Life in University Park

Penn State's University Park Campus

Penn State Law is located on Penn State’s 13-square-mile University Park campus in State College, Pa. University Park is the largest of Penn State’s campuses and is the academic home of a diverse population of about 46,000 graduate, undergraduate, and professional students, including about 7,500 international students. In 2014, U.S. News ranked Penn State eighth among national public universities, and, in 2013, Penn State’s libraries were ranked eighth among all North American research libraries. In addition to Big Ten athletic events, Penn State students enjoy a lively music and arts community and a wide range of other entertainment. The campus is pedestrian- and bike-friendly with an eclectic mixture of historic classroom buildings, cutting-edge, modern architecture, and beautiful urban landscape.

The law school building is adjacent to Penn State’s H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens, across the street from a recently renovated student intramural sports and fitness center, and a few blocks from central campus and downtown State College.

State College, Pa.

Perhaps better known as Happy Valley, State College is a quintessential college town that offers students many of the amenities of a larger urban environment in a clean, safe, and welcoming setting. Thanks to its highly educated population made up largely of Penn State faculty and staff, State College is consistently ranked among the nation’s smartest, safest, and most livable cities by a variety of organizations and publications.

State College is within a few hours’ drive of New York, Washington, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh. The University Park airport, located 10 minutes from the law school’s Lewis Katz Building, offers direct flights to Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C., with convenient connections to other major cities.

Facilities

The law school in University Park is located in the Lewis Katz Building. This $60 million LEED-certified building was completed in 2009 and features a glass walled library with spectacular views of the Penn State Arboretum, Beaver Stadium, and Mount Nittany, a courtroom technologically equipped to display evidence electronically, a café, comfortable classrooms, and student meeting and study spaces. Specifically designed to accommodate global legal education, all Penn State Law facilities have state-of-the-art AV equipment that allows real-time audio connection to programs and speakers anywhere on the globe.

Our Building

Located on Penn State's University Park campus, Lewis Katz Building in University Park is home to both the Law School and the School of International Affairs. Dedicated in 2010, the building is LEED-certified and contains a number of "green" features such as a vegetated green roof, bike racks, abundant use of natural light, and locally sourced materials.

Penn State Law Facilities

Lewis Katz Building from the south

The Lewis Katz Building is north of Park Avenue at University Park.

University Park Classroom

Penn State Law facilities have state-of-the-art AV equipment that allows for real-time, two-way communication with speakers around the globe.

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Lewis Katz Building Reading Room

The third-floor reading room in the Lewis Katz Building overlooks Mount Nittany, Park Avenue, and other Penn State campus landmarks.

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University Park study space

The library in University Park contains ramped study space that overlooks the Penn State Arboretum and other campus landmarks.

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University Park Courtroom

The courtroom in Lewis Katz Building was designed with the help of judges and practitioners. Since the building's dedication in 2010, it has hosted several special sessions of state and federal courts. Filming of the television and web-based series "World on Trial" takes place here.

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