Penn Hall was recently renamed Jean H. Grupp Hall, due to a $250,000 donation made by a college trustee.
Otto Grupp III made the donation in memory of his late wife, Jean Grupp, who was a nurse for several years. They chose to rename Penn Hall because it houses the nursing program.
This will be the first name change for Penn Hall since the college was built in 1964. Many students on campus are confused about the title swap. “It’s unnecessary … to rename a building that has been always called Penn Hall,” said Gabrielle Burgos of Warminster, a 20-year-old business major.
Despite the name change, students continue to call the building by its former designation. Burgos said that she only heard about the renaming after a friend mentioned it to her last week. Many students didn’t hear about the change until the college replaced the old plaque with a new one bearing the revised name. Campus maps were also updated to reflect the name change, yet traces of the old name still linger on the college’s website and business cards.
Tobi Bruhn, Vice President and Executive Director of Foundations and Alumni at Bucks, said these will be altered sometime this week. According to Bruhn, the college also tried to brighten the entrance of the hall as part of the rededication process. This was accomplished by adding a blue banner over the doors, giving the building a more colorful appearance.
As for the donation, “it will go toward awarding scholarship to students in need of financial aid, but are not limited to grant programs and updating technology of campus among other things,” said Bruhn.
In addition, the Grupp family also created the Jean H. Grupp Memorial Nursing Scholarship for aspiring nursing students. “I am thankful to the Grupp family for their generous donation which will help many students at the college,” said Bruhn.
College officials and the Grupp family plan to hold an official dedication for the renaming of Penn Hall on Nov. 10, around 12:00 or 12:30 p.m. “The donors didn’t want to make a big deal about the event and preferred that it not be publicized. But if a student walks by and is interested in the event, they will not turn them away,” said Bruhn.