Naming Contest Held for Sheetz Entrepreneurship Building

ALTOONA -- Penn State Altoona is holding a contest to name the Sheetz Entrepreneurship Building, which will open its doors in fall 2011, the college stated. The contest and rules were announced to students during a noon, Sheetz-catered luncheon this week.

A $3 million gift from Steve and Nancy Sheetz helped purchase and renovate the former Myer Jonasson building in downtown Altoona, which will be home to the entrepreneurial center and will support academic research, education and community engagement in entrepreneurship, the institute stated on its Web site. It will also serve as the home for the Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) organization.

Modeled after a similar contest at University Park, all Penn State Altoona students will be able to submit their ideas for the building name online. The contest will last approximately one month, then a committee will review the submissions, with the top five finalists invited to a private dinner with Steve and Nancy, at which the couple will announce their choice. The winner will receive a $500 Sheetz gift card and a high-end electronic device, according to Penn State Altoona. The other four finalists will each get a $100 Sheetz gift card.

"This is a monumental opportunity for our students," said Instructor in Entrepreneurship Donna Bon. "For them to have input on the building's name is such a gift from Steve and Nancy. I don't have enough wonderful things to say about them -- they really care about the students and Penn State Altoona."

Steve Sheetz is chairman of the board of the Sheetz Inc. convenience store chain, which is headquartered in Altoona. He and his wife's gifts have helped to fund construction of the Advanced Technology Center and Community Arts Center and benefited the intercollegiate athletics program, Penn State Altoona Future Fund, and William J. Rossman Renaissance Scholarship.

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