graduate-degree programs.

The college breaks ground on the Research and Economic Development Center (REDC). Once completed, the center will effectively double the amount of classroom and office space at Behrend.

Senat Hall, Behrend's latest residence facility, opens to its first residents. The hall is open to first-year students participating in the Freshman Interest Groups program.

In December, Pascale Malouin traveled from her home in Edmonton, Alberta, to Erie to take part in commencement and become the very first graduate of Penn State's online Master of Project Management (M.P.M.) program. This marked the first time she had stepped foot on the campus.

In January, an asteroid is named for Roger Knacke, director of the School of Science, in recognition of his astronomical work.

The Penn State Behrend Lion statue pounces into temporary quarters on the college grounds in February.

Penn State Behrend grants first groups of student SAP Certification. SAP certification gives students an edge in the job market after graduation.

At spring commencement, Penn State Behrend graduates its largest class in the college's history.

In June, the long-awaited Bayfront Connector opens, providing a direct route between Penn State Behrend and downtown Erie.

The college's innovative Logan Music Series wins the Chamber Music America/American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers’ (CMA/ASCAP) Award for Adventurous Programming.

In May, Penn State Behrend moves its spring commencement to Tullio Arena to allow larger groups to attend.

The Research and Economic Development Center (RED-C) opens for student classes, research, and studies. The facility houses the Black School of Business and the School of Engineering.

Student enrollment at Penn State Behrend tops 4,000 for the first time. This is the largest incoming class in the history of the school.

An associate degree in Nursing is announced. Classes will begin in fall 2007.

The Penn State Behrend Lions athletic teams win their fifth AMCC Presidents' Cup in six years. The award recognizes the best overall athletic program in the conference.