SELINSGROVE, Pa. — There is not much happening inside a building on Market Street in Selinsgrove right now, but in a few months, it will be known as the Susquehanna University Downtown Center. The new facility will include classrooms, meeting space, and a retail store.
"They can see us on Market Street. There will be an opportunity for them to get a little bit of swag and fan ware if they want to. It will be a place where our students and faculty and staff can engage with local business leaders," said Susquehanna University President Jonathan Green.
This will be the first time Susquehanna University has had a presence in downtown Selinsgrove. The idea started a few years ago when Susquehanna University students studied new ways to get the student body engaged with the Selinsgrove community.
"They talked to about 170 members of the Selinsgrove community about a wide range of topics, including some of the ways in which they would like to see us be more effective neighbors. That led to a recommendation from that class for us to have a visible presence on Market Street."
The majority of Susquehanna University students live on campus, separated from the downtown. Green says the downtown center will help bridge the gap between campus and community.
"This is just another way for us to express the ways in which both the borough and the university are brother and sister in a lot of ways, and we can strengthen that relationship."
Susquehanna University plans to open this facility just in time for the fall semester.