As Penn State continues bouncing back from the COVID-19 pandemic, the university has provided a brief update on its residence hall renovations.

Currently, Penn State is set to wrap up construction on renovated East Halls dorms by the end of the 2022-23 academic year. East’s Bigler, Curtain, and Packer halls are under construction this spring, while most buildings in the area are already fully renovated.

Following a one-year pause throughout the 2023-24 academic year, Penn State plans to begin renovating Pollock Halls’ dorms through just about the end of the decade. The university will begin with Wolf and Ritner halls and wrap up with Hartranft and Mifflin just about five years later.

Penn State previously expected to begin Pollock renovations during the 2021-22 year while renovating three buildings each year. Now, under the university’s “delayed plan,” it’ll spruce up one or two dorms each year starting in 2024-25.

Although each building’s renovations differ slightly, they’re more or less the same. Renovated residence halls receive more efficient building systems that enable climate-controlled rooms. Renovations typically provide updated furniture and living spaces, plus slight improvements to building appearances, ADA accessibility, landscaping, and more.

During a presentation to the Board of Trustees’ Committee on Finance, Business, and Capital Planning, Penn State officials said Pollock renovations are supported by next year’s proposed increase in room and board rates. On average, Penn State students are expected to pay about 3.5% more to live on campus throughout the 2022-23 academic year.

“We are committed to doing our part to help reduce the overall cost of a Penn State education, and that includes doing everything we reasonably can to reduce our costs and find efficiencies in our operations so that room and board rates can be held as low as possible,” said John Papazoglou, the associate vice president for Auxiliary and Business Services.