About the Collection
Within three months of Mrs. Behrend’s donation of Glenhill Farm in 1948, "Behrend Center" was accepting students for its first semester. The initial class of 152 students found themselves attending classes in what had been the Behrend’s barn. Under the leadership of T. Reed Ferguson and then Irvin Kochel, the campus grew at an extraordinary pace. As the Center celebrated its silver anniversary in 1973, Penn State designated it "Behrend College," and it became the University’s first four-year campus. Today Penn State Behrend boasts a student body of 5,000 .
The Penn State Behrend Collection contains materials documenting the rise of the institution over nearly 70 years as well as:
- Various official college and student publications including student newspapers and yearbooks
- Scrapbooks and news clippings dating to the origins of the campus
- Memorabilia
- Correspondence of Behrend administrators
- Photographs
- Film footage of some recent events
Related collections
- Benjamin A. Lane Collection (comprised of materials gathered in the writing of his book, Behrend Remembered)
- Norman B. Patterson Collection (comprised of photographs taken during his tenure as a faculty member starting in the early 1950’s)
- Faculty Women and Wives Club Collection
- The Penn State Behrend Archives Oral History Collection
- Behrend Family Collection
- Hammermill Paper Company Collection
The Behrend Archives is available by appointment only. Please contact Jane Ingold, Associate Librarian, at 814-898-7278 or email her at jli4@psu.edu.