Penn State Announces New $10 Million Donation for Beaver Stadium Renovation

Ira Lubert, a former Penn State wrestler and trustee, has secured naming rights to Beaver Stadium's planned Welcome Center.

A rendering of the proposed $700 million renovation of Penn State's Beaver Stadium, which is scheduled to be completed in 2027. / Courtesy Penn State Athletics

Ira Lubert, a former Penn State wrestler and trustee, has contributed $10 million to the Beaver Stadium renovation and secured naming rights to a significant new venue addition. When its renovation is completed in 2027, Beaver Stadium will be home to the Lubert Family Welcome Center, a centerpiece of the $700 million project that officials call the "front door" of the university.

Penn State announced the Lubert family's donation Thursday, marking the fourth eight-figure gift for the renovation. Penn State has announced $55 million in Founders Gift donations, two of which were made anonymously.

“Ira and Pam [Lubert] are community leaders and philanthropists of extraordinary generosity. This latest commitment also continues their long history of support for our University and Ira’s service to Penn State, including as the former chair of our Board of Trustees," Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi said in a statement. “Ira and Pam understand that the Penn State journey begins the moment that a student visits our campus for the first time, and that Beaver Stadium represents the strength and scale of the University they are joining. Through this gift, they are not only supporting vital renovations at the home of Nittany Nation, but also ensuring that new generations of Penn Staters will discover connection, community and their path to success from their earliest moments on campus.”

The Beaver Stadium renovation will add about 47,000 square feet of event space to the facility, with the Welcome Center serving as a key feature. The venue, Bendapudi has said, will create a "front-door experience" for the university and act as an introductory space for new and prospective students. In a statement, Penn State said that the Welcome Center will play a role in the admissions process and also will expand Beaver Stadium's abiltiy to host year-round events.

"There is a need, when prospective student athletes come to campus, to have a central location, and so that will be built into the stadium," Penn State Athletlc Director Patrick Kraft said in a May interview. "... It will be a beautiful facility for our admissions team to welcome prospective students. We also will have a club level that will be used for event space, which we desperately need in athletics, and I know that community needs more spaces that can hold large-scale events. We really want to make sure that we provide an opportunity to use the building far more than what we're using it right now."

Lubert, a 1973 Penn State graduate who wrestled for the Nittany Lions and played a role in the hiring of head coach Cael Sanderson, has made several signifcant donations to the university and athletic department. In 2017, Lubert made a $5 million gift that included more than $3 million for endowed scholarships and $1.75 million for renovations to the Lasch Football Building. That year he also donated $500,000 to the Open Doors Scholarship program at Penn State Abington.

Lubert and Anthony Misitano, who made a $25 million Founders Gift to the Beaver Stadium renovation, were founding members of Success With Honor, Penn State's first NIL collective. Lubert and Misitano were part of a group that donated a corporate plane to the Pennsylvania College of Technology. Lubert served on the 2011 search committee that helped identify and hire Bill O'Brien as Penn State's football coach to succeed Joe Paterno.

Lubert is chairman and co-founder Independence Capital Partners, a holding company, and Lubert-Adler, a real estate investment firm. Lubert also holds the license to a planned State College casino.

“As a former student-athlete, Ira Lubert has represented Penn State Athletics and the University with distinction throughout his life and career, and his achievements reflect the kind of excellence that competition at the highest levels can foster,” Kraft said in a statement announcing the donation. “We are honored he and Pam have chosen to make this transformative investment in a project that will help all Penn Staters thrive. The Lubert Family Welcome Center is a beacon for this Beaver Stadium Revitalization project and will create a front door for University that will not only welcome future Penn Staters, but also welcome home our amazing alumni.”

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