$1.75 million from alumnus Nicholas Subich will create the Nicholas Subich Center for Entrepreneurship and Media at Commonwealth University-Lock Haven, marking one of the largest gifts in the Lock Haven University Foundation’s 59-year history.
$1 million of the pledge is available immediately for Bentley Hall renovations and construction, while $750,000 will fund a new faculty position tied to the center.
Bentley Hall’s ground floor will be remade into a collaborative hub with a student lounge, upgraded classrooms and a podcast and media studio intended for business, journalism and other students.
University leaders said the center will also add entrepreneurship and professional-development programming under a full-time director, with the project expected to strengthen student recruitment and retention.
Subich, a 2017 graduate who has said donor support helped him finish school, previously created a 2024 grant to help students earn securities-industry licenses before graduation.
When one large gift funds a major project, how do universities ensure fairness for all other academic departments?
How will a center built in 2029 prepare students for a workforce already being reshaped by AI?