On Friday, September 25, Shippensburg University celebrated a ribbon cutting and grand opening of its new Entrepreneurship Hub at Kriner Hall. The renovated historic building now serves the campus community and surrounding region as a dynamic point for entrepreneurship, innovation, and collaboration to converge at Shippensburg University.
By collocating the Charles H. Diller Jr. Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and Innovation, the Mr. and Mrs. Milton K. Morgan III Makerspace, and Small Business Development Center, Ship has created a powerful and unique ecosystem where students, faculty, entrepreneurs, small business owners and community members can transform ideas into successful ventures.
“Ship has created a place where education and application come together. Students will have opportunities to develop ideas, solve problems, work alongside entrepreneurs and business leaders, and understand what it takes to move an idea from concept to reality. That matters because Pennsylvania needs more than graduates with credentials. We need graduates who can adapt, innovate, create businesses, strengthen existing employers, and contribute to the communities in which they live and work,” said Dr. Christopher Fiorentino, chancellor of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education.
The Diller Center cultivates creative thinking and collaboration, generating cutting-edge ideas and solutions. Here, students, faculty, and community members exchange ideas and the blend expertise, leading to breakthroughs that wouldn’t occur in isolation.
The Morgan Makerspace provides a space for prototyping and experimentation, allowing students to turn concepts into tangible products. Equipped with a variety of manufacturing equipment, students can rapidly design, test, and refine their ideas.
The SBDC offers no cost business expertise, mentorship, and resources to help navigate the complexities of launching and scaling a company. The center serves small businesses in Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, and York Counties.
An entirely new addition to the space is Student-Made Shippensburg, an online marketplace featuring Shippensburg University student creators and entrepreneurs. Student-Made Shippensburg is made possible through a partnership with Student-Made, a national organization with a mission to identify, support and promote Student-Creators of all kinds.
Significant private and public investment in the university’s vision for entrepreneurship, innovation, and regional economic development made this initiative possible. The project received $1 million through Pennsylvania’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) to support the renovation and redevelopment of Kriner Hall, with support from Pennsylvania State Senator Greg Rothman, 34th Senatorial District. Shippensburg University also received a $700,000 Community Project Funding grant, supported by Congressman John Joyce, MD, and administered through the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.
These investments were further enhanced by the generous support of the SU Foundation, benefactors, and business leaders who recognized Kriner Hall’s potential to serve as a catalyst for new ideas, new businesses, and economic opportunity.
“Before you is a physical manifestation of the Federal government, State government, Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education, the Shippensburg University Foundation, Alumni, Donors, Faculty and staff, Business and community partners – all coming together and, if I can permit me the use of a nautical analogy – we are all rowing in the same direction,” said Dr. Charles E. Patterson, president of Shippensburg University.
“This transformation is a wonderful example of what can happen when people come together around a shared vision and believe what is possible. I hope everyone who walks through these doors recognizes that they are entering a place built through partnership, a place where the generosity of today’s donors will empower tomorrow’s innovators,” said Dr. Leslie Folmer Clinton, President and CEO of the Shippensburg University Foundation.
Since its original dedication in 1958 as a dining hall, Kriner Hall has served as a point of connection and community for Shippensburg University. Today, it’s legacy as a place that nourished students can continue in a new form as a space the feeds the entrepreneurial spirit.
“We have been given an extraordinary facility, and it is our responsibility to ensure it is active, collaborative, and generates the results that advance businesses that support the economic vitality of our communities. Today completes the work of transforming Kriner Hall. Now we begin the much more important work of transforming what is possible because of it,” said Patterson.
Check out the event gallery!
