Campus

Time capsule placed in Bellisario Media Center focuses on people

Intended opening of sealed metal box 50 years from now: Dec. 1, 2070

Time capsule contents — Contents of the time capsule include a variety of publications and photographs about Penn State, the Bellisario College and the Bellisario Media Center. (Photo by Patrick Mansell)

A time capsule placed in the Bellisario Media Center in mid-December largely focuses on one aspect of the Penn State community: its people.

The sealed metal box, slightly larger than a typical automobile battery, was packed with a variety of materials and publications, including recent copies of The Daily Collegian, a Penn Stater magazine from the Penn State Alumni Association, and annual reports from the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications. The capsule also includes a commencement program from the spring and samples of Penn State-branded masks and hand sanitizer that were handed out to all students, faculty and staff during the fall semester.

A letter from Bellisario Dean Marie Hardin helps frame the contents of the time capsule, which also include a letter and student ID from Keely Reese, a freshman from Scranton, Pennsylvania, reflecting on her first semester at the University. The Bellisario College’s most recent annual report lists faculty and staff from the Bellisario College, and a separate list of every person who helped with the construction of the media center was compiled and included as well.

Among the photos in the time capsule are one of Donald P. Bellisario when he visited Penn State to make his transformational gift to the University that made the Bellisario Media Center possible. (Photo by Patrick Mansell)

A member of the construction team seals the time capsule so it an be placed in a wall in the Bellisario Media Center. (Photo by Patrick Mansell)

Scott Myrick, director of operations for the Bellisario Media Center, places the time capsule in the spot where it will be able to be found and opened in 50 years. (Photo by Patrick Mansell)

In addition, general admissions information, Bellisario College-branded materials, a 3D copy of a smartphone, currency, and a variety of photos from the past year at Penn State were placed in the box that’s intended to be opened in 50 years — on Dec. 1, 2070. The 3-D printing of the phone was included to avoid battery degradation from any device that could damage the contents of the box over time.

The time capsule was placed on the ground floor of the media center, which is being built in what was formerly the oldest part of Willard Building, originally known as Willard Hall. Construction is expected to be complete on the media center by early January, with faculty offices and student spaces in the state-of-the-art building open later in the spring semester.

Construction workers found a time capsule from 1949 in the building earlier this year. Some materials from that capsule were again included in the most recent time capsule. Others will be kept for display in the Bellisario College and at Penn State.