Shippensburg University has been awarded a $700,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to support the renovation of Kriner Hall. The project, backed by U.S. Representative John Joyce, MD, will transform the former dining facility into an entrepreneurial and innovation hub.
The renovated Kriner Hall will house the Charles H. Diller Jr. Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the Mr. and Mrs. Milton K. Morgan III Makerspace, and the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), creating a centralized space for business development and student engagement.
The Diller Center encourages collaboration and creative thinking by connecting students, faculty, and community members. The Morgan Makerspace provides resources for prototyping and product development, while the SBDC offers business support services to entrepreneurs in Adams, Cumberland, Franklin, and York Counties.
The facility will also include the new Small Business Internship Initiative, a regional program designed to connect college students with paid internship opportunities at small businesses. The initiative aims to strengthen the small business workforce and provide students with practical experience.
The $700,000 HUD grant represents 12.7 percent of the project’s total cost. University officials and federal representatives say the investment will support both educational and economic growth in the region.
Representative Joyce, who advocated for the funding, said the initiative will equip students with real-world business skills and contribute to local economic development. University President Dr. Charles E. Patterson expressed gratitude for the funding and emphasized the project’s long-term impact on students and the community.
Photo credits to Shippensburg University
